Abstract:
Ethiopia’s forests, particularly dry Afromontane types, are critical for both biodiversity con
servation and climate change mitigation due to their role as carbon sinks and providers of
essential ecological services. However, semi-protected forests like the one at Woreta Agri
cultural College in Northwest Ethiopia remain under-researched, even as they face increas
ing anthropogenic pressures such as grazing, wood cutting, and weak institutional protec
tion. This lack of scientific data undermines their inclusion in conservation and carbon ac
counting efforts. This study assessed the woody species diversity, regeneration status, and
carbon stock potential of the semi-protected forest at Woreta Agricultural College. A total of
31 systematically distributed nested plots (20 m × 20 m), each with five sub-quadrats (5 m ×
5 m), were used to collect data on tree species, diameter at breast height (DBH ≥ 2.5 cm),
and height. All woody species (trees, shrubs, saplings, and seedlings) were counted and rec
orded. Shannon diversity index was applied to analyze species diversity, while biomass and
carbon stock were estimated using Chave et al. (2014), a root-to-shoot ratio of 0.24 for be
lowground biomass, and a carbon fraction of 0.47 for conversion to carbon and CO₂ equiva
lents. The forest revealed a moderate Shannon diversity index (H′ = 2.15) and evenness (E =
0.69), with Croton macrostachyus, Acacia abyssinica, and Cordia africana accounting for
over 65% of total stems and with highest IVI indicating these species are ecologically im
portant. Regeneration status was critically low, with more than half of recorded species
showing no regeneration. The biomass of Woreta ATVET College forest was estimated at
100.78 ± 22.45 t/ha, with a corresponding carbon stock of 47.36 ± 10.55 tC/ha and CO₂
equivalent of 173.83 ± 38.72 tCO₂/ha. Croton macrostachyus (20.97%), Cordia africana
(19.24%), Syzygium guineense (18.63%), and Acacia abyssinica (17.72%) together contrib
uted over 75% of the total carbon stock and CO₂ equivalent in the forest. Carbon stock var
ied significantly across plots (0.13 to 335.62 t C/ha), reflecting the impact of human disturb
ance. The study highlights the ecological importance and climate mitigation potential of this
institutional forest, and recommends that future assessments include soil, litter, and dead
wood carbon pools to fully account for its carbon storage capacity.
Key words: Carbon stock; Regeneration; Species diversity; Woreta Agricultural College
