Floristic Composition and Structural Analysis of Woody Plant Species in Jib Godo Natural Forest, Farta District, South Gonder Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Afromontane forests are crucial for maintaining plant diversity and reducing climate change. Even though the Jib Godo Natural Forest is subject to anthropogenic impacts such as cutting and farming, it lacks long-term conservation practices. The researchers conducted fieldwork in Jib Godo Natural Forest to investigate the floristic composition and structural analyses of woody plant species in Ethiopia. The vegetation and environmental data were collected from 50 (20 m × 20 m) sample plots established for woody species at every 100 m along seven transect lines and 5 m × 5 m in five subplots for saplings and seedlings using a systematic sampling procedure. In each sample plot, soil samples were obtained from 0–20 cm and mixed to generate a composite sample. A vegetative structural analysis of DBH, height, and stem IVI was computed. There were 65 species of woody plant identified, belonging to 58 genera and 41 families, with 34 species (52.30 percent) being trees, 23 species (35.38 percent) being shrubs, and 8 species (12.30 percent) being lianas. Outside of the sample plot, four other species were identified. Only eleven environmental characteristics were significant at p < 0.05, according to the results of canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). In conclusion, the distribution of plant communities and the composition of the species depend on altitude and topographic aspects. The forest’s population structure and regeneration condition suggested that the area had experienced forest degradation and severe anthropogenic disturbances; therefore, the conservation of species and sustainable use of forest genetic resources are advocated as a result of this study’s findings.