Abstract:
The study was conducted on Wotagisho forest in Boloso Sore Woreda, Wolaita Zone, southern
nation nationalities people region and Ethiopia, to determine the floristic composition,
vegetation structure, community type, and regeneration and conservation status of woody
species. Systematic sampling method was used to collect data from 50 quadrats (20m x 20m)
established along transects. All woody plants in the quadrats were recorded and cover
abundance data were estimated for each species in each quadrate which was later converted to
modified 1-9 Braun-Blanquette scale. In addition, structural variables such as DBH and height
were measured. Five 2 m x 2 m sub plots, one at each corner and one at the centre of the main
plot were laid to collect seedling and sapling data Seedling and sapling were counted.
Environmental factors (altitude, slope and aspect) and level of disturbances were recorded in
each plot. Vegetation classification (hierarchical clustering) was performed using Xlstatus
(version 2015) and three distinct plant communities were identified and described. Shannon
Wiener diversity index and Sorensen’s similarity coefficient were used to compute species
diversity and to detect similarities among communities and between the plant communities,
respectively. A total of 51 species representing 47 genera and 31 families of woody plant species
were recorded from the forest. The three top dominant families were Solanaceae, Euphorbiaceae
and Moraceae; Families with the highest floristic composition contribution were Myrtaceae
followed by Flacourtiaceae. Analysis on the structure of the forest indicated that the forest is
under good regeneration status.
