Vegetation composition, structure, distribution and growth performance of natural forest patches across agro-ecologies in Northwestern Ethiopia

There is an urgent need for conservation measures and a management plan because the natural forest resources in northwest Ethiopia are currently in danger. Although we have a limited understanding of these dynamics, these forests' vegetation is changing in terms of growth performance and distribution. The necessity of looking into the underlying causes of these changes and their implications for conservation and sustainable forest management programs is highlighted by this information gap. Furthermore, only a few site-specific studies on vegetation changes in relation to environmental variations have been done. Consequently, this study aimed to examine the existing state of these resources to apply sustainable forest management practices. To achieve this, transects with 200 square plots measuring 400 m² were set up at nine forest patches with 200m spacing between plots and transects. Vegetation and environmental data were collected and analyzed using R version 4.1. Significant variations (p 0.008) were found in vegetation features along the slope, forest patches, and agro-ecology. When compared to other forest patches, highland and mid-altitude forest patches had the highest species diversity (2.48) and stocking (2578 trees ha-1). The gentle slope has the most species diversity (2.83). The species similarity between highland and mid-altitude forest habitats was found to be significant (69%). The vegetation cover in the mid-altitude forest patches was also high (abundance: 5–12%). In all of the forest patches examined, tree life forms exceeded shrubs, climbers, and herbs. According to the study's findings, the state of forest resources varies considerably across different environmental variations. Despite the impression of entire forest patches from the outside, the interiors are open, with only huge and mature trees covering the canopy. This state has been triggered by deforestation, degradation, and inappropriate human and grazing operations.