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Kimboza forest reserve in Morogoro region, is an important biodiversity hotspot among the Eastern Arc forests of Tanzania. High population pressure and encroachment threatens its conservation values. This is based on a study which aimed at investigating the composition, diversity, and structure of the tree community in the forest. All trees with DBH ≥ 10cm were inventoried from 0.72ha in a total of 18 plots of 20m × 20m placed randomly from the forest edge to the interior. Most important families and species were determined using familial importance value (FIV) and species importance value (IVI) indices, respectively. Diversity was analyzed using species richness, Shannon-Wiener, Fisher-α, and Simpson’s indices. A total of 52 species belonging to 22 families were identified. The family Fabaceae had the highest FIV (66.70) and species richness (15 species) while Khaya anthotheca had the highest IVI value (48.11). The Shannon-Wiener (3.40), Simpson (20.60), and the Fisher-α (18.80) indices were very high signifying high floristic diversity within the forest. 69% of the species were rare, occurring in less than 20% of the surveyed plots. The mean density and basal area of trees were 390 stems ha-1 and 24 m2 ha-1, respectively. The species accumulation curve revealed an escalating trend suggesting that more sample plots could result to a number of species in the forest. In summary, the study suggests for proper management, protection, and wise utilization of the forest resources so that it sustains its original biodiversity and ecological processes for future generations.
Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE) and Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD)