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Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority

Published in Plant (Volume 9, Issue 3)
Received: 17 May 2021     Accepted: 6 July 2021     Published: 15 July 2021
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Abstract

Dry forests are potentially contributed for the local community livelihood, microclimate stability and biodiversity conservation. However, appropriate emphasis has not given for its sustainability management. Our study aims to study the woody species diversity, vegetation structure, and recruitment and regeneration status in Higelely dry forest of Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia for the purpose of conservation priority. Systematic sampling following the transect lines and sample plots employed to collect all necessary data. Data were analyzed using access software which was designed for the purpose of forest genetic resource conservation database and data analysis tool. Forty two woody species belongs to 21 genera and 15 families were recorded. The richest families were Fabaceae and Burseraceae (represented by 11 and 7 species each). 1112.97 individuals of woody species per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. Acacia oerfota and Acacia mellifera were the top specie with higher stem numbers per ha. More than 67% of the individuals in the forest had DBH/DSH ≤ 7.5 cm and 90% of the individuals had a height ≤ 5 m. The most ecologically important species in Higelely forest were Acacia oerfota, Acacia mellifera, and Acacia bussie. Whereas, Ipomoea donaldsonii, Commiphora africana, and Acacia drepanolobium were the most threatened species in all criteria’s of IVI, population structure and regeneration status and are the first prioritized for conservation measures. The total density of 1047.3 seedling and 3033.77 sapling individuals per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. In general, the vegetation structure, population recruitment and regeneration status of some species indicates, Higelely forest is under poor conservation status. Therefore, for the conservation of woody species in Higelely dry forest, appropriate conservation measures such as in-situ (to allow natural regeneration) and cold room seed storage methods are recommended.

Published in Plant (Volume 9, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11
Page(s) 36-47
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Conservation Priority, Dry Forest, Higelely, Population Structure, Regeneration Status

References
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[3] Awoke, H. and Mewded, B., 2019. Changes in woody species composition and structure of Denkoro dry evergreen Afromontane forest over 16 years (2001–2017), South Wollo, Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management, 441, pp. 71-79.
[4] Mewded, B., Negash, M. and Awas, T., 2019. Woody species composition, structure and environmental determinants in a moist evergreen Afromontane forest, southern Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research, pp. 1-14.
[5] Shiferaw, D. and Suryabhagavan, K. V., 2019. Forest degradation monitoring and assessment of biomass in Harenna Buluk District, Bale Zone, Ethiopia: a geospatial perspective. Tropical ecology, 60 (1), pp. 94-104.
[6] Mohammed, K. A., Kawo, K. N. and Robe, E., 2020. Evaluation of Fuel Wood Consumption and Its Implication to Forest Degradation in Agarfa Wereda, South-Eastern Ethiopia. Evaluation, 62.
[7] Temesgen, G., Amare, B. and Silassie, H. G., 2014. Land degradation in Ethiopia: causes, impacts and rehabilitation techniques. Journal of environment and earth science, 4 (9), pp. 98-104.
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[14] Plas, F., 2019. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in naturally assembled communities. Biological Reviews, 94 (4), pp. 1220-1245.
[15] Kangas, A. and Maltamo, M. eds., 2006. Forest inventory: methodology and applications (Vol. 10). Springer Science & Business Media.
[16] Wale, H. A., Bekele, T. and Dalle, G., 2012. Floristic diversity, regeneration status, and vegetation structure of woodlands in Metema Area, Amhara National Regional State, and Northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research, 23 (3), pp. 391-398.
[17] Work, A., Teketay, D., Lemenih, M. and Fetene, M., 2012. Diversity, regeneration status, and population structures of gum and resin producing woody species in Borana, Southern Ethiopia. Forests, Trees and Livelihoods, 21 (2), pp. 85-96.
[18] Melaku, K., 2008. Forest genetic resource conservation data base. GTZ, Addis Ababa
[19] Lamprecht, H., 1989. Silviculture in the tropics: tropical forest ecosystems and their tree species: possibilities and methods for their long-term utilization (No. 634.95 L239s ing.). Eschborn, DE: GTZ.
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[21] Schulz, B., 2009. Sampling and estimation procedures for the vegetation diversity and structure indicator (Vol. 781). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Befkadu Mewded, Sisay Alemu, Debeli Chala, Hailu Wondu. (2021). Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority. Plant, 9(3), 36-47. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11

