Abstract:
There has been a paradigm shift concerning forest management strategy from state centered
approach to local people participation in Ethiopia. The study was designed to assess forest
under participatory forest management system on their status and socioeconomics contribution
to rural people. From both forest blocks, two forest fragments were randomly selected of which
woody plant data were collected. The main plots of 20m x 20m and nested plots10m x 10m, 1m
x 1m were laid systematically on parallel transect line. The nested subplots were established
within the main quadrates. From each main plot and nested plot of 10mx10m woody plant
species were counted, diameter at breast height (DBH) and height of trees and shrubs were
measured. Seedlings of tree and shrub species were counted in 1mx1m-nested plots. Household
survey and key informant interview was conducted to generate information on socioeconomics
contribution of forest resource to rural people. Mean comparison using one sample as well as
independent sample t-test and regression analysis were used to evaluate differences between the
two forest blocks, and contribution of forest incomes. Fifty-five and 45 species were identified
in forest without coffea and with coffea respectively. The density and basal area of woody
vegetation per hectare were 17500 individuals’ stems, 19.9 m2 and 10791 individuals’ stems,
18.7 m2
in both forest blocks respectively. The overall Shannon diversity and evenness index of
the forest without coffea was 2.98 and 0.74 while 2.13 and 0.56 for the forest managed for
coffea. The result showed that the two forest blocks had variation in species composition, stem
density, importance value index (IVI), diversity and evenness indexes. These diversity value
revealed that forests managed for coffea were the most disturbed and the woody species
composition has shown declining trend. There was difference between the two forests in stem
density at sapling stage (t=19.134, p=0.035), and number of species at seedling stage (t=21.5,
p=0.030). However, no statistical variation at seedling and mature tree level in stem density
and at sapling and mature tree in species availability. Forest resource has a lot contribution to
both forest users for home uses and as sources of cash income by selling produces of forest
coffea, spices, and honey. The finding showed forest users had significant variation on income
derived from forest coffea (p= 0.000). However, they had no significant variation in terms of
income derived from honey (p=0.451) and spices (p=0.067). Similarly, the independent sample
t-test revealed existence of very significant difference between the two forest users in total
income from forests. Therefore, the forest with coffee needs some protective mechanism to
improve woody species availability inside the forest, but the forest user without coffee should
increased their forest income sources from the forest through maximizing outputs of non timber
forest products.
