Woody Plant Species Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest of Liban Jawi District, West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Woody Plant Species Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest of Liban Jawi District, West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Woody Plant Species Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest of Liban Jawi District, West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia Bayissa Belay, Tena Regasa, Siraj Mammo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 May, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Ecology and Evolution → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The study was conducted to assess the woody plant species composition, population structure, and regeneration status of Ruruki Forest. A total of 30 sample plots, each 20 m x 20 m, were established using a systematic sampling method. A sub-plot of 5 m x 5 m was used to count saplings and seedlings. To describe the vegetation structure of the study forest we computed DBH and height size frequency distributions of individuals and species importance value indexes (IVI).A total of 70 woody species which categorized into 64 genera, and 45 families were identified of which 57.14% were trees, while shrubs and lianas cover 37.14% and 5.7%, respectively. The total density of woody species recorded was 868.33 individuals/ha. The highest IVI index was recorded for Syzgium guineense species, indicating the species is ecologically important. The results of height showed that there was a greater predominance of small-sized individuals of woody species than large-sized woody species for the study forest. The general pattern of the DBH class distribution of the forest showed an irregular distribution, which implies there was some selective cutting of individual woody species for different purposes. The overall regeneration status of the forest was found to be fair. Generally, the result obtained from this study shows that there is disturbance and selective cutting of trees in the forest. Hence, there is a need for full participation in sustainable forest management to control selective cutting and to apply the best forest management practices, such as reforestation and afforestation Biological diversity Species composition Rregeneration status Structure Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 1. Introduction Forests provide numerous ecological advantages, including biodiversity conservation and climate regulation (Agar & Robert, 2022). It plays an important role in providing key ecosystem services to local populations, including energy, food security, and the development of the agricultural sector and GDP (Cherinet & Lemi, 2023; Wolde, 2023). Yet, the world’s forest resources continue to decline at a worrisome rate for many reasons as time goes on. In Ethiopia, the depletion of forest resources across various regions is occurring more rapidly because of multiple influencing factors. (Yami et al ., 2006; Woldu et al. , 2020). Ethiopia's woodland areas have faced significant degradation and deforestation as a consequence of expanding agricultural land, urban growth, fuelwood consumption, lumber operations, and excessive grazing, leading to a substantial decline in forest biodiversity and ecosystem functions (Gebeyehu et al ., 2019). For thousands of years, ongoing deforestation and resulting land degradation have posed significant challenges, primarily driven by agricultural growth, excessive grazing, and unsustainable harvesting of timber products (Elias, 2021). In addition to deforestation, logging and timber extraction are responsible for over 52% of forest degradation, followed by fuel wood collection and charcoal production at 31%, uncontrolled fires at 9%, and livestock grazing at 7% in tropical ecosystems (Hosonuma et al. , 2012). A study indicates that, in Ethiopia, land degradation has affected around 23% of the total land area during the past three decades (Nkonya et al ., 2016). The exploitation of woody plant species as a result of human usage poses a serious danger to biodiversity globally. Changes in plant diversity, particularly those that result in loss of vegetation complexity, have an impact on soil's ability to restore nutrients. Today, forest degradation is increasing in many regions, and the world suffers from global warming, which is driven by climate change. According to a study conducted by Kewessa et al . (2022) and Atsbha & Wayu (2020), trees such as Podocarpus falcatus, Crotonma crostachyus, Olea europaea , and Acacia abyssinica were severely deteriorated in Ethiopian forests, resulting in significant environmental and economic consequences. Therefore, assessing the condition of a specific forest and determining appropriate management strategies are essential for its long-term sustainability. Understanding the regeneration status of the forest is crucial for forest management, as it indicates both the current condition of the forest and potential future changes (Malik & Bhatt, 2016). Here, conservation and management practices have a significant impact on the forest's ability to regenerate (Malik & Bhatt, 2015). Better forest regeneration leads to higher species richness and variety, both of which are essential for biological diversity (Poudyal et al ., 2020). In general, research into vegetation composition, species diversity, and vegetation structure analysis is critical for providing information on forest species richness and diversity. Studying the composition, structure, and regeneration of woody species provides insights for forest management and helps to understand forest ecology and ecosystem services (Siraj et al ., 2017). Nevertheless, insufficient data exists regarding the present condition of the Ruruki Forest, which is essential for formulating efficient management and conservation plans. This includes the diversity of woody plant species, flora composition, structure, and regeneration status of the forest. Consequently, in order to offer baseline data for the development of sustainable forest management approaches, this investigation is being done to assess the species composition, structure, and regeneration state of woody plants in Ruruki Forest. 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Study Area Description The study was carried out at Ruruki Natural Forest, which is situated approximately 169 kilometers west of Addis Abeba, 55 kilometers west of Ambo town, and 7 kilometers from the district center (Babicha). It is located at 8055'30'' to 90 0'0'' N and 37029'0'' to 37033'0'' E. The forest's elevation spans between 2398 and 2474 meters above sea level (Fig. 1 ). Temperature and rainfall are the two most essential components of climate, and they have a significant impact on the environment. These two essential climate factors were gathered using data acquired by the National Meteorological Service Agency. In accordance with meteorological statistics, the average yearly temperature in the research area was around 18°C. The usual monthly lowest and highest temperatures in the study area were 16 and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively. The hottest months were May and June, with a maximum temperature of 21°C and 20°C, respectively, while the coldest month was August, with a minimum temperature of 14°C. The average annual rainfall was estimated to be 1300 mm. The vegetation type in the area is dry, evergreen afromontane forests. The study site was dominated by Syzygium guineense, Maytenus arbutifolia, Olinia rochetiana, Bersama abyssinica, Tecle anobilis, Croton macrostachyus, Caulpurnia aurea , etc. The forest covered an area of roughly 72 hectares. Human activity has affected this forest for a variety of reasons, including the gathering of fuelwood, building, extension of agricultural land, production of charcoal, timber, etc. In that study forest, there are no significant altitudinal differences. The difference between lower and middle altitudes, as well as middle and upper altitudes, is less than fifty. This suggests that altitudinal range may have no impact on the composition, structure, and regeneration status of woody plant species in the forest. 2.2. Methods 2.2.1. Reconnaissance Survey Having information about the area is crucial to carrying out a certain research endeavor. In order to get pertinent data regarding the diversity of woody plant species, population structure, and the status of forest regeneration, a reconnaissance survey was carried out in October 2023. Following the prior research, the transect lines were established for the purpose of collecting data (Alves et al. , 2010). 2.2.2. Sampling Methods Plots were established in order to collect data on woody species from the study site. A systematic sampling technique was utilized to collect data. Five transect lines were placed at 200-meter intervals, and six plots were established at 100-meter intervals along each transect line. A total of 30 sample plots were taken from the studied forest. A species curve was used to verify that the data sample for this whole plot was sufficient. Along each transect line, 20 m x 20 m sample plots were established in order to gather data on trees, shrubs, and lianas. For the collection of trees, shrubs, and lianas-related data, 20 m x 20 m sample plots were established along each transect line. For collecting seedlings and sapling data, five sub-plots of 5 m x 5 m per plot, four at each corner and one at the midpoint of each main plot, were established (Dhaulkhandi et al ., 2008; Tiwari et al ., 2010; Gebrehiwot and Hundera, 2014). To minimize the border effects on the forest's woody species, a 30 m border effect was left (Fig. 2 ). 2.3. Woody Vegetation Data Collection Woody species data were gathered in each sampling plot within the forest stand using the procedures provided in the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) Research Program at Indian University (IFRI, 1996). Each species was recorded using the local name and then later documented by scientific names with the support of professional foresters and botanists from Ambo University, as well as using reference sources like useful trees and shrubs of Ethiopia (Bekele, 2007). Trees and shrubs having a DBH > 5 cm and a tree height > 2 m were measured and noted in each 20 m × 20 m plot. In the case of multi-stem shrubs, the diameter and height of the dominant shoot were measured and recorded. Every seedling and sapling in every 5 m × 5 m sub-plot was counted and recorded. DBH of trees and shrubs was measured using a caliper, while a clinometer was used for height measurement. For that study, the trees include woody species that have a single erect stem (DBH > 5cm and height > 2m) and shrubs include woody species having multiple stems. Saplings include woody species with a diameter of 2.5-5cm and height of 1-2m, while seedlings refer to woody species that have referred to a collar diameter < 2.5cm and height < 1m, (Jiangshan et al. , 2009). A physiographic variable such as altitude was recorded for each sampling plot using GPS. 2.4. Vegetation Data analysis 2.4.1. Woody Species Composition The entire composition of woody species within their respective genera and families was determined. The habits of the gathered woody species were also classified as trees, shrubs, and lianas. The data acquired was used to analyze the diversity of woody species using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software version 16.0. The woody species composition and variety of plant species in the forest were assessed using diversity indicators such as species richness, diversity, and evenness. 2.4.2. Woody species Diversity The Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H'), and Evenness or Equability Index (E) were used to estimate the diversity of woody species in natural forests. Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H') The Shannon –Weiner Diversity Index was calculated as $$\:{\mathbf{H}}^{\mathbf{{\prime\:}}}=-{\sum\:}_{\varvec{i}=1}^{\varvec{n}}\mathbf{p}\mathbf{i}\mathbf{*}\mathbf{l}\mathbf{n}\mathbf{p}\mathbf{i}$$ 1 ……………………………………………… Where H’, is Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index S = is the number of species Pi = n/N is the proportion of individuals found in the i th species n = number of individuals of a given species N = total number of individuals found Evenness (E) : which is the ratio of observed diversity to maximum diversity (Magurran, 1988 ) was calculated as:- E = Σ pi lnpi / lnS = H’/lnS = H'/ Hmax………………………………… (2) E = is species evenness H' = is Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index S = is the number of species found when all sample plots are united Pi = is the proportion of total individuals in the i th species LnS = is the natural logarithm of the total number of species. Species richness (S) was calculated by the below equation S \(\:=\varvec{\varSigma\:}\varvec{n}\) …………………………………(3) Where, n; is the number of species in a community. 2.4.3. Woody Species Structure Analysis in Ruruki Forest The structure of woody species is vital for identifying the existence of rare or threatened species for conservation and management planning (Zegeye et al ., 2011). Diameter at breast height (DBH), basal area (BA), relative density, evenness, frequency, and important value index (IVI) illustrate the vegetative structure of woody plant species (Mucheye and Yemata, 2020; Birhanu et al ., 2021). Subsequently, the study forest in their woody plant structure was determined by computing the following variables: density, relative density, frequency, relative frequency, relative abundance, importance value index, basal area, DBH class distribution, and height class distribution. 2.4.3.1.Woody species Density Analysis The density and relative density of woody species were determined using the equation provided below. \(\:\text{D}\text{e}\text{n}\text{s}\text{i}\text{t}\text{y}=\frac{\text{N}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{i}\text{n}\text{d}\text{i}\text{v}\text{i}\text{d}\text{u}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{w}\text{o}\text{o}\text{d}\text{y}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}}{\text{S}\text{u}\text{m}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{a}\text{l}\text{l}\:\text{p}\text{l}\text{o}\text{t}\:\text{a}\text{r}\text{e}\text{a}\text{s}}\) ……………………………………… ( 4) $$\:\text{R}\text{e}\text{l}\text{a}\text{t}\text{i}\text{v}\text{e}\:\text{d}\text{e}\text{n}\text{s}\text{i}\text{t}\text{y}=\frac{\text{T}\text{o}\text{t}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{n}\text{o}.