Assessment of Tree Species Diversity and Abundance in Forest Arboretum and Adjacent Farm at Badole, Dutsin-Ma

Background and Objective: The knowledge of tree species diversity and abundance serves as baseline information to know the status of the tree species which is basic in understanding regeneration processes, such as tree growth, tree mortality, under-story development and the spread of disturbances. It provides baseline research data to different stakeholders of the Forest Arboretum Badole, Federal University Dutsin-Ma. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the abundance of trees, identify the diversity in the tree species and enumerate tree species present in the study area. Materials and Methods: A field inventory of tree flora was adopted for data collection. The study area was divided into two (sites A and B). Using the footpath as a transect for sampling, all tree species were counted with their frequency of occurrence, height and diameter. Results: There were 1608 trees identified with 13 tree species and 8 families. Families of Fabaceae had frequencies of 5, Meliaceae 2, Anacardiaceae, Asteraceae, Chrysobalanaceae, Ebenaceae, Moringaceae and Myrtaceae have the frequency of 1 each. Margalef species richness index was 1.6385 for site A and 2.6538 for site B while Shannon-Wiener diversity index was 0.0409 and 0.2765 for sites A and B, respectively. Conclusion: Comparing the levels of diversity using Sørensen’s similarity coefficient, both sites are only 25% similar. Anthropogenic activities are the major reasons behind the rapid decrease in the tree species in the study area.