Woody Plant Species Diversity of Gechi In-situ Forest Conservation Site, Sekela District, North Western Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted at Gechi in-situ forest conservation site to investigate woody plant species diversity. To collect the inventory data, a systematic and predetermined sampling system was followed. The main objectives of the study was to undergo inventory of the indigenous woody species, assessing the regeneration status, to determine the floristic composition and set the priority list of woody plant species for the vegetation of the area. Study was conducted during in January 2019. Gechi in-situ conservation site land feature was valley the transect line was laid along the valley ridge. All ten transects ware laid from west to east direction with forward bearing of 32°, between transects 150mt distance and also the quadrates were established with regular interval of 200 m from each other. In general, a total of three transects, 31 quadrates and 62 sub-quadrates were used to collect the inventory data from the Gechi in-situ site vegetation. From the inventoried a total of 47 woody plant specimens were collected; out of which 46 specimens were identified to the species level. Major threat of the Gechi forest recording during the study were 1.1% clearing for agriculture, 31.1% and 34.4% of the negative impacts were attributed by browsing and grazing respectively with moderate and intensive (heavy) levels and also 33.3% of forest was cutting of Bamboo for fence construction with the intensity of moderate to intensive disturbance level. To overcome forest disturbance proper conservation has to be taken to solve the problems and prevent the forest from forest disturbance factors.

Population Structure and Regeneration Status of Woody Plant Species in Tulu Korma Dry Afromontane Forest, West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

“…In this study, we used species accumulation curve ( Figure 2 ) to determine the number of sample plots required. Comparing with many other similar studies that followed the same procedure, Tulu Korma was more species rich and diverse in woody plants than, for example, Wof Washa natural forest in north-east Ethiopia with 62 woody species [ 17 ]; Gichi In-situ Forest conservation site, north-western Ethiopia with 47 species [ 22 ]; Gelawoldie community forest, north-western Ethiopia with 59 species [ 25 ]; Denkoro Forest with 64 species [ 13 ], and Angada forest with 87 species [ 33 ]. Variation between sites in terms of species richness and diversity may be attributed to their difference in altitude, climate, edaphic condition, and/or biotic effects including human disturbance [ 24 , 29 ].…”

“…Such population structure is explained as having good regeneration status. Several authors [ 14 , 15 , 22 , 24 , 25 , 38 ] interpret that a forest with such a pattern is a healthy forest that actively regenerates with naturally ongoing new individual recruitment. However, there is a reservation to generalize that such pattern of population structure is always an indicative of good regeneration, because it is based on an assumption that there is equal mortality among size (DBH) classes, which may not always be true biologically [ 39 ].…”

“…In Ethiopia ecological studies that dealt with woody species diversity, population structure and regeneration status were conducted in diferent dry afromontane forests found in diferent regions [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Tulu Korma Forest is one of the dry afromontane forests of the country found in west central highlands of Ethiopia.…”

Woody species diversity and regeneration status of Sub-Alpine forest of Mount Adama exclosure site, Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia

“…This problem is more pronounced in developing countries like Ethiopia [ 9 ]. More importantly, the problem is serious in the northern highlands of Ethiopia which are attributed to agricultural expansion, settlement, and concomitant deforestation, and biodiversity loss [ 10 , 11 ]. Consequently, important mountain ecosystems of the country have been severely degraded, deforested, or converted to cultivated land [ 12 ].…”