Assessing structure, species diversity, and carbon stocks across altitudinal gradients in Hugumbrda Grat-kahsu forest, Tigray, Ethiopia: Implications for ecosystem service management

Abstract

The study area, affected by war and siege, necessitates a study of its current ecological status. The objective of this study was to assess the present forest structure, species diversity, and Total Biomass Carbon Stock (TBCS) in relation to environmental variables. The findings shown 42 woody plant species, with 23 in the highland and 41 in the midland. No significant difference in species abundance is observed between the highland and midland areas. However, there are significant differences in the average diameter and height of trees between the altitudinal classes. Additionally, diversity indices shown significant difference, with the midland shown higher values than the highland. TBCS of the forest, the highland and midland areas were 21.02, 15.6, and 22.92 tons/ha, respectively. Moreover, TBCS shown significant contributions from tree diameter and height (p < 0.05) whereas species diversity, richness, and abundance do not shown a significant influence. This research further assesses factors influencing carbon stock, identifying annual mean temperature, soil organic content, temperature seasonality, and altitude as key contributors. Dominant species are limited, with around 50% classified as rare. Hence, our study suggests that the implementation of effective forest management practices aimed at enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services.