Abstract:
This study was conducted in Semein Mountain National Park of North Gondar zone, Amhara Region,
North West Ethiopia, which is a dry evergreen sub
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afro alpine type of vegetation. The objective of
study was to assess the effect of fire on species regeneration and composition in the Simien Mountains
National Park sub afro alpine vegetation. Systematic sampling method was used vegetation data
collection. A total of 42main quadrants were used 20m x 20m for tree 10x10 for sapling and 1m x 1m
subplots within each main plot for seedling and herbaceous plants. The sampling plots were placed at
every 200 m intervals. The vegetation data for woody species, DBH >2.5 and height > 2m, height of
undergrowth woody species with the height less than 1 m were considered as seedlings, 1-2 m were
considered as sapling and height < 1m considered as seedlings . The quantitative species diversity,
structure, richness and evenness were computed to describe plant diversity in each community type.
Based on the collected data a total of 43vascular plants species belonging to 32 families were
identified. From the recorded data, Ericaceae and Alliaceae family were the most dominant tree and
herbaceous species that were observed in the majority of sample plots within burned and unburned
vegetation. Out of the total vegetation composition in sub afro alpine vegetation herbaceous species
covers 44%, 67%, tree shares 21%, 14% shrubs 9%, and 0.02% respectively under unburned and
burned area respectively. Fire was negatively affects the species composition of plant communities by
infusing tree and sapling mortality in the study area. However fire also facilitates enormous amount of
seedlings as well as herbaceous of different species in fired forest areas as compared to control.
Sorensen similarity coefficients tree and sapling species indicated that low similarity due to fire
disturbance however in seedling and herbaceous were higher similarity. the population structure of
unburned site were an inverted J shape where as burned area fire influence structure of vegetation it
has poor structure due to fire. Among the two communities the total density of life stage for un burned
and burned area was 6057, 1248 Tree/Shrubs, 2190,824 sapling2583, 4531Sseedling, and 3961,
6725/ha respectively Prescribed fire was important for the regeneration of Semein mountain national
park sub afro alpine vegetation without harming the flora and fauna species
