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

Tree Species Diversity Status and Contributors to Forest Degradation in Shasha Forest Reserve, Nigeria 1 Year 2023 43 © 2023 Global Journals Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXIII Issue ersion I VI ( H ) Sterculiaceae Sterculiatragacantha K Schum English African Tragacantha It is used for posts, boards, and construction work. Olacaceae Strombosiapustulata Oliv . Itako Veneer, building poles and transmission poles, and heavy-duty flooring. Combretaceae Terminalia ivorensis Chev . Idigbo/Ivory coast almond Light construction, door and window frames, joinery, furniture, cabinetwork, veneer and plywood. It is suitable for flooring, interior trim, vehicle bodies, sporting goods, boxes, crates, matches, turnery, hardboard, particleboard, and pulpwood. It is used locally as planks, roof shingles, fencing posts, dug-out canoes, drums, and mortar. Combretaceae Terminalia superba Engl. & Diels (Limba) Afara/ black limba It is used as interior joinery, doorposts and panels, mouldings, furniture, officefittings, crates, matches, and especially for veneer and plywood. Meliaceae Trichliliamonadelpha A Juss The wood is used in house building, suitable for light flooring, joinery, interior trim, shipbuilding, vehicle bodies, furniture, cabinetwork, boxes, crates, toys, novelties, veneer, particleboard,plywood, hardboard and as well as pulpwood for paper production. Sterculiaceae Triplichiton scleroxylon K . Schum Obeche Timber and woodwork Annonaceae Xylopiaaethipica (Dunal) A.Rich Ethiopian Pepper It is used for making bows and crossbows for hunters and warriors. It is used also for requiring resilience such as boatconstruction, masts, oars, paddles and spars Source: Field Survey,(2021) V. D iscussion A designed evaluation for an exploratory, checklist of biodiversity species, genus, and their families in biological Shasha Forest Reserve, Osun State,was revealed in Table 1. A total of six hundred and forty-four (644) species distributed into forty-five (45) genera were identified in Shasha Forest Reserve. Rauvolfia vomitoria of the family Apocynaceae (46) mainlypredominated tree species, followed by Celtiszenkeriof the family Ulmaceae (32), and the families with the highest number of species were Sterculiaceae (8), Euphorbiaceae (7) and Ebenaceae (6) (Table 1). From the study that was conducted in the sampling site, it was observed that Rauvolfia vomitoria (Apocynaceae) had a moreprevalent dominant species in the whole four sampled plots because the species is more suitable for the geographical area in terms of survival rate and reproduced more frequency by natural means (through the dispersal of seedlings by wind, water, birds and rodents, and biological agents) which causes it to be in more abundances than the other tree species. The results also revealed that a substantial part of Shasha Forest Reserve had been altered between 1986-2021. Most of the forested areas have been encroached on by farmers for crop production and the like purposes. This result corroborates the study of Nathaniel et al. (2012), which revealed a steady decline in forest and land utilization intensification with expansion in croplands/fallow ground and housing areas in south western Nigeria. The notice able fallin forested ranges and rise in the arable land was not without a heavy toll on the tree species. The number of tree species (60) found in the study area is lesser relative to the number found by Ihenyen et al. (2010) in Ehor Forest Reserve, Nigeria. The result was equally lower comparative to the report of several scholars in other tropical forests (Gerald et al., 2004).The decline in forested habitats and tree species compared to earlier studies in the tropical wood could be due to increasing human intrusion into the forest reserve in need for agricultural purposes by farmers who currently settled in villages that have now been opened within the forest and fringes and borders. The expansion in cropland and reduction in the forest range confirms the claim of Adedeji and Adeofun (2014) that forests were cleared to make way for food and tree crops. The number of tree species per hectare