Porcupines were recorded to ringbark Cordyla africana, and debark Trichilia emetica and Spirostachys africana, in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe, in 1972. Fifty years later (2022), debarking of all three species by porcupines had escalated, although ringbarking was effectively absent. By 2022, elephants had begun debarking C. africana, ignored T. emetica, used the foliage of S. africana sparingly, but had heavily impacted Acacia species in the surrounding woodland. Over 50 years, the population of C. africana had aged, without any regeneration; such that future representation of this species in riverine woodland is expected to decline. By contrast, regeneration of T. emetica and S. africana, and rapid growth of T. emetica to adult size in under 40 years, indicates that representation of these two species should increase.