\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{i}\text{n}\text{d}\text{i}\text{v}\text{i}\text{d}\text{u}\text{a}\text{l}\text{s}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}\:}{\text{T}\text{o}\text{t}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{n}\text{o}.\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{i}\text{n}\text{d}\text{i}\text{v}\text{i}\text{d}\text{u}\text{a}\text{l}\text{s}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{a}\text{l}\text{l}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}}\text{*}100$$ 5 ……………………….. 2.4.3.2.Woody Species Frequency Analysis The frequency and relative frequency of the examined forest were determined using the following formula. \(\:\:\text{F}\text{r}\text{e}\text{q}\text{u}\text{e}\text{n}\text{c}\text{y}=\frac{\text{N}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\text{q}\text{u}\text{a}\text{d}\text{r}\text{a}\text{n}\text{t}\text{s}\:\text{i}\text{n}\:\text{w}\text{h}\text{i}\text{c}\text{h}\:\text{a}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}\:\text{o}\text{c}\text{c}\text{u}\text{r}}{\text{T}\text{o}\text{t}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{n}\text{u}\text{m}\text{b}\text{r}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{q}\text{u}\text{a}\text{d}\text{r}\text{a}\text{n}\text{t}\text{s}\:\text{s}\text{a}\text{m}\text{p}\text{l}\text{e}\text{d}\:\text{i}\text{n}\:\text{t}\text{h}\text{e}\:\text{s}\text{t}\text{u}\text{d}\text{y}\:\text{s}\text{i}\text{t}\text{e}}\text{*}100\dots\:..\left(\:6\right)\) $$\:\text{R}\text{e}\text{l}\text{a}\text{t}\text{i}\text{v}\text{e}\:\text{f}\text{r}\text{e}\text{q}\text{u}\text{e}\text{n}\text{c}\text{y}\frac{\text{F}\text{r}\text{e}\text{q}\text{u}\text{e}\text{n}\text{c}\text{y}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}\:}{\text{F}\text{r}\text{e}\text{q}\text{u}\text{e}\text{n}\text{c}\text{y}\:\text{o}\text{f}\:\text{a}\text{l}\text{l}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}}\text{*}100\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:..\left(7\right)$$ $$\:\text{R}\text{e}\text{l}\text{a}\text{t}\text{i}\text{v}\text{e}\:\text{d}\text{o}\text{m}\text{i}\text{n}\text{a}\text{n}\text{c}=\frac{\text{b}\text{a}\text{s}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{a}\text{r}\text{e}\text{a}\:\text{f}\text{o}\text{r}\:\text{a}\:\text{s}\text{p}\text{e}\text{c}\text{i}\text{e}\text{s}}{\text{t}\text{o}\text{t}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{b}\text{a}\text{s}\text{a}\text{l}\:\text{a}\text{r}\text{e}\text{a}}\text{*}100\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:\dots\:.\left(\:8\right)$$ 2.4.3.3. Importance Value Index (IVI) Analysis The Importance Value Index (IVI) for each woody species was computed using the following formula (Lamprecht, 1989): IVI = Relative density + Relative frequency + Relative Dominance--------------------- (9) 2.4.3.4. Diameter Class Distribution Analysis The DBH classes of woody species of the forest were analyzed based on collected data. 2.4.3.5. Height Class Distribution Analysis The height classes of the study forest were analyzed based on the values of individual tree heights that were measured during data collection. 2.4.3.6. Basal area (BA) Analysis Basal area of trees and shrubs with DBH ≥ 5 cm was calculated by the below formula: Where, d = diameter at breast height 2.4.3.7. Regeneration Data Analysis. The regeneration status of sample species in the forest was analyzed by comparing seedlings with saplings and saplings with mature tree data (Shankar, 2001; Dhaulkhandi et al ., 2008; Tiwari et al ., 2010; Gebrehiwot & Hundera, 2014) as the below categories: The regeneration status of sample species in the forest was analyzed by comparing seedlings with saplings and saplings with mature tree data (Shankar, 2001; Dhaulkhandi et al ., 2008; Tiwari et al ., 2010; Gebrehiwot & Hundera, 2014) as the below categories: i. Good regeneration; if occurred in seedling > sapling > mature tree; ii. Fair regeneration; if occurred in seedlings > or ≤ saplings ≤ adults; iii. Poor regeneration; if a species survives only in the sapling stage, but not as seedlings (saplings may be ≤ or ≥ adults) iv. None; if a species is absent both in sapling and seedling stages, but present as mature. V. New; if a species has no mature, but only sapling and/or seedling stages. 3. Results and Discussion 3.1. Woody Species Composition and Diversity of the Study Forest A total of 70 woody species belonging to 64 genera and 45 families was recorded and identified from 30 plots in the study forest. Fabaceae was the dominant family, with 7 (10%) species, followed by Oleaceae, which has 5 (7.14%) species. Three families each had three (4.29%) species, nine families each had two (2.86%) species, and 31 families each had one. In general, 14 families with 7, 5, 3, and 2 species accounted for 55.71% of the total species, whereas 31 families with only one species accounted for 44.29% (Table 1 ). Dominance of Fabaceae has been documented from different floristic surveys done by numerous investigators at various times (Dibaba et al ., 2014, Tadesse et al ., 2017). Fabaceae might have gotten the top dominant position probably due to having efficient pollination and successful seed dispersal mechanisms that might have adapted them to a wide range of ecological conditions in the past (Tadesse et al. , 2017). However, the variation in topography and environmental conditions like the amount of rainfall and temperature could be the causes of variation in dominance positions of plant taxa. Similarly, the results recorded from Ruruki Forest showed that the Fabaceae were the most dominant family. Of the seventy woody species found in the research region, trees accounted for forty of the species; shrubs and liana accounted for twenty-six and four species, respectively (Fig. 3 ). This finding demonstrated that trees were adding more species to the total number of woody species found in Ruruki Forest. This indicates that trees were quite adaptive and can endure a variety of environmental conditions that impact woody species. In Ruruki Forest, the woody species had an evenness value of 0.83 and a Shannon Wiener diversity (H') of 3.42. This finding indicates that the investigated forest has high species richness, evenness, and Shannon Wiener diversity. The forests with the highest evenness values demonstrate that the tree species within those forests were spread uniformly throughout the sampled plots. The Shannon Weiner diversity value of the Ruruki forest was contrasted to other Ethiopian forests that had been previously examined. The resulting value was compared to the Shannon Weiner diversity of Woynwuha natural forest (H'=3.24) and Wof-Washa forest (H'=3.25), as reported in studies by Mekonen et al ., 2015 and Fisaha et al. , 2013, respectively. In contrast, the Shannon Weiner diversity of woody species of Ruruki forest was higher than those reported from those Ethiopian forests. Table 1 List of Families, Species, and Genera of the Ruruki forest Family Species Genera Number percentage Number Percentage Fabaceae 7 10 6 9.38 Oleaceae 5 7.14 3 4.69 Euphorbiaceae 3 4.29 3 4.69 Rosaceae 3 4.29 3 4.69 Asteraceae 3 4.29 2 3.13 Acanthaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Apocynaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Celastraceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Flacourtiaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Myrsinaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Rutaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Sapindaceae 2 2.86 2 3.13 Anacardiaceae 2 2.86 1 1.56 Moraceae 2 2.86 1 1.56 Other 31 44.29 31 48.44 Total 70 100 64 100 3.2. Structure of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest 3.2.1. Density of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest The overall density of woody species observed from the forest was 868.33 individuals per hectare. The density contributed by the ten most prominent woody species to the forest was 535 individuals/ha. Syzygium guineense was the major woody species that contributed high density to the total density of woody species, contributing 86.67 individuals per hectare (Table 2 ). The studied forest had a greater overall density than Washa forest (698.8 individuals/ha) (Fisaha et al ., 2013) and Boditi forest (498 individuals/ha) (Yineger et al ., 2008). However, it was lower than the woody species density recorded for Werganbula Forest (1012.35 individuals/ha) (Sileshi et al ., 2022) and Hugumburdian Forest (1218 individuals/ha) (Aynekulu, 2011). Table 2 Density of woody species in study area Scientific name Density Relative Density Syzygium guineense 86.67 9.98 Croton macrostachyus 72.50 8.35 Chionanthus mildbraedii 70.83 8.16 Oliniarochetiana 60.00 6.91 Bersama abyssinica 53.33 6.14 Maytenus arbutifolia 44.17 5.09 Brucea antidysenterica 35.00 4.03 Caulpurnia aurea 34.17 3.93 Prunus africana 26.67 3.07 Podocarpus falcatus 25.83 2.98 Vernonia auriculifera 25.83 2.98 Others 333.33 38.39 Total 868.33 100.00 3.2.2. Frequency of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest Of all woody species, Croton macrostachyus , however, was the most commonly occurring species in all plots, with a frequency of 100%, followed by Syzygium guineense (90%), and Olinia rochetiana (90%)(Table 3 ). In Ethiopia, those species thrive in the Kolla and Woyna Dega agroclimatic zones of all regions at altitudes ranging from 1200 to 2600m a.s.l, and the study area is likewise within this range (Ayanaw and Dalle, 2018). likewise, the altitude of the Ruruki forest fluctuated between 2398 to 2474 meters above sea level, which may be favorable ffor this species. According to Ayanaw and Dalle (2018), the number of frequency classes may potentially be a sign of uniformity in the composition of forests. The current investigation found that a comparatively small number of species were found in high frequency classes and a large percentage of species in lower frequency classes (Fig. 4 ). Consequently, the outcome confirms that Ruruki Forest has a significant degree of species heterogeneity. Table 3 Frequency of woody species in study area Scientific name Frequency Relative Frequency Croton macrostachyus 100.00 5.41 Olinia rochetiana 90.00 4.86 Syzygium guineense 90.00 4.86 Bersama abyssinica 86.67 4.68 Chionanthus mildbraedii 86.67 4.68 Brucea antidysenterica 83.33 4.50 Caulpurnia aurea 80.00 4.32 Maytenus arbutifolia 80.00 4.32 Vernoniaauriculifera 66.67 3.60 Other 1086.67 58.74 Total 1850 100 3.2.3. Importance Value Index (IVI) of Woody Species The Ruruki Forest's important value index was examined in order to compare the ecological significance of various woody species. According to Ayalew et al . (2006), the leading dominant species in the designated vegetation are those with the highest important value index. In the forest, species with higher IVI were more prevalent than those with lower IVI, with fewer of each ( Shiferaw al et al., 2018 ). As a result of the IVI obtained from the forest, the dominant and ecologically important woody species were Syzygium guineense , Croton macrostachyus , Olinia rochetiana , Ekebergia capensis , and Chionanthus mildbraedii due to their higher importance value index relative to the other woody species in the study area. Among those dominating woody species, Syzygium guineense was the most ecologically important woody species, followed by Croton macrostachyus and Olinia rochetiana in the Ruruki forest (Table 4 ). Table 4 Important value index of woody species in Ruruki forest Scientific name Relative density Relative Frequency Relative Dominance IVI Syzygiumguineense 9.98 4.86 44.59 59.44 Croton macrostachyus 8.35 5.41 7.96 21.72 Oliniarochetiana 6.91 4.86 9.27 21.04 Ekebergiacapensis 1.82 1.98 12.32 16.13 Chionanthusmildbraedii 8.16 4.68 3.12 15.96 Bersamaabyssinica 6.14 4.68 1.35 12.18 Maytenusarbutifolia 5.09 4.32 1.11 10.52 Prunusafricana 3.07 2.34 3.92 9.33 Bruceaantidysenterica 4.03 4.50 0.09 8.62 Others 46.45 62.34 16.27 125.06 Total 100.00 100.00 100.00 300.00 3.2.4. Diameter Class Distribution The diameter class distributions of woody species in the study area were analyzed and classified into twelve DBH classes. The DBH class distribution of all individuals of each species counted in the samples was grouped into twelve (12) diameter classes with 6cm intervals. Accordingly, 66cm were the DBH classes (Fig. 5 ). Accordingly, the highest number of woody species was recorded in the second DBH classes, followed by first and fourth classes, while the least were recorded in the tenth and ninth classes. The pattern of diameter class distribution indicates overall tendencies in population dynamics and recruitment procedures for a certain species. The overall pattern of the DBH class distribution in the forest reveals an uneven distribution of species, implying selective removal of individual woody species for various purposes. As a result, the current finding implies that woody species with lower diameter class distributions in Ruruki forest have a high potential for reproduction and recruitment. Similar results were found from several Afromontane vegetations in Ethiopia (Senbeta, 2006; Tadesse et al ., 2017). 3.2.5. Height Class Distribution The height classes were classified as intervals with 3m intervals, and nine height classes occurred. Those height classes were organized as 2-5m, 5.1-8m, 8.1-11m, 11.1-14m, 14.1-17m, 17.1-20m, 20.1-23m, 23.1-26m and > 26m. The distribution of individuals in the different height classes was recorded in the second class distribution (Fig. 6 ). The results showed more woody species in small-sized individuals than large-sized woody species. The least number of individuals were recorded in the eighth and ninth classes. This outcome demonstrated that selective trees have been cut down for a variety of reasons. Conversely, the greatest tree distribution in each height class toward the lower classes demonstrated that the predominance of small individuals in the forest suggests the features of a typical forest (Tesfaye et al ., 2002). 