Plant Community Types, Vegetation Structure and Regeneration Status of Remnant Dry Afromontane Natural Forest Patch within Debrelibanos Monastery, Ethiopia

by Open Science Repository Natural Resources and Conservation
(June 2013)

Abstract

The remnant forest patch within Debrelibanos monastery, a sacred isolated site, was studied to determine plant community types, vegetation structure and regeneration status of woody species and to provide information for sustainable management of the forest. Data was collected using a nested plot design (51quadrat of 20 x 20m size with five sub-quadrats of 3x3m within each major quadrat) was systematically laid across the forest. Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and height was measured for all trees, shrubs and climbers with dbh and height greater than or equal to 2.5cm and 2m, respectively. Three community types and vertical structures (upper storey (>23.67m), middle storey (11.83 – 23.67m) and lower storey (<11.83 m)) were identified within the forest patch. In terms of population structure, most of the tree species showed a bell shaped with density of mature trees less than that of sapling and the saplings greater than seedling population. This implies that, the forest has poor regeneration and it requires urgent conservation and management actions as reiterated by nearly 73.34% of the respondent.

Keywords: population structure, community type, natural forest, DBH class, regeneration.

Full text

Plant Community Types, Vegetation Structure and Regeneration Status of Remnant Dry Afromontane Natural Forest Patch within Debrelibanos Monastery, Ethiopia