Studies on ecology and silviculture of African Sandalwood (0syris lanceolata) were canied out in Tanzania between January 1999 and February 2001 to provide basic information required to develop strategies and guidelines for management and conservation of the species. The studies had six major objectives: to assemble and collate existing information from literature and other secondary sources on the biology, ecology, silviculture and resource role of 0. lanceolata; to assess and characterize its current populations in Tanzania in terms of size class distribution, reproductive biology, natural regeneration and associated plants; to analyse the oil quality and composition of its wood, and identify compounds that have market potential; to identify its host plant species and study their relationships; to develop methods of efficient seed storage and pre-treatment techniques and efficient vegetative propagation of the species. The results of the literature search revealed a dearth of information on the species in Africa as a whole and Tanzania in particular. The results of the study on population status of 0syris lanceolata in Tanzania showed that the populations were stable despite many years of exploitation. Populations with high density were found in the northern part of the country, which is more arid than the south. Regeneration took place through both seeds and rootstocks with the latter source accounting for 61 % of the total regeneration. There was limited reproductive success in the populations studied due to either low level of pollen production or limited pollinators' movement. Assisted pollination increased the reproductive success. The quality and quantity of sandalwood oil produced varied between populations. The best quality and quantity of oil was obtained from the population in the north yielding as much as 8.45 ± 0.54% oil containing 32.2 ± 1.2% of santalol. Other compounds of commercial importance were also found in the oil including lanceol (56.7%), bisabolol (5.1 %), nuciferol (3.7%) and bisabolene (3.3%). The results of the study on host plant identification and their interactions revealed that 0. lanceolata was non-host selective but had preference. The most preferred hosts included Rhus natalensis, Dodonaea viscosa, Tecomaria capense, Catha edulis, Apodytes dimidiata, Brachystegia spiciformis, Maytenus senegalensis and Aphloia theifonnis. Among the preferred host species B. spiciformis and R. natalensis promoted the early growth of 0. lanceolata according the nursery experiment carried out in the present study. The same study showed that Casuarina equiesetifolia an exotic host species gave comparatively early growth performance of 0. lanceolata as observed with B. spiciformis and R. natalensis probably due to its light crown that cast little shade and nitrogen fixing capability. The results of the study on seed storage method and pre-treatment technique revealed that the best storage method for seeds of 0. lanceolata was 20% moisture content of seeds stored at 3-5°C. The best pre-sowing treatment technique was complete removal of the seed coat before sowing which gave a germination of up to 66.5% followed by soaking seeds in hot water which yield a germination of about 57.5%. The results of the study on vegetative propagation revealed that 0. lanceolata can easily be propagated through both stem cutting and marcotting. The best rooting success was achieved in June and September. Application of auxins also proved useful in promoting rooting in both stem cuttings and marcotting with IBA at 50 ppm being the best in most respects. Nodal position also influenced rooting success, with cuttings from the basal portion being better than those of terminal origin. Based on the results of these studies it is recommended that further work is required by including more populations within Tanzania and in neighbouring countries to confirm the findings of the present study and identify populations with better quality of oil for improvement of the species through selection and breeding. The avoidance of the current destructive method of harvesting to encourage natural regeneration, promotion of planting using the methods developed to increase the resource and detailed chemical study to identify compounds with market potential are some of the other recommendations.