3.2.6. Basal Area of Woody Species The basal area provides the measure of the relative importance of the species rather than the simple stem count (Lamprecht, 1989). The study forest yielded a total basal area of 32.5598 m 2 (Table 5 ). Syzygium guineense supplied the most basal area to the overall basal area of the forest, with a recorded value of 14.5188 m2 (44.59%), followed by Olinia rochetiana and Ekerbergia capensis , having recorded values of 4.0114 m2 and 3.0175 m2, respectively.With an estimated value of 0.0022m2, Maytenus arbutifolia and Asparagus africanus donated the least basal area. According to Lamprecht (1989), basal area has an impact on IVI, which is a metric used to compare the ecological significance of different species. A high IVI value denotes a high degree of sociological organization within the species' forest. This basal area values for the current forest were generally higher than those of some other studied forests in Ethiopia, including 15.85 m2 ha -1 for Yegof forest (Mesfin et al. , 2018) and 22.3 m2 ha -1 for Zengena forest (Tadele et al. , 2014) and lower than 64 m2 ha -1 for Wofwasha forest (Fisaha et al. , 2013). This suggests that the Ruruki forests have better growth and the potential to retain higher biomass. Table 5 Basal area of woody species in studied forest Scientific name Basal Area/ha Percentage Syzygium guineense 14.5188 44.59 Ekebergia capensis 4.0114 12.32 Olinia rochetiana 3.0175 9.27 Croton macrostachyus 2.5926 7.96 Prunus africana 1.2750 3.92 Chionanthus mildbraedii 1.0155 3.12 Schefflera abyssinica 1.0013 3.08 Vernonia auriculifera 0.6572 2.02 Ficus sur 0.6483 1.99 Tecle anobilis 0.5308 1.63 Others 3.2915 10.11 Total 32.5598 100.00 3.2.7. Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest The composition and density of seedlings, saplings, and adult woody plant species were utilized to assess the forest's regeneration state (Abunie and Dalle, 2018). According to Alemu (2011), the distribution pattern where the density of the seedlings exceeded the total density of the saplings, and the total density of saplings is less than that of mature trees/shrubs, shows that the regeneration status of the studied vegetation is fair. As a result, the density of seedlings, saplings, and adults recorded in the forest were 258 (24.76%), 198 (19%), and 586 (56.24%) individuals/ha, respectively (Fig. 7 ). This result pattern of seedlings, saplings, and mature trees/shrubs indicates that the currently studied forest is in fair regeneration. The reproduction capability of seedling > sapling < mature tree is as shown (Fig. 7 ). 4. Conclusions and Reccomendations Generally, Ruruki Forest was diversified by numerous woody plant species. For the purpose of the study, a total of 70 species of woody plants, classified into 64 genera and 45 families, were gathered. Of these 70 kinds of woody plants, trees accounted for 57.14%, while shrubs and lianas made up 37.14% and 5.71%, respectively. In the process of collecting data on woody plant species, it was discovered that there is no uniform distribution of all species across plots in terms of species kinds, height, and DBH. A single tree species ( Croton macrostachyus ) was found in all plots. The majority of species were categorized in the lower height classes. The overall pattern of the DBH class distribution in the studied forest was uneven. The regeneration state of the studied forest was classified as 'fair'. This comprehensive result shows that the forest under study experienced selective tree-cutting for a multitude of reasons, as well as other disturbances such as inadequate forest management techniques, a lack of implemented forest policies, low community awareness, and insufficient afforestation and reforestation activities. If the current scenario continues, the forest may be destroyed soon. This jeopardizes the future sustainability of forests and their ecological functions. Based on the findings, the following recommendations were forwarded; Active engagement in forest management is necessary to uphold the benefits that forests offer. The community should be aware of the benefits of properly managed and preserved forests, as well as the problems that emerge when these forests are harmed. The results showed that the forest is disturbed and that certain trees are being cut down selectively. This necessitates regular monitoring of the forest for its protection and management. Therefore, it is critical that local and regional administrative bodies follow and monitor the forest, invite any interested parties to participate in forest management, including governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations, implement forest policy, and engage in good forest management practices like afforestation and reforestation—all of which are essential for the sustainable management of the forest. Declarations Funding declaration No fund is received for research from any organization Authors Contribution BB collected data and wrote the 1 st draft Manuscript, TR supervised the data collection and SM Writing – review & editing, Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this papers. Consent for publication The authors have agreed to submit and approved the manuscript for submission. Data availability data will be available on request Ethics approval and consent to participate Prior oral informed consent was obtained from the local communities as well as from all individual participants. References Addi, A., Soromessa, T., Kelbessa, E., Dibaba, A., &Kefalew, A. (2016). Floristic composition and plant community types of Agama Forest, an Afromontane Forest in Southwest Ethiopia. Journal of Ecology and the Natural Environment , 8 (5), 55-69. Addo-Fordjour, P., Obeng, S., Anning, A. K., &Addo, M. G. (2009).Floristic composition, structure and natural regeneration in a moist semi-deciduous forest following anthropogenic disturbances and plant invasion. International journal of biodiversity and conservation , 1 (2), 21-37. Agar Robert.(2022) .The Importance of the Forest Ecosystem. Sciencing.com . Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/importance-forest-ecosystem-5422707.html Alves, L. F., Vieira, S. A., Scaranello, M. A., Camargo, P. B., Santos, F. A., Joly, C. A., &Martinelli, L. A. (2010). Forest structure and live aboveground biomass variation along an elevational gradient of tropical Atlantic moist forest (Brazil). Forest ecology and management , 260 (5), 679-691. Atsbha, T., Wayu, S. (2020). Utilization of indigenous tree and shrub species as animal feed resources in South Tigray, North Ethiopia, and implication for sustainable livestock production. Amazon J. Plant Res. 4 (3), 594–608. Ayalew, A., Bekele, T., &Demissew, S. (2006). The undifferentiated afromontane forest of Denkoro in the central highland of Ethiopia: a floristic and structural analysis. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science , 29 (1), 45-56. AyanawAbunie, A., &Dalle, G. (2018). Woody species diversity, structure, and regeneration status of yemrehanekirstos church forest of lastaDistrict, north wollo zone, amhara region, Ethiopia. International Journal ofForestryResearch , 2018 . Aynekulu, E. (2011). Forest diversity in fragmented landscapes of hugumburdain northern ethiopia and implications for conservation. University of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany . Bekele, T., Senbeta, F., Ameha, A. (2004).Impact of participatory forest management practices in Adaba-Dodola forest priority area of Oromia. Ethiopia. Ethiopian J. Natural Resources. 6, 89–109. ???? Bekele-Tesemma, A., &Tengnäs, B. (2007). Useful trees and shrubs of Ethiopia: identification, propagation, and management for 17 agroclimatic zones (p. 552). Nirobi: RELMA in ICRAF Project, World Agroforestry Centre, Eastern Africa Region. Burju, T., Hundera, K., &Kelbessa, E. (2013). Floristic composition and structural analysis of Jibat humid afromontane forest, west Shewa zone, Oromia national regional state, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences , 8 (2), 11-34. Cherinet, A., Lemi, T. (2023).The role of forest ecosystems for carbon sequestration and poverty alleviation in Ethiopia. Int. J. For. Res. 2023, 1–10. Dhaulkhandi, M., Dobhal, A., Bhatt, S & Kumar, M. (2008).Community structure and regeneration potential of natural forest site in Gangotri, India. Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 4: 49-52. Deresa, A. G. (2015). Carbon Stock Estimation Along Altitudinal Gradient in Woodland Vegetation in Ilu Gelan District, West Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Central Ethiopia (Doctoral dissertation, Addis Ababa University). Dibaba, A., Soromessa, T., Kelbessa, E., &Tilahun, A. (2014).Diversity, structure and regeneration status of the woodland and riverine vegetation of Sire Beggo in Gololcha District, Eastern Ethiopia. Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science , 6 (1), 70-96. Elias, E. (2021). Ecosystem services of exclosures in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Science and Sustainable Development , 8 (2), 109-117. Fisaha, G., Hundera, K., &Dalle, G. (2013). Woody plants' diversity, structural analysis and regeneration status of WofWasha natural forest, North‐east Ethiopia. African Journal of Ecology , 51 (4), 599-608. Gebeyehu, G., Soromessa, T., Bekele, T., &Teketay, D. (2019).Carbon stocks and factors affecting their storage in dry Afromontane forests of Awi Zone, northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Ecology and Environment , 43 (1), 1-18. Gebrehiwot, K., &Hundera, K. (2014).Species composition, plant community structure and natural regeneration status of Belete moist evergreen montane forest, Oromia regional state, Southwestern Ethiopia. Momona Ethiopian Journal of Science , 6 (1), 97-101. Giriraj, A., Murthy, M. S. R., & Ramesh, B. R. (2008). Vegetation composition, structure and patterns of diversity: a case study from the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western Kewessa, G., Dejene, T., Alem, D., Tolera, M., Martín-Pinto, P. (2022). Forest type and site conditions influence the diversity and biomass of edible macrofungal species in Ethiopia. J. Fungi. 8 (10), 1023 Kuma, M. Shibiru, S.(2015). Floristic Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of Woody Plant Species of Oda Forest of Humbo Carbon Project, Wolaita, Ethiopia,J.Bot.2015 Lamprecht, H. (1989). Silviculture in the tropics.Tropical forest ecosystems and their tree species-possibilities and methods for their long-term utilization. Lai, J., Mi, X., Ren, H., & Ma, K. (2009). Species‐habitat associations change in a subtropical forest of China. Journal of Vegetation Science , 20 (3), 415-423. Malik, Z. A. and Bhatt, A. B. (2016).Regeneration status of tree species and survival of their seedlings in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Western Himalaya, India. Tropical Ecology 57 (4): 677−690. Malik, Z. A., Hussain, A., Iqbal, K. and Bhatt, A. B. (2014).Species richness and diversity along the disturbance gradient in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Garhwal Himalaya, India. International Journal of Current Research 6 (12): 10918− 10926. Masresha, G., Soromessa, T., &Kelbessa, E. (2015).Status and species diversity of Alemsaga forest, northwestern Ethiopia. Mekonen, T., Ayele, B., &Ashagrie, Y. (2015).Woody plant species diversity, structure and regeneration status of Woynwuha natural forest, North West Ethiopia. Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences , 1 (2), 91-113. Mucheye, G., Yemata, G. (2020). Species composition, structure and regeneration status of woody plant species in a dry Afromontane forest. Northwestern Ethiopia. Cogent. Food Agric. 6 (1), 1823607 Nkonya, E., Mirzabaev, A., & Von Braun, J. (2016). Economics of land degradation and improvement–a global assessment for sustainable development (p. 686).Springer Nature. Poudyal, B. H., Maraseni, T. and Cockfield, G. (2020). Scientific forest management practice in Nepal: Critical reflections from stakeholders’ perspectives. Forests 11 (1): 27. https: //doi. org/10. 3390/f11010027 (Accessed on Oct 6, 2021). Pappoe, A. N. M., Armah, F. A., Quaye, E. C., Kwakye, P. K., &Buxton, G. N. T. (2010). Composition and stand structure of a tropical moist semi-deciduous forest in Ghana. Senbeta, F., &Denich, M. (2006).Effects of wild coffee management on species diversity in the Afromontane rainforest of Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management , 232 (1-3), 68-74. Shankar, U. (2001). A case of high tree diversity in a sal (Shorearobusta)-dominated lowland forest of Eastern Himalaya: Floristic composition, regeneration and conservation. Current Science , 776-786. Shiferaw, W., Lemenih, M., &Gole, T. W. M. (2018).Analysis of plant species diversity and forest structure in Arero dry Afromontane forest of Borena zone, South Ethiopia. Tropical Plant Research , 5 (2), 129-140. Sileshi, G., Tesfaye, A., &Sileshi, F. (2022).Diversity. Structure and Regeneration Status of Woody Species Along Altitudinal Gradient of Werganbula Forest at Sude District, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia , 1-32. Siraj, M., Zhang, K., Sebsebe, D., &Zerihun, W. (2017). Floristic composition and plant community types in Maze National Park, southwest Ethiopia. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research , 15 (1), 245-262. Tadele, D., Lulekal, E., Damtie, D., &Assefa, A. (2014).Floristic diversity and regeneration status of woody plants in Zengena Forest, a remnant montane forest patch in northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of forestry research , 25 , 329-336. Tadesse, Z., Kelbessa, E., &Bekele, T. (2017). Floristic composition and plant community analysis of vegetation in Ilu Gelan district, West Shewa Zone of Oromia region, Central Ethiopia. Tropical Plant Research , 4 (2), 335-350. Teketay, D. (2001). Deforestation, wood famine, and environmental degradation in Ethiopia's highland ecosystems: urgent need for action. Northeast African Studies , 53-76. Tesfaye, G., Demel, T., D. and Fetene, M.(2002).Regeneration of fourteen tree species in Harenna forest, southeastern Ethiopia. Flora-Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants , 197 (6), pp.461-474. Tiwari, G. P. K., Tadele, K., Aramde, F., &Tiwari, S. C. (2010).Community structure and regeneration potential of Shorearobusta forest in subtropical submontane zone of Garhwal Himalaya, India. Nature and Science , 8 (1), 70-74. Wolde, A., 2023. Review on selected church forests of Ethiopia: implication for plant species conservation and climate change mitigation. Int. J. For. Res. 2023, 1–14. Woldearegay, M., Woldu, Z., &Lulekal, E. (2018).Species diversity, population structure and regeneration status of woody plants in Yegof dry afromontane forest, Northeastern Ethiopia. European Journal of Advanced Research in Biological and Life Sciences , 6 (4). Woldu, G., Solomon, N., Hishe, H., Gebrewahid, H., Gebremedhin, M. A., &Birhane, E. (2020).Topographic variables to determine the diversity of woody species in the exclosure of Northern Ethiopia. Heliyon , 6 (1), e03121. Yami, M., Gebrehiwot, K., Moe, S., &Mekuria, W. (2006). Impact of area enclosures on density, diversity, and population structure of woody species: the case of May Ba’ati-DougaTembien, Tigray, Ethiopia. Ethiopian Journal of Natural Resources , 8 (1), 100-110. Yetebitu, M., Zewdu, E., &Sisay, N. (2010). Manual for assessment and monitoring of carbon in forest and other land uses in Ethiopia.Tech.Rep., Ethiopian Forest Research Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Yemata, G., Haregewoien, G. (2022). Floristic composition, structure and regeneration status of woody plant species in northwest Ethiopia.TreesFor.People. 