:The Impact of Participatory Forest Management on Composition and Regeneration of Some Woody Species: The Case of Chilimo Forest, Oromia Region, Central Ethiopia.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to assess the impact of participatory forest management on composition and regeneration of some selected woody species at Chilimo forest. Systematic sampling method, following transect lines established along the altitudinal gradient in the forest sites was used for vegetation inventory from eighty (i.e. forty quadrats at each forest site) quadrats. From the study finding, the major family of the study woody species identified was Rosaceae,represented by two species with 18.18% family coverage.The relative number of individuals of Podocarpus falcatus, Prunus africana, Olea europaea, Hagenia abyssinica, Apodytes dimidiata, Ficus sur, Erythrina brucei, Croton macrostachyus and Maytenus arbutifolia species registered were comparatively higher in the PFM. Whereas, the number of individuals of J. procera and M. africana species occurring in Non-PFM exceeded that of the PFM forest site.The two forest sites regarded as independent but comparable forest matrices, consisting of vegetation community has 0.268 Sorensen’s similarity coefficient, indicating that the two forest sites are low in their similarity.Most of the species occurrence frequency in the height size classes have shown distribution mode of increment towards sapling classes from seedling but showed decreasing trend towards mature vegetation from sapling for both NonPFM and PFM forest sites.The study result consistently indicated that, there is 14.94% more species individuals’record with comparatively higher vegetation regeneration status at the PFM forest site but, with comparatively lower seedlings to saplings ratio at PFM forest site.63.64% of the woody species in DBH size classes have exhibited distributional structural profile of the general pattern of normal population structure where the majority of the study woody species have the highest number of individuals at lower DBH size classes showing gradual decrease towards higher DBH classes.Vegetation density is greater for PFM than for the Non-PFM forest site with a total density values of (338.75 individuals/ha) and (288.125 individuals/ha) respectively.The total basal area coverage for the overall woody species of the PFM was assessed to be (481.97m2 ) whereas, for the Non-PFM forest site was (128.03m2 ).But separately considering, species with the highest basal area was recorded in the PFM forest by J. procera with (392.46m2 ) followed by J. procera of Non-PFM with (91.70m2 ) density value. But, bigger IVI value was registered in Non-PFM by J. procera with (45.38) followed by J. procera of PFM forest site with IVI value of (40.25), which is ecologically important species at both forest sites. Therefore, on the basis of the finding, PFM needs actual and strict follow-up for effective and sustainable forest management with sound and enforcing forest policies to further improve forest condition and regeneration status.