Melese Bekele Nigussie’s research while affiliated with Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute and other places

The source of energy at household level in Ethiopia mostly comes from wood biomass. The increasing population and shrinkage of natural forests resulted in shortage of wood supply for energy. Hence, looking for fast-growing with better fuel wood characteristics is required to access wood and for the supply of fuelwood consumption. This study aims to select tree species with better biomass and good fuel wood characteristics. Seven tree species: Acacia polyacantha, Acacia abyssinica, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Albizia lophantha, Acacia melanoxylon, Acacia decurrens, and Eucalyptus globulus were selected to study the growth performance, biomass and fuel wood characteristics. Six trees per species were randomly selected and harvested for fuel wood property (wood moisture, ash content and fiber content) analysis. Acacia abyssinica, Acacia polyacantha and Eucalyptus camaldunesis showed better survival rates than other species. The better height performance was recorded from Acacia .decurrens, Acacia polyacantha, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Eucalyptus globules . A. polyacantha and A.decurrens provided the highest biomass. A. decurrens showed the lowest wood moisture (31.1%) and wood density (0.76 g/cm3), and the lowest ash content (2.2%). Hence, A. decurrens and A. polyacantha are recommended for fuel wood due to high density, low moisture, and low ash content and good biomass production.

This study was carried out in Tarmaber district north shewa zone Ethiopia to determine the effect of plantation forest with management intervention on woody plant species diversity, regeneration and soil seed bank species composition in five different forest types, which are adjacent natural forest, managed Cupressus lusitanica , unmanaged C. lusitanica , managed Eucalyptus globules and not managed E. globules plantation forests. A total of 75 circular sample plots of 314 m ² were established along a transect lines. Soil seed bank analysis was done from soil samples collected in each of the plots (225 samples) to examine the similarity between the soil seed bank and aboveground flora. Different diversity index and ANOVA was used in SPSS software for analysis. The result showed that a total of 51 woody plant species was recorded in adjacent natural forest (41), managed C. lusitanica (27), not managed C. lusitanica (9), managed E. globules (22) and not managed E. globules (13) species. Regeneration of seedlings were 3538, 5567, 707, 1462 and 2524 mean stems ha − 1 for natural forest, managed C. lusitanica , not managed C. lusitanica , managed E. globules and not managed E. globules respectively. Unmanaged C. lusitanica plantations had significantly lower densities of mature tree stems ha − 1 as compared to managed C. lusitanica , managed E. globules and adjacent natural forest (F = 14.03, p < 0.05).Similarly in terms of sapling density ha − 1 unmanaged C. lusitanica was significantly lower from other forest types (F = 7.37, p < 0.05). However managed C. lusitanica had significantly higher seedling regeneration (stem density ha − 1 ) than other plantation and adjacent natural forests (F = 16.11, p < 0.05). Generally mean stem densities including tree, sapling and seedling of woody species among different forest types managed C. lusitanica was significantly higher among different forest types (F = 13.01, p < 0.05). From the soil seed bank a total of 22 plant species (20 native and 2 exotic) species were recovered. In different forest types the number of species recorded was in adjacent natural forest (19), managed C. lusitanica (11), unmanaged C. lusitanica (4), managed E. globules (7) and unmanaged E. globules (5). The similarity of the oil seed bank was more or less similar to the above ground flora with maximum Sorenson’s similarity values of 0.633. Generally with appropriate management intervention undergrowth vegetation and soil seed bank status in plantation forest had good species composition and diversity.

One of the old traditional methods of silvicultural management is coppicing. Many woody species produce new shoots successfully after coppicing. Regeneration of forest through coppice can be used for short rotation of tree to produce wood biomass for construction and fuel purposes. There are different levels of coppice practiced in Eucalyptus globulus plantation in the highland areas of North Shewa. However, there was no evidence or study which coppice levels can give high yield. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare yield of E. globulus at different coppice level in the highland areas of North Shewa, Ethiopia. Fifty sampled plots were purposively selected for this study. Volume, mean annual increment, stump height and diameter, stem number and harvesting age were determined from sampled plots. The results revealed that there was no yield difference (p> 0.05) between zero, first, second and third coppice levels. However, stump diameter and number of shoots per stump, stump height were significantly different among 1, 2, 3 coppice levels (p<0.05). Number of shoots were positively correlated with stump diameter and height (r = 0.77, r = 0.72) respectively. Farmers mostly coppice E.globulus from November to December and from April to June. Although statistically there was no yield difference between coppice levels, as farmers described the first coppice has higher yield than other coppice levels. The numbers of shoots per stump were higher in the second and third coppice and this could affect stem quality especially at early stage. Altogether the mean number of stems per hectare was 10812 which is higher than previous studies. Therefore, early silvicultural activities like thinning, early coppice management and pruning has to be done to increase wood stem quality and to promote growth as well.

One of the old traditional methods of silvicultural management is coppicing. Many woody species produce new shoots successfully after coppicing. Regeneration of forest through coppice can be used for short rotation of tree to produce wood biomass for construction and fuel purposes. There are different levels of coppice practiced in Eucalyptus globulus plantation in the highland areas of North Shewa. However, there was no evidence or study which coppice levels can give high yield. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare yield of E. globulus at different coppice level in the highland areas of North Shewa, Ethiopia. Fifty sampled plots were purposively selected for this study. Volume, mean annual increment, stump height and diameter, stem number and harvesting age were determined from sampled plots. The results revealed that there was no yield difference (p> 0.05) between zero, first, second and third coppice levels. However, stump diameter and number of shoots per stump, stump height were significantly different among 1, 2, 3 coppice levels (p<0.05). Number of shoots were positively correlated with stump diameter and height (r = 0.77, r = 0.72) respectively. Farmers mostly coppice E.globulus from November to December and from April to June. Although statistically there was no yield difference between coppice levels, as farmers described the first coppice has higher yield than other coppice levels. The numbers of shoots per stump were higher in the second and third coppice and this could affect stem quality especially at early stage. Altogether the mean number of stems per hectare was 10812 which is higher than previous studies. Therefore, early silvicultural activities like thinning, early coppice management and pruning has to be done to increase wood stem quality and to promote growth as well.