9, 100291 Yineger, H., Kelbessa, E., Bekele, T., &Lulekal, E. (2008).Floristic composition and structure of the dry afromontane forest at Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. SINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science , 31 (2), 103-120. Zegeye, H., Teketay, D., &Kelbessa, E. (2011). Diversity and regeneration status of woody species in Tara Gedam and Abebaye forests, northwestern Ethiopia. Journal of Forestry Research , 22 , 315-328. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 07 May, 2025 Read the published version in BMC Ecology and Evolution → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Oct, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 22 Oct, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Oct, 2024 First submitted to journal 20 Oct, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5299437","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":369473897,"identity":"8c8bcfe5-8184-42f7-853d-0ff4022570e7","order_by":0,"name":"Bayissa Belay","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Ambo University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bayissa","middleName":"","lastName":"Belay","suffix":""},{"id":369473898,"identity":"efc92dea-3c27-4cf2-844b-57135b3c753c","order_by":1,"name":"Tena Regasa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wollega University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tena","middleName":"","lastName":"Regasa","suffix":""},{"id":369473899,"identity":"6f6b0287-89c4-44d0-8061-95c126fe138c","order_by":2,"name":"Siraj Mammo","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACZiCWgLAOgJgypGhhSwAxeUixj8cATBJUJ9/O+/CDZY5dtG57z+dXN2oseBjYDx/dgE+LwWF2YwnJbcm5286c3WadcwzoMJ60tBt4tTCzMQC1MOduu5G7zTiHDahFgscMrxb5ZjbmH5Lb6oFacp4Z5/wjQgvDYTY2oC2HQVqYH+e2EaHFAKjFQnLbcaBfjpkx5/ZJ8LAR8ot8/zHm25LbqnO3HW9+/DnnW50cP/vhY/gdBgTMkKhkYAPTbISUgwDjB6jWD8SoHgWjYBSMgpEHAOoHRGPSGWrcAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Ambo University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Siraj","middleName":"","lastName":"Mammo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-10-20 17:08:07","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02375-x","type":"published","date":"2025-05-07T15:57:02+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":68230039,"identity":"5dd6cce2-5fa2-424e-986e-3e5f3028ee7d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:33:33","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":477848,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLocation map of the study area.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/eda71b3976c26d0eb1fe52cf.png"},{"id":68230042,"identity":"c87cf71c-ad26-4cfe-b447-c0befd2c5bdc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:33:34","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":63162,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDesign of main plot and sub-plots for biomass collection\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSources: (Tiwari \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010; Gebrehiwot and Hundera, 2014).\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/f3538ee5c8e250c52a80b192.png"},{"id":68230541,"identity":"56cc905e-002d-45ba-93de-56cb061c8913","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:41:33","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":38792,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePercentage composition of woody species of Ruruki forest\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/74b92aefa9801ecdc37d23fb.png"},{"id":68229878,"identity":"d05d29b9-6d8a-4531-9a1b-5be70b04f1b9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:25:33","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":39556,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFrequency class of woody species in Ruruki forest\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/95f87602a9dc9829c649d4f5.png"},{"id":68230041,"identity":"c5382093-daf7-4d99-89c8-25fe8ec1120c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:33:34","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":38559,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDiameter (DBH) classes of woody plant species in study area\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/5a7646d96f4a6b85408670bc.png"},{"id":68229882,"identity":"a8e0530a-2e57-4d28-8c32-2babed513bcc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:25:34","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":42138,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eHeight classes’ classification in study area\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/1e64356fed43737951477436.png"},{"id":68229884,"identity":"ab75acdf-7794-41b1-9e5b-80fff86978fb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-05 05:25:34","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":37633,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGraph of regeneration status of the studied forest\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/9b19875d381821a0c578a84e.png"},{"id":82537535,"identity":"4a38a7a9-9622-4dd9-b182-cec72f778709","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-12 16:08:14","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2057881,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5299437/v1/b3727829-0d9a-4436-be60-cd74ece75ebf.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Woody Plant Species Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest of Liban Jawi District, West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eForests provide numerous ecological advantages, including biodiversity conservation and climate regulation (Agar \u0026amp; Robert, 2022). It plays an important role in providing key ecosystem services to local populations, including energy, food security, and the development of the agricultural sector and GDP (Cherinet \u0026amp; Lemi, 2023; Wolde, 2023). Yet, the world\u0026rsquo;s forest resources continue to decline at a worrisome rate for many reasons as time goes on. In Ethiopia, the depletion of forest resources across various regions is occurring more rapidly because of multiple influencing factors. (Yami \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2006; Woldu \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEthiopia's woodland areas have faced significant degradation and deforestation as a consequence of expanding agricultural land, urban growth, fuelwood consumption, lumber operations, and excessive grazing, leading to a substantial decline in forest biodiversity and ecosystem functions (Gebeyehu \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2019). For thousands of years, ongoing deforestation and resulting land degradation have posed significant challenges, primarily driven by agricultural growth, excessive grazing, and unsustainable harvesting of timber products (Elias, 2021). In addition to deforestation, logging and timber extraction are responsible for over 52% of forest degradation, followed by fuel wood collection and charcoal production at 31%, uncontrolled fires at 9%, and livestock grazing at 7% in tropical ecosystems (Hosonuma \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2012).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA study indicates that, in Ethiopia, land degradation has affected around 23% of the total land area during the past three decades (Nkonya \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2016). The exploitation of woody plant species as a result of human usage poses a serious danger to biodiversity globally. Changes in plant diversity, particularly those that result in loss of vegetation complexity, have an impact on soil's ability to restore nutrients. Today, forest degradation is increasing in many regions, and the world suffers from global warming, which is driven by climate change. According to a study conducted by Kewessa \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2022) and Atsbha \u0026amp; Wayu (2020), trees such as \u003cem\u003ePodocarpus falcatus, Crotonma crostachyus, Olea europaea\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eAcacia abyssinica\u003c/em\u003e were severely deteriorated in Ethiopian forests, resulting in significant environmental and economic consequences.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, assessing the condition of a specific forest and determining appropriate management strategies are essential for its long-term sustainability. Understanding the regeneration status of the forest is crucial for forest management, as it indicates both the current condition of the forest and potential future changes (Malik \u0026amp; Bhatt, 2016). Here, conservation and management practices have a significant impact on the forest's ability to regenerate (Malik \u0026amp; Bhatt, 2015). Better forest regeneration leads to higher species richness and variety, both of which are essential for biological diversity (Poudyal \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn general, research into vegetation composition, species diversity, and vegetation structure analysis is critical for providing information on forest species richness and diversity. Studying the composition, structure, and regeneration of woody species provides insights for forest management and helps to understand forest ecology and ecosystem services (Siraj \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2017). Nevertheless, insufficient data exists regarding the present condition of the Ruruki Forest, which is essential for formulating efficient management and conservation plans. This includes the diversity of woody plant species, flora composition, structure, and regeneration status of the forest. Consequently, in order to offer baseline data for the development of sustainable forest management approaches, this investigation is being done to assess the species composition, structure, and regeneration state of woody plants in Ruruki Forest.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Study Area Description\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe study was carried out at Ruruki Natural Forest, which is situated approximately 169 kilometers west of Addis Abeba, 55 kilometers west of Ambo town, and 7 kilometers from the district center (Babicha). It is located at 8055\u0026apos;30\u0026apos;\u0026apos; to 90 0\u0026apos;0\u0026apos;\u0026apos; N and 37029\u0026apos;0\u0026apos;\u0026apos; to 37033\u0026apos;0\u0026apos;\u0026apos; E. The forest\u0026apos;s elevation spans between 2398 and 2474 meters above sea level (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTemperature and rainfall are the two most essential components of climate, and they have a significant impact on the environment. These two essential climate factors were gathered using data acquired by the National Meteorological Service Agency. In accordance with meteorological statistics, the average yearly temperature in the research area was around 18\u0026deg;C. The usual monthly lowest and highest temperatures in the study area were 16 and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively. The hottest months were May and June, with a maximum temperature of 21\u0026deg;C and 20\u0026deg;C, respectively, while the coldest month was August, with a minimum temperature of 14\u0026deg;C. The average annual rainfall was estimated to be 1300 mm.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe vegetation type in the area is dry, evergreen afromontane forests. The study site was dominated by \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense, Maytenus arbutifolia, Olinia rochetiana, Bersama abyssinica, Tecle anobilis, Croton macrostachyus, Caulpurnia aurea\u003c/em\u003e, etc. The forest covered an area of roughly 72 hectares. Human activity has affected this forest for a variety of reasons, including the gathering of fuelwood, building, extension of agricultural land, production of charcoal, timber, etc. In that study forest, there are no significant altitudinal differences. The difference between lower and middle altitudes, as well as middle and upper altitudes, is less than fifty. This suggests that altitudinal range may have no impact on the composition, structure, and regeneration status of woody plant species in the forest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Methods\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2.1. Reconnaissance Survey\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eHaving information about the area is crucial to carrying out a certain research endeavor. In order to get pertinent data regarding the diversity of woody plant species, population structure, and the status of forest regeneration, a reconnaissance survey was carried out in October 2023. Following the prior research, the transect lines were established for the purpose of collecting data (Alves \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2010).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.2.2. Sampling Methods\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePlots were established in order to collect data on woody species from the study site. A systematic sampling technique was utilized to collect data. Five transect lines were placed at 200-meter intervals, and six plots were established at 100-meter intervals along each transect line. A total of 30 sample plots were taken from the studied forest. A species curve was used to verify that the data sample for this whole plot was sufficient. Along each transect line, 20 m x 20 m sample plots were established in order to gather data on trees, shrubs, and lianas. For the collection of trees, shrubs, and lianas-related data, 20 m x 20 m sample plots were established along each transect line.