Does forest tenure influence forest vegetation characteristics? A comparative analysis of private, local and central government forest reserves in central Uganda

Abstract

SUMMARY This paper investigated the influence of forest tenure on vegetation characteristics for selected forests under private, District Forestry Services of local governments and National Forestry Authority in central Uganda. Two hundred and twelve plant species in 65 families and 168 genera were recorded. The family Moraceae was the most species rich in Central Forest Reserves (CFRs), while Euphorbiaceae were the most species rich in private forests and Local Forest Reserves (LFRs), respectively. There were 174 species in CFRs, 144 species in LFRs and 112 species in private forests. Our findings indicated a remarkable shift in floristic composition among the studied forests from Albizia-Piptadeniastrum-Celtis species primary dominance by 1964 report to current secondary and colonising species of Trilepisiummadagascariensis-Funtumia africana-Pseudospondias macrocarpa and Macaranga schweinfurthii. