Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 23 Issue 1

© 2023. Ogunrinola, Oluwaseun Femi, Ogunwale, Taiwo Olusegun, Oyetola, Simeon Oyesoji & Salami, Kaseem Dele. This research/review article is distributed under the terms of the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY- NC-ND 4.0). You must give appropriate credit to authors and reference this article if parts of the article are reproduced in any manner. Applicable licensing terms are at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. Global Journal of Science Frontier Research: H Environment & Earth Science Volume 23 Issue 1 Version 1.0 Year 2023 Type: Double Blind Peer Reviewed International Research Journal Publisher: Global Journals Online ISSN: 2249-4626 & Print ISSN: 0975-5896 Tree Species Diversity Status and Contributors to Forest Degradation in Shasha Forest Reserve, Nigeria By Ogunrinola, Oluwaseun Femi, Ogunwale, Taiwo Olusegun, Oyetola, Simeon Oyesoji & Salami, Kaseem Dele Obafemi Awolowo University Abstract- Deforestation and forest degradation are related to human-induced activities practiced compared to the conservation of forests and their management in Nigeria. This work evaluated the diversity status of tree species in Shasha Forest Reserve utilizing a simple random sampling method for plot differentiation, with a transect established in the assessment area. Sixteen sample plots of 25 m x 25 m were found within the minimally protected and unprotected plots of the reserve. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data generated. The results of the tree appraisal showed that 644 individual trees and 60 different tree species (23 families) were identified. The tree species diversity indices obtained were (3.855 and 0.596) for Shannon-Weiner and species evenness, respectively. Rauvolfiavomitoria of the family Apocynaceae (46) was the most predominant tree species, followed by Celtiszenkeriof, the family Ulmaceae (32), and the families with the highest number of species were Sterculiaceae (8) and Euphorbiaceae (7). Keywords: cropland; deforestation; forest degradation; forest management; ecological community; tree species diversity indices; shasha forest reserve. GJSFR-H Classification: TreeSpeciesDiversityStatusandContributorstoForestDegradationinShashaForestReserveNigeria Strictly as per the compliance and regulations of: DDC Code: 333.953416 LCC Code: SD399.7