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFor collecting seedlings and sapling data, five sub-plots of 5 m x 5 m per plot, four at each corner and one at the midpoint of each main plot, were established (Dhaulkhandi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2008; Tiwari \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010; Gebrehiwot and Hundera, 2014). To minimize the border effects on the forest\u0026apos;s woody species, a 30 m border effect was left (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Woody Vegetation Data Collection\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWoody species data were gathered in each sampling plot within the forest stand using the procedures provided in the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) Research Program at Indian University (IFRI, 1996). Each species was recorded using the local name and then later documented by scientific names with the support of professional foresters and botanists from Ambo University, as well as using reference sources like useful trees and shrubs of Ethiopia (Bekele, 2007).\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTrees and shrubs having a DBH\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;5 cm and a tree height\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;2 m were measured and noted in each 20 m \u0026times; 20 m plot. In the case of multi-stem shrubs, the diameter and height of the dominant shoot were measured and recorded. Every seedling and sapling in every 5 m \u0026times; 5 m sub-plot was counted and recorded. DBH of trees and shrubs was measured using a caliper, while a clinometer was used for height measurement.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFor that study, the trees include woody species that have a single erect stem (DBH\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;5cm and height\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;2m) and shrubs include woody species having multiple stems. Saplings include woody species with a diameter of 2.5-5cm and height of 1-2m, while seedlings refer to woody species that have referred to a collar diameter\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;2.5cm and height\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1m, (Jiangshan \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2009). A physiographic variable such as altitude was recorded for each sampling plot using GPS.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4. Vegetation Data analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.1. Woody Species Composition\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe entire composition of woody species within their respective genera and families was determined. The habits of the gathered woody species were also classified as trees, shrubs, and lianas. The data acquired was used to analyze the diversity of woody species using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software version 16.0. The woody species composition and variety of plant species in the forest were assessed using diversity indicators such as species richness, diversity, and evenness.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.2. Woody species Diversity\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H\u0026apos;), and Evenness or Equability Index (E) were used to estimate the diversity of woody species in natural forests.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShannon-Wiener Diversity Index (H\u0026apos;)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Shannon \u0026ndash;Weiner Diversity Index was calculated as\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Equ1\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equ1\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e$$\\:{\\mathbf{H}}^{\\mathbf{{\\prime\\:}}}=-{\\sum\\:}_{\\varvec{i}=1}^{\\varvec{n}}\\mathbf{p}\\mathbf{i}\\mathbf{*}\\mathbf{l}\\mathbf{n}\\mathbf{p}\\mathbf{i}$$\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"EquationNumber\"\u003e1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u003cp\u003eWhere H\u0026rsquo;, is Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;is the number of species\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePi\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;n/N is the proportion of individuals found in the i\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e species\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;number of individuals of a given species\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eN\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;total number of individuals found\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEvenness (E)\u003c/strong\u003e: which is the ratio of observed diversity to maximum diversity (Magurran, 1988\u003cem\u003e)\u003c/em\u003e was calculated as:-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;\u0026Sigma; pi lnpi / lnS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;H\u0026rsquo;/lnS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;H\u0026apos;/ Hmax\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip; (2)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eE\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;is species evenness\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eH\u0026apos;\u003c/strong\u003e= is Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;is the number of species found when all sample plots are united\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePi\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;is the proportion of total individuals in the i\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e species\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLnS\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;is the natural logarithm of the total number of species.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpecies richness (S)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ewas calculated by the below equation\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:=\\varvec{\\varSigma\\:}\\varvec{n}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;(3)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhere, \u003cem\u003en;\u003c/em\u003e is the number of species in a community.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3. Woody Species Structure Analysis in Ruruki Forest\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe structure of woody species is vital for identifying the existence of rare or threatened species for conservation and management planning (Zegeye \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2011). Diameter at breast height (DBH), basal area (BA), relative density, evenness, frequency, and important value index (IVI) illustrate the vegetative structure of woody plant species (Mucheye and Yemata, 2020; Birhanu \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2021). Subsequently, the study forest in their woody plant structure was determined by computing the following variables: density, relative density, frequency, relative frequency, relative abundance, importance value index, basal area, DBH class distribution, and height class distribution.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.1.Woody species Density Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe density and relative density of woody species were determined using the equation provided below.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\text{D}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{s}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{y}=\\frac{\\text{N}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{d}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{i}\\text{d}\\text{u}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{w}\\text{o}\\text{o}\\text{d}\\text{y}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}}{\\text{S}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{a}\\text{l}\\text{l}\\:\\text{p}\\text{l}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\:\\text{a}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{a}\\text{s}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip; ( 4)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Equ2\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equ2\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e$$\\:\\text{R}\\text{e}\\text{l}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{e}\\:\\text{d}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{s}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{y}=\\frac{\\text{T}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{n}\\text{o}.\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{d}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{i}\\text{d}\\text{u}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\text{s}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}\\:}{\\text{T}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{n}\\text{o}.\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{d}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{i}\\text{d}\\text{u}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\text{s}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{a}\\text{l}\\text{l}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}}\\text{*}100$$\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"EquationNumber\"\u003e5\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;\u0026hellip;..\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.2.Woody Species Frequency Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe frequency and relative frequency of the examined forest were determined using the following formula.\u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\:\\text{F}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{c}\\text{y}=\\frac{\\text{N}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{a}\\text{d}\\text{r}\\text{a}\\text{n}\\text{t}\\text{s}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\:\\text{w}\\text{h}\\text{i}\\text{c}\\text{h}\\:\\text{a}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}\\:\\text{o}\\text{c}\\text{c}\\text{u}\\text{r}}{\\text{T}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{n}\\text{u}\\text{m}\\text{b}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{a}\\text{d}\\text{r}\\text{a}\\text{n}\\text{t}\\text{s}\\:\\text{s}\\text{a}\\text{m}\\text{p}\\text{l}\\text{e}\\text{d}\\:\\text{i}\\text{n}\\:\\text{t}\\text{h}\\text{e}\\:\\text{s}\\text{t}\\text{u}\\text{d}\\text{y}\\:\\text{s}\\text{i}\\text{t}\\text{e}}\\text{*}100\\dots\\:..\\left(\\:6\\right)\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Equa\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equa\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e$$\\:\\text{R}\\text{e}\\text{l}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{e}\\:\\text{f}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{c}\\text{y}\\frac{\\text{F}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{c}\\text{y}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}\\:}{\\text{F}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{q}\\text{u}\\text{e}\\text{n}\\text{c}\\text{y}\\:\\text{o}\\text{f}\\:\\text{a}\\text{l}\\text{l}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}}\\text{*}100\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:..\\left(7\\right)$$\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Equb\" class=\"Equation\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"mathdisplay\" id=\"FileID_Equb\" name=\"EquationSource\"\u003e$$\\:\\text{R}\\text{e}\\text{l}\\text{a}\\text{t}\\text{i}\\text{v}\\text{e}\\:\\text{d}\\text{o}\\text{m}\\text{i}\\text{n}\\text{a}\\text{n}\\text{c}=\\frac{\\text{b}\\text{a}\\text{s}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{a}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{a}\\:\\text{f}\\text{o}\\text{r}\\:\\text{a}\\:\\text{s}\\text{p}\\text{e}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{e}\\text{s}}{\\text{t}\\text{o}\\text{t}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{b}\\text{a}\\text{s}\\text{a}\\text{l}\\:\\text{a}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\text{a}}\\text{*}100\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:\\dots\\:.\\left(\\:8\\right)$$\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.3. Importance Value Index (IVI) Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe Importance Value Index (IVI) for each woody species was computed using the following formula (Lamprecht, 1989):\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eIVI\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Relative density\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Relative frequency\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;Relative Dominance--------------------- (9)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.4. Diameter Class Distribution Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe DBH classes of woody species of the forest were analyzed based on collected data.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.5. Height Class Distribution Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe height classes of the study forest were analyzed based on the values of individual tree heights that were measured during data collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.6. Basal area (BA) Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eBasal area of trees and shrubs with DBH\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;5 cm was calculated by the below formula:\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://myfiles.space/user_files/58895_8739fc6c57c1c19a/58895_custom_files/img1730783444.png\" width=\"780\" height=\"84\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWhere, d\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;diameter at breast height\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section4\"\u003e\n \u003ch2\u003e2.4.3.7. Regeneration Data Analysis.\u003c/h2\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe regeneration status of sample species in the forest was analyzed by comparing seedlings with saplings and saplings with mature tree data (Shankar, 2001; Dhaulkhandi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2008; Tiwari \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010; Gebrehiwot \u0026amp; Hundera, 2014) as the below categories:\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe regeneration status of sample species in the forest was analyzed by comparing seedlings with saplings and saplings with mature tree data (Shankar, 2001; Dhaulkhandi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2008; Tiwari \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2010; Gebrehiwot \u0026amp; Hundera, 2014) as the below categories:\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ei. Good regeneration; if occurred in seedling \u0026gt; sapling \u0026gt; mature tree;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eii. Fair regeneration; if occurred in seedlings \u0026gt; or \u0026le; saplings \u0026le; adults;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eiii. Poor regeneration; if a species survives only in the sapling stage, but not as seedlings \u0026nbsp;(saplings may be \u0026le; or \u0026ge; adults)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eiv. None; if a species is absent both in sapling and seedling stages, but present as mature.