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    ACS Style

    Befkadu Mewded; Sisay Alemu; Debeli Chala; Hailu Wondu. Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority. Plant. 2021, 9(3), 36-47. doi: 10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11

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    AMA Style

    Befkadu Mewded, Sisay Alemu, Debeli Chala, Hailu Wondu. Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority. Plant. 2021;9(3):36-47. doi: 10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11,
      author = {Befkadu Mewded and Sisay Alemu and Debeli Chala and Hailu Wondu},
      title = {Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority},
      journal = {Plant},
      volume = {9},
      number = {3},
      pages = {36-47},
      doi = {10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.plant.20210903.11},
      abstract = {Dry forests are potentially contributed for the local community livelihood, microclimate stability and biodiversity conservation. However, appropriate emphasis has not given for its sustainability management. Our study aims to study the woody species diversity, vegetation structure, and recruitment and regeneration status in Higelely dry forest of Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia for the purpose of conservation priority. Systematic sampling following the transect lines and sample plots employed to collect all necessary data. Data were analyzed using access software which was designed for the purpose of forest genetic resource conservation database and data analysis tool. Forty two woody species belongs to 21 genera and 15 families were recorded. The richest families were Fabaceae and Burseraceae (represented by 11 and 7 species each). 1112.97 individuals of woody species per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. Acacia oerfota and Acacia mellifera were the top specie with higher stem numbers per ha. More than 67% of the individuals in the forest had DBH/DSH ≤ 7.5 cm and 90% of the individuals had a height ≤ 5 m. The most ecologically important species in Higelely forest were Acacia oerfota, Acacia mellifera, and Acacia bussie. Whereas, Ipomoea donaldsonii, Commiphora africana, and Acacia drepanolobium were the most threatened species in all criteria’s of IVI, population structure and regeneration status and are the first prioritized for conservation measures. The total density of 1047.3 seedling and 3033.77 sapling individuals per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. In general, the vegetation structure, population recruitment and regeneration status of some species indicates, Higelely forest is under poor conservation status. Therefore, for the conservation of woody species in Higelely dry forest, appropriate conservation measures such as in-situ (to allow natural regeneration) and cold room seed storage methods are recommended.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Woody Species Composition, Structure and Regeneration Status in Higelely Dry Forest, Eastern Ethiopia: Implication for Conservation Priority
    AU  - Befkadu Mewded
    AU  - Sisay Alemu
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    DO  - 10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11
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    JO  - Plant
    SP  - 36
    EP  - 47
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2331-0677
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.plant.20210903.11
    AB  - Dry forests are potentially contributed for the local community livelihood, microclimate stability and biodiversity conservation. However, appropriate emphasis has not given for its sustainability management. Our study aims to study the woody species diversity, vegetation structure, and recruitment and regeneration status in Higelely dry forest of Somali National Regional State of Ethiopia for the purpose of conservation priority. Systematic sampling following the transect lines and sample plots employed to collect all necessary data. Data were analyzed using access software which was designed for the purpose of forest genetic resource conservation database and data analysis tool. Forty two woody species belongs to 21 genera and 15 families were recorded. The richest families were Fabaceae and Burseraceae (represented by 11 and 7 species each). 1112.97 individuals of woody species per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. Acacia oerfota and Acacia mellifera were the top specie with higher stem numbers per ha. More than 67% of the individuals in the forest had DBH/DSH ≤ 7.5 cm and 90% of the individuals had a height ≤ 5 m. The most ecologically important species in Higelely forest were Acacia oerfota, Acacia mellifera, and Acacia bussie. Whereas, Ipomoea donaldsonii, Commiphora africana, and Acacia drepanolobium were the most threatened species in all criteria’s of IVI, population structure and regeneration status and are the first prioritized for conservation measures. The total density of 1047.3 seedling and 3033.77 sapling individuals per ha was recorded in Higelely forest. In general, the vegetation structure, population recruitment and regeneration status of some species indicates, Higelely forest is under poor conservation status. Therefore, for the conservation of woody species in Higelely dry forest, appropriate conservation measures such as in-situ (to allow natural regeneration) and cold room seed storage methods are recommended.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Forest and Range Land Plant Diversity Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Forest and Range Land Plant Diversity Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Forest and Range Land Plant Diversity Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

  • Forest and Range Land Plant Diversity Directorate, Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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