Evaluation of Tree Species Composition and Density in Bisaula Forest Reserve Taraba State, Nigeria.

Year 2023, Volume: 6 Issue: 2 - Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Ethics: Insights from Nigeria, 121 - 127, 28.11.2023

Abel Maıguru

Abstract

This study investigated tree species composition and density in Bisaula Forest Reserve in Taraba State, Nigeria. In recent decades, there has been an increase in population among the communities living adjacent to the Bisaula Forest Reserve who rely so much on the forest resources for their livelihoods. As a result, the forest has been under pressure for decades, and before any forest management plan can be suggested, it is proper to investigate its status. Twenty-hectare plots were laid across the forest; each hectare was re-demarcated into four plots with equal sizes of 50m x 50m, of which one was selected by a simple random sampling technique. A total of twenty sample plots covering a land area of 50,000 m2 (5ha) were used for the study. The results revealed that a total of 48 different tree species belonging to 16 families were recorded. The average number of trees per hectare, basal area of trees per hectare, and volume of trees per hectare were 99 trees, 0.9524 m2, and 19.354 m3, respectively. Findings from the factors investigated in measuring the status of the forest revealed that the forest is understocked. The forest therefore needs to be reforested by planting fast-growing tree species, and the cutting of trees in the forest must be regulated.

Keywords

Bisaula Forest Reserve, Species Composition, Density, Basal area

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