The Impact of Farm Tree Degradation on Rural Livelihood in Manna District of Jima Zone, Ethiopia

This research was conducted in Mana district of Jimma zone to assess the impact of farm tree degradation on rural livelihood. For socio-economic data collection 60 households were selected randomly. Focus group discussions and direct field observation were made to verify and supplement the results from questionnaires. Thirty (30) soil samples were taken from the canopy of randomly selected four different trees species (Gravellia robusta, Sesbania Sesban, Coffee arabica, and Avocado), and the land where farm tree degraded land with six replication. Soil texture, pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), soil OM, soil OC, and Total nitrogen were analyzed. The qualitative data was narrated, while quantitative data was analyzed by using descriptive statistics. One-way ANOVA was computed for the soil data by using SAS version 9.2, and least significant difference (LSD) at P<0.05. This study has shown that the high level of illiteracy in the study area might be contributed to the low rate of adoption of farm tree management practices since the educational level affects house hold decision. Thus, as a response of farm trees degradation, the decline of crop productivity and loss of tree products including household energy source were becoming prominent constraints that affected the livelihood in the district. Farm trees which could have been used to maintain soil quality and enhance crop productivity; and support local livelihood with different tree products are degraded. Consequently, some soil physico-chemical properties deteriorated under the lands where farm trees degraded. Hence, to make the livelihood more sustainable, it is necessary to integrate varies tree species and its management practices in the farmlands. Besides, there is an urgent need to look for alternative forest products harvesting strategy to reduce the pressure on farm trees. Keywords: Agroforestry, Crop production, Farm tree, Rural livelihoods, Soil propert

The Effect of Land Use Change on Soil Physicochemical Properties over Time in Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Munesa Shashemane, Ethiopia to understand the long term effects of land use change on soil properties under different land use types. Comparison of change in soil properties over time was made by using samples from Mechanized farm (MF), Traditional farm (TF), plantations of Cupresus lusitanica (CL) and Euclayptus saligna (ES), and Natural Forest (NF), the data before ten years ago on the same site at this study was made. All data collected were subjected to ANOVA using the general linear model of SAS 9.0 at p < 0.05. Based on the result, under both plantation tree species, the total N, BS, and exchangeable Ca at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm; available K and exchangeable K at 10-20 cm soil layer was increased significantly compared to the data before ten years ago. Under MF the bulk density, exchangeable Ca and exchangeable Na at 10-20 cm; total N, BS and available K at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil depths increased significantly. Under TF, available K at 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layer, BS and exchangeable Ca at 10-20 cm soil layer increased significantly. The CEC at 0-10 and 10-20 cm; the available P and exchangeable Na at 10-20 cm soil layer were decreased significantly compared to the data before ten years ago. Based on the results, the change in soil physicochemical properties is exacerbated by the land management practices, which may include selecting the right plantation species for restoring the site, and the plant residue management under different land use systems over time. Keywords: Harvest, Macronutrient, Mechanized farming, Plantation, Traditional farmin

Allometric scaling models for tree saplings: Assessing potential fodder for ungulate herbivores

Knowledge of the quantity of twig dry mass (available fodder) of saplings is crucial for understanding tree recruitment under wild ungulate browsing pressure in forest ecosystems. Therefore, this study aimed to develop allometric equations for estimating twig dry mass using sapling structural data and to model the twig dry mass of saplings of various species in various size classes while quantitatively describing the variations among tree species. Sapling biomass samples were taken for six widely spread tree species in two national parks in Poland. After drying the biomass samples in the oven for 72 h at 65 °C, the data were analyzed, and models were generated using the ordinary least squares and generalized additive methods. The results confirmed our hypothesis that different tree species differ in their allometric properties. The twig dry masses of Acer pseudoplatanus and Carpinus betulus were best estimated by basal diameter, whereas those of Picea abies, Abies alba, and Fagus sylvatica were best estimated by sapling height. In contrast, the model quality for Fagus sylvatica and Sorbus aucuparia was enhanced by combining the sapling height with the mean largest crown length (MLCL). For all species, the twig dry mass distribution was linear along sapling height classes and exponentially increased with shoot diameter classes, with coniferous species exhibiting the highest correlation. On the other hand, the proportion of twig dry mass to total sapling dry mass followed the order S. aucuparia > A. alba > P. abies > F. sylvatica > C. betulus > A. pseudoplatanus. The developed allometric equations contribute significantly to the already available collection of published biomass equations. Moreover, they extremely useful in estimating the browsing potential of tree saplings falling within size ranges conducive to herbivore browsing