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eV. New; if a species has no mature, but only sapling and/or seedling stages.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Woody Species Composition and Diversity of the Study Forest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 70 woody species belonging to 64 genera and 45 families was recorded and identified from 30 plots in the study forest. Fabaceae was the dominant family, with 7 (10%) species, followed by Oleaceae, which has 5 (7.14%) species. Three families each had three (4.29%) species, nine families each had two (2.86%) species, and 31 families each had one. In general, 14 families with 7, 5, 3, and 2 species accounted for 55.71% of the total species, whereas 31 families with only one species accounted for 44.29% (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDominance of Fabaceae has been documented from different floristic surveys done by numerous investigators at various times (Dibaba \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2014, Tadesse \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2017). Fabaceae might have gotten the top dominant position probably due to having efficient pollination and successful seed dispersal mechanisms that might have adapted them to a wide range of ecological conditions in the past (Tadesse \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2017). However, the variation in topography and environmental conditions like the amount of rainfall and temperature could be the causes of variation in dominance positions of plant taxa. Similarly, the results recorded from Ruruki Forest showed that the Fabaceae were the most dominant family.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf the seventy woody species found in the research region, trees accounted for forty of the species; shrubs and liana accounted for twenty-six and four species, respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). This finding demonstrated that trees were adding more species to the total number of woody species found in Ruruki Forest. This indicates that trees were quite adaptive and can endure a variety of environmental conditions that impact woody species.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Ruruki Forest, the woody species had an evenness value of 0.83 and a Shannon Wiener diversity (H') of 3.42. This finding indicates that the investigated forest has high species richness, evenness, and Shannon Wiener diversity. The forests with the highest evenness values demonstrate that the tree species within those forests were spread uniformly throughout the sampled plots. The Shannon Weiner diversity value of the Ruruki forest was contrasted to other Ethiopian forests that had been previously examined. The resulting value was compared to the Shannon Weiner diversity of Woynwuha natural forest (H'=3.24) and Wof-Washa forest (H'=3.25), as reported in studies by Mekonen \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2015 and Fisaha \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2013, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn contrast, the Shannon Weiner diversity of woody species of Ruruki forest was higher than those reported from those Ethiopian forests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eList of Families, Species, and Genera of the Ruruki forest\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpecies\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenera\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003epercentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumber\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFabaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOleaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEuphorbiaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRosaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAsteraceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAcanthaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eApocynaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCelastraceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFlacourtiaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMyrsinaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRutaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSapindaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnacardiaceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMoraceae\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOther\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e70\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e64\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. Structure of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.1. Density of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe overall density of woody species observed from the forest was 868.33 individuals per hectare. The density contributed by the ten most prominent woody species to the forest was 535 individuals/ha. \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e was the major woody species that contributed high density to the total density of woody species, contributing 86.67 individuals per hectare (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). The studied forest had a greater overall density than Washa forest (698.8 individuals/ha) (Fisaha \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2013) and Boditi forest (498 individuals/ha) (Yineger \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2008). However, it was lower than the woody species density recorded for Werganbula Forest (1012.35 individuals/ha) (Sileshi \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2022) and Hugumburdian Forest (1218 individuals/ha) (Aynekulu, 2011).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDensity of woody species in study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDensity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Density\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e72.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChionanthus mildbraedii\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOliniarochetiana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBersama abyssinica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaytenus arbutifolia\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrucea antidysenterica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e35.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCaulpurnia aurea\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrunus africana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePodocarpus falcatus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVernonia auriculifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOthers\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e333.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e868.33\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec23\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.2. Frequency of Woody Species in Ruruki Forest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf all woody species, \u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e, however, was the most commonly occurring species in all plots, with a frequency of 100%, followed by \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e (90%), and Olinia rochetiana (90%)(Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). In Ethiopia, those species thrive in the Kolla and Woyna Dega agroclimatic zones of all regions at altitudes ranging from 1200 to 2600m a.s.l, and the study area is likewise within this range (Ayanaw and Dalle, 2018). likewise, the altitude of the Ruruki forest fluctuated between 2398 to 2474 meters above sea level, which may be favorable ffor this species.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Ayanaw and Dalle (2018), the number of frequency classes may potentially be a sign of uniformity in the composition of forests. The current investigation found that a comparatively small number of species were found in high frequency classes and a large percentage of species in lower frequency classes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). Consequently, the outcome confirms that Ruruki Forest has a significant degree of species heterogeneity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency of woody species in study area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Frequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOlinia rochetiana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBersama abyssinica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChionanthus mildbraedii\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBrucea antidysenterica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e83.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCaulpurnia aurea\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaytenus arbutifolia\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVernoniaauriculifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e66.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOther\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1086.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58.74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1850\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec24\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.3. Importance Value Index (IVI) of Woody Species\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Ruruki Forest's important value index was examined in order to compare the ecological significance of various woody species. According to Ayalew \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e. (2006), the leading dominant species in the designated vegetation are those with the highest important value index. In the forest, species with higher IVI were more prevalent than those with lower IVI, with fewer of each (\u003cem\u003eShiferaw al et al., 2018\u003c/em\u003e). As a result of the IVI obtained from the forest, the dominant and ecologically important woody species were \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eOlinia rochetiana\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eEkebergia capensis\u003c/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eChionanthus mildbraedii\u003c/em\u003e due to their higher importance value index relative to the other woody species in the study area.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmong those dominating woody species, \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e was the most ecologically important woody species, followed by \u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOlinia rochetiana\u003c/em\u003e in the Ruruki forest (Table \u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImportant value index of woody species in Ruruki forest\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative density\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Frequency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelative Dominance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIVI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyzygiumguineense\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOliniarochetiana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.91\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEkebergiacapensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.98\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChionanthusmildbraedii\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.16\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBersamaabyssinica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.18\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaytenusarbutifolia\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.52\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrunusafricana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBruceaantidysenterica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOthers\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e125.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e100.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e300.00\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec25\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.4. Diameter Class Distribution\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe diameter class distributions of woody species in the study area were analyzed and classified into twelve DBH classes. The DBH class distribution of all individuals of each species counted in the samples was grouped into twelve (12) diameter classes with 6cm intervals. Accordingly, \u0026lt;6cm, 7\u0026ndash;12cm, 13\u0026ndash;18 cm, 19\u0026ndash;25 cm, 26\u0026ndash;31 cm, 32\u0026ndash;37cm, 37\u0026ndash;42cm, 43\u0026ndash;48cm, 49\u0026ndash;54cm, 55\u0026ndash;60cm, 61-66cm and \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;66cm were the DBH classes (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccordingly, the highest number of woody species was recorded in the second DBH classes, followed by first and fourth classes, while the least were recorded in the tenth and ninth classes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pattern of diameter class distribution indicates overall tendencies in population dynamics and recruitment procedures for a certain species. The overall pattern of the DBH class distribution in the forest reveals an uneven distribution of species, implying selective removal of individual woody species for various purposes. As a result, the current finding implies that woody species with lower diameter class distributions in Ruruki forest have a high potential for reproduction and recruitment. Similar results were found from several Afromontane vegetations in Ethiopia (Senbeta, 2006; Tadesse \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2017).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec26\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.5. Height Class Distribution\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe height classes were classified as intervals with 3m intervals, and nine height classes occurred. Those height classes were organized as 2-5m, 5.1-8m, 8.1-11m, 11.1-14m, 14.1-17m, 17.1-20m, 20.1-23m, 23.1-26m and \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;26m. The distribution of individuals in the different height classes was recorded in the second class distribution (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). The results showed more woody species in small-sized individuals than large-sized woody species. The least number of individuals were recorded in the eighth and ninth classes.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis outcome demonstrated that selective trees have been cut down for a variety of reasons. Conversely, the greatest tree distribution in each height class toward the lower classes demonstrated that the predominance of small individuals in the forest suggests the features of a typical forest (Tesfaye \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e., 2002).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec27\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.6. Basal Area of Woody Species\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe basal area provides the measure of the relative importance of the species rather than the simple stem count (Lamprecht, 1989). The study forest yielded a total basal area of 32.5598 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e (Table \u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). \u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e supplied the most basal area to the overall basal area of the forest, with a recorded value of 14.5188 m2 (44.59%), followed by \u003cem\u003eOlinia rochetiana\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eEkerbergia capensis\u003c/em\u003e, having recorded values of 4.0114 m2 and 3.0175 m2, respectively.With an estimated value of 0.0022m2, \u003cem\u003eMaytenus arbutifolia\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eAsparagus africanus\u003c/em\u003e donated the least basal area. According to Lamprecht (1989), basal area has an impact on IVI, which is a metric used to compare the ecological significance of different species.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA high IVI value denotes a high degree of sociological organization within the species' forest. This basal area values for the current forest were generally higher than those of some other studied forests in Ethiopia, including 15.85 m2 ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e for Yegof forest (Mesfin \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2018) and 22.3 m2 ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e for Zengena forest (Tadele \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2014) and lower than 64 m2 ha\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e for Wofwasha forest (Fisaha \u003cem\u003eet al.\u003c/em\u003e, 2013). This suggests that the Ruruki forests have better growth and the potential to retain higher biomass.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBasal area of woody species in studied forest\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eScientific name\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBasal Area/ha\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSyzygium guineense\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.5188\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEkebergia capensis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.0114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOlinia rochetiana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.0175\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.5926\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.96\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePrunus africana\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.2750\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChionanthus mildbraedii\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.0155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSchefflera abyssinica\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.0013\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eVernonia auriculifera\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6572\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFicus sur\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6483\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTecle anobilis\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.5308\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOthers\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2915\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.5598\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e100.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec28\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2.7. Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe composition and density of seedlings, saplings, and adult woody plant species were utilized to assess the forest's regeneration state (Abunie and Dalle, 2018). According to Alemu (2011), the distribution pattern where the density of the seedlings exceeded the total density of the saplings, and the total density of saplings is less than that of mature trees/shrubs, shows that the regeneration status of the studied vegetation is fair. As a result, the density of seedlings, saplings, and adults recorded in the forest were 258 (24.76%), 198 (19%), and 586 (56.24%) individuals/ha, respectively (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). This result pattern of seedlings, saplings, and mature trees/shrubs indicates that the currently studied forest is in fair regeneration. The reproduction capability of seedling\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;sapling\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;mature tree is as shown (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Conclusions and Reccomendations","content":"\u003cp\u003eGenerally, Ruruki Forest was diversified by numerous woody plant species. For the purpose of the study, a total of 70 species of woody plants, classified into 64 genera and 45 families, were gathered. Of these 70 kinds of woody plants, trees accounted for 57.14%, while shrubs and lianas made up 37.14% and 5.71%, respectively. In the process of collecting data on woody plant species, it was discovered that there is no uniform distribution of all species across plots in terms of species kinds, height, and DBH. A single tree species (\u003cem\u003eCroton macrostachyus\u003c/em\u003e) was found in all plots. The majority of species were categorized in the lower height classes. The overall pattern of the DBH class distribution in the studied forest was uneven. The regeneration state of the studied forest was classified as 'fair'. This comprehensive result shows that the forest under study experienced selective tree-cutting for a multitude of reasons, as well as other disturbances such as inadequate forest management techniques, a lack of implemented forest policies, low community awareness, and insufficient afforestation and reforestation activities. If the current scenario continues, the forest may be destroyed soon. This jeopardizes the future sustainability of forests and their ecological functions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the findings, the following recommendations were forwarded;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eActive engagement in forest management is necessary to uphold the benefits that forests offer. The community should be aware of the benefits of properly managed and preserved forests, as well as the problems that emerge when these forests are harmed. The results showed that the forest is disturbed and that certain trees are being cut down selectively. This necessitates regular monitoring of the forest for its protection and management. Therefore, it is critical that local and regional administrative bodies follow and monitor the forest, invite any interested parties to participate in forest management, including governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations, implement forest policy, and engage in good forest management practices like afforestation and reforestation\u0026mdash;all of which are essential for the sustainable management of the forest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding declaration\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo fund is received for research from any organization\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors Contribution\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBB collected data and wrote the 1\u003csup\u003est\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003edraft Manuscript, TR supervised the data collection and SM Writing \u0026ndash; review \u0026amp; editing, Conflict of interest\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no conflict of interest related to this papers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors have agreed to submit and approved the manuscript for submission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edata will be available on request\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrior oral informed consent was obtained from the local communities as well as from all individual participants.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAddi, A., Soromessa, T., Kelbessa, E., Dibaba, A., \u0026amp;Kefalew, A. (2016). Floristic composition and plant community types of Agama Forest, an Afromontane Forest in Southwest Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Ecology and the Natural Environment\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e(5), 55-69.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAddo-Fordjour, P., Obeng, S., Anning, A. K., \u0026amp;Addo, M. G. (2009).Floristic composition, structure and natural regeneration in a moist semi-deciduous forest following anthropogenic disturbances and plant invasion. \u003cem\u003eInternational journal of biodiversity and conservation\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e1\u003c/em\u003e(2), 21-37.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAgar Robert.(2022) .The Importance of the Forest Ecosystem. \u003cem\u003eSciencing.com\u003c/em\u003e. Retrieved from https://sciencing.com/importance-forest-ecosystem-5422707.html\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlves, L. F., Vieira, S. A., Scaranello, M. A., Camargo, P. B., Santos, F. A., Joly, C. A., \u0026amp;Martinelli, L. A. (2010). Forest structure and live aboveground biomass variation along an elevational gradient of tropical Atlantic moist forest (Brazil). \u003cem\u003eForest ecology and management\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e260\u003c/em\u003e(5), 679-691.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAtsbha, T., Wayu, S. (2020). Utilization of indigenous tree and shrub species as animal feed resources in South Tigray, North Ethiopia, and implication for sustainable livestock production. Amazon J. Plant Res. 4 (3), 594\u0026ndash;608.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAyalew, A., Bekele, T., \u0026amp;Demissew, S. (2006). The undifferentiated afromontane forest of Denkoro in the central highland of Ethiopia: a floristic and structural analysis. \u003cem\u003eSINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e29\u003c/em\u003e(1), 45-56.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAyanawAbunie, A., \u0026amp;Dalle, G. (2018). Woody species diversity, structure, and regeneration status of yemrehanekirstos church forest of lastaDistrict, north wollo zone, amhara region, Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal ofForestryResearch\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e2018\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAynekulu, E. (2011). Forest diversity in fragmented landscapes of hugumburdain northern ethiopia and implications for conservation. \u003cem\u003eUniversity of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBekele, T., Senbeta, F., Ameha, A. (2004).Impact of participatory forest management practices in Adaba-Dodola forest priority area of Oromia. Ethiopia. Ethiopian J. Natural Resources. 6, 89\u0026ndash;109. ????\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBekele-Tesemma, A., \u0026amp;Tengn\u0026auml;s, B. (2007). Useful trees and shrubs of Ethiopia: identification, propagation, and management for 17 agroclimatic zones (p. 552). Nirobi: RELMA in ICRAF Project, World Agroforestry Centre, Eastern Africa Region.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBurju, T., Hundera, K., \u0026amp;Kelbessa, E. (2013). Floristic composition and structural analysis of Jibat humid afromontane forest, west Shewa zone, Oromia national regional state, Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eEthiopian Journal of Education and Sciences\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e(2), 11-34.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCherinet, A., Lemi, T. (2023).The role of forest ecosystems for carbon sequestration and poverty alleviation in Ethiopia. Int. J. For. Res. 2023, 1\u0026ndash;10.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDhaulkhandi, M., Dobhal, A., Bhatt, S \u0026amp; Kumar, M. (2008).Community structure and regeneration potential of natural forest site in Gangotri, India. Journal of Basic \u0026amp; Applied Sciences, 4: 49-52.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeresa, A. G. (2015). Carbon Stock Estimation Along Altitudinal Gradient in Woodland Vegetation in Ilu Gelan District, West Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Central Ethiopia (Doctoral dissertation, Addis Ababa University).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDibaba, A., Soromessa, T., Kelbessa, E., \u0026amp;Tilahun, A. (2014).Diversity, structure and regeneration status of the woodland and riverine vegetation of Sire Beggo in Gololcha District, Eastern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eMomona Ethiopian Journal of Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(1), 70-96.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eElias, E. (2021). Ecosystem services of exclosures in Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eEthiopian Journal of Science and Sustainable Development\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e(2), 109-117.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFisaha, G., Hundera, K., \u0026amp;Dalle, G. (2013). Woody plants\u0026apos; diversity, structural analysis and regeneration status of WofWasha natural forest, North‐east Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eAfrican Journal of Ecology\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e51\u003c/em\u003e(4), 599-608.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGebeyehu, G., Soromessa, T., Bekele, T., \u0026amp;Teketay, D. (2019).Carbon stocks and factors affecting their storage in dry Afromontane forests of Awi Zone, northwestern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Ecology and Environment\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e43\u003c/em\u003e(1), 1-18.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGebrehiwot, K., \u0026amp;Hundera, K. (2014).Species composition, plant community structure and natural regeneration status of Belete moist evergreen montane forest, Oromia regional state, Southwestern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eMomona Ethiopian Journal of Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(1), 97-101.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGiriraj, A., Murthy, M. S. R., \u0026amp; Ramesh, B. R. (2008). Vegetation composition, structure and patterns of diversity: a case study from the tropical wet evergreen forests of the Western \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKewessa, G., Dejene, T., Alem, D., Tolera, M., Mart\u0026iacute;n-Pinto, P. (2022). Forest type and site conditions influence the diversity and biomass of edible macrofungal species in Ethiopia. J. Fungi. 8 (10), 1023\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKuma, M. Shibiru, S.(2015). Floristic Composition, Vegetation Structure, and Regeneration Status of Woody Plant Species of Oda Forest of Humbo Carbon Project, Wolaita, Ethiopia,J.Bot.2015\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLamprecht, H. (1989). Silviculture in the tropics.Tropical forest ecosystems and their tree species-possibilities and methods for their long-term utilization.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLai, J., Mi, X., Ren, H., \u0026amp; Ma, K. (2009). Species‐habitat associations change in a subtropical forest of China. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Vegetation Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e20\u003c/em\u003e(3), 415-423.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMalik, Z. A. and Bhatt, A. B. (2016).Regeneration status of tree species and survival of their seedlings in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Western Himalaya, India. Tropical Ecology 57 (4): 677\u0026minus;690.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMalik, Z. A., Hussain, A., Iqbal, K. and Bhatt, A. B. (2014).Species richness and diversity along the disturbance gradient in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining areas in Garhwal Himalaya, India. International Journal of Current Research 6 (12): 10918\u0026minus; 10926.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMasresha, G., Soromessa, T., \u0026amp;Kelbessa, E. (2015).Status and species diversity of Alemsaga forest, northwestern Ethiopia.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMekonen, T., Ayele, B., \u0026amp;Ashagrie, Y. (2015).Woody plant species diversity, structure and regeneration status of Woynwuha natural forest, North West Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e1\u003c/em\u003e(2), 91-113.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMucheye, G., Yemata, G. (2020). Species composition, structure and regeneration status of woody plant species in a dry Afromontane forest. Northwestern Ethiopia. Cogent. Food Agric. 6 (1), 1823607\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNkonya, E., Mirzabaev, A., \u0026amp; Von Braun, J. (2016). Economics of land degradation and improvement\u0026ndash;a global assessment for sustainable development (p. 686).Springer Nature.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoudyal, B. H., Maraseni, T. and Cockfield, G. (2020). Scientific forest management practice in Nepal: Critical reflections from stakeholders\u0026rsquo; perspectives. Forests 11 (1): 27. https: //doi. org/10. 3390/f11010027 (Accessed on Oct 6, 2021).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePappoe, A. N. M., Armah, F. A., Quaye, E. C., Kwakye, P. K., \u0026amp;Buxton, G. N. T. (2010). Composition and stand structure of a tropical moist semi-deciduous forest in Ghana.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSenbeta, F., \u0026amp;Denich, M. (2006).Effects of wild coffee management on species diversity in the Afromontane rainforest of Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eForest Ecology and Management\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e232\u003c/em\u003e(1-3), 68-74.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShankar, U. (2001). A case of high tree diversity in a sal (Shorearobusta)-dominated lowland forest of Eastern Himalaya: Floristic composition, regeneration and conservation. \u003cem\u003eCurrent Science\u003c/em\u003e, 776-786.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eShiferaw, W., Lemenih, M., \u0026amp;Gole, T. W. M. (2018).Analysis of plant species diversity and forest structure in Arero dry Afromontane forest of Borena zone, South Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eTropical Plant Research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e5\u003c/em\u003e(2), 129-140.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSileshi, G., Tesfaye, A., \u0026amp;Sileshi, F. (2022).Diversity. \u003cem\u003eStructure and Regeneration Status of Woody Species Along Altitudinal Gradient of Werganbula Forest at Sude District, Arsi Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia\u003c/em\u003e, 1-32.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSiraj, M., Zhang, K., Sebsebe, D., \u0026amp;Zerihun, W. (2017). Floristic composition and plant community types in Maze National Park, southwest Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eApplied Ecology and Environmental Research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e15\u003c/em\u003e(1), 245-262.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTadele, D., Lulekal, E., Damtie, D., \u0026amp;Assefa, A. (2014).Floristic diversity and regeneration status of woody plants in Zengena Forest, a remnant montane forest patch in northwestern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of forestry research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e25\u003c/em\u003e, 329-336.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTadesse, Z., Kelbessa, E., \u0026amp;Bekele, T. (2017). Floristic composition and plant community analysis of vegetation in Ilu Gelan district, West Shewa Zone of Oromia region, Central Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eTropical Plant Research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e4\u003c/em\u003e(2), 335-350.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTeketay, D. (2001). Deforestation, wood famine, and environmental degradation in Ethiopia\u0026apos;s highland ecosystems: urgent need for action. \u003cem\u003eNortheast African Studies\u003c/em\u003e, 53-76.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTesfaye, G., Demel, T., D. and Fetene, M.(2002).Regeneration of fourteen tree species in Harenna forest, southeastern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eFlora-Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e197\u003c/em\u003e(6), pp.461-474.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTiwari, G. P. K., Tadele, K., Aramde, F., \u0026amp;Tiwari, S. C. (2010).Community structure and regeneration potential of Shorearobusta forest in subtropical submontane zone of Garhwal Himalaya, India. \u003cem\u003eNature and Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e(1), 70-74.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWolde, A., 2023. Review on selected church forests of Ethiopia: implication for plant species conservation and climate change mitigation. Int. J. For. Res. 2023, 1\u0026ndash;14.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWoldearegay, M., Woldu, Z., \u0026amp;Lulekal, E. (2018).Species diversity, population structure and regeneration status of woody plants in Yegof dry afromontane forest, Northeastern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eEuropean Journal of Advanced Research in Biological and Life Sciences\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(4).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWoldu, G., Solomon, N., Hishe, H., Gebrewahid, H., Gebremedhin, M. A., \u0026amp;Birhane, E. (2020).Topographic variables to determine the diversity of woody species in the exclosure of Northern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eHeliyon\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e(1), e03121.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYami, M., Gebrehiwot, K., Moe, S., \u0026amp;Mekuria, W. (2006). Impact of area enclosures on density, diversity, and population structure of woody species: the case of May Ba\u0026rsquo;ati-DougaTembien, Tigray, Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eEthiopian Journal of Natural Resources\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e(1), 100-110.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYetebitu, M., Zewdu, E., \u0026amp;Sisay, N. (2010). Manual for assessment and monitoring of carbon in forest and other land uses in Ethiopia.Tech.Rep., Ethiopian Forest Research Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYemata, G., Haregewoien, G. (2022). Floristic composition, structure and regeneration status of woody plant species in northwest Ethiopia.TreesFor.People. 9, 100291\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYineger, H., Kelbessa, E., Bekele, T., \u0026amp;Lulekal, E. (2008).Floristic composition and structure of the dry afromontane forest at Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eSINET: Ethiopian Journal of Science\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e31\u003c/em\u003e(2), 103-120.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eZegeye, H., Teketay, D., \u0026amp;Kelbessa, E. (2011). Diversity and regeneration status of woody species in Tara Gedam and Abebaye forests, northwestern Ethiopia. \u003cem\u003eJournal of Forestry Research\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e22\u003c/em\u003e, 315-328.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-ecology-and-evolution","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"evob","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Ecology and Evolution](http://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/evob/default.aspx","title":"BMC Ecology and Evolution","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Biological diversity, Species composition, Rregeneration status, Structure","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe study was conducted to assess the woody plant species composition, population structure, and regeneration status of Ruruki Forest. A total of 30 sample plots, each 20 m x 20 m, were established using a systematic sampling method. A sub-plot of 5 m x 5 m was used to count saplings and seedlings. To describe the vegetation structure of the study forest we computed DBH and height size frequency distributions of individuals and species importance value indexes (IVI).A total of 70 woody species which categorized into 64 genera, and 45 families were identified of which 57.14% were trees, while shrubs and lianas cover 37.14% and 5.7%, respectively. The total density of woody species recorded was 868.33 individuals/ha. The highest IVI index was recorded for Syzgium guineense species, indicating the species is ecologically important. The results of height showed that there was a greater predominance of small-sized individuals of woody species than large-sized woody species for the study forest. The general pattern of the DBH class distribution of the forest showed an irregular distribution, which implies there was some selective cutting of individual woody species for different purposes. The overall regeneration status of the forest was found to be fair. Generally, the result obtained from this study shows that there is disturbance and selective cutting of trees in the forest. Hence, there is a need for full participation in sustainable forest management to control selective cutting and to apply the best forest management practices, such as reforestation and afforestation\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Woody Plant Species Composition, Structure, and Regeneration Status of Ruruki Forest of Liban Jawi District, West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-11-05 05:25:29","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5299437/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-10-23T10:00:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-10-23T03:18:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-10-23T03:06:51+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Ecology and Evolution","date":"2024-10-20T16:53:41+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-ecology-and-evolution","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"evob","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Ecology and Evolution](http://bmcevolbiol.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/evob/default.aspx","title":"BMC Ecology and Evolution","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"422b31f5-d739-4fd9-8f4e-24930c1cb733","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 5th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-12T16:02:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-5299437","link":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02375-x","journal":{"identity":"bmc-ecology-and-evolution","isVorOnly":false,"title":"BMC Ecology and Evolution"},"publishedOn":"2025-05-07 15:57:02","publishedOnDateReadable":"May 7th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-11-05 05:25:29","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1186/s12862-025-02375-x","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-025-02375-x","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5299437","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5299437","identity":"rs-5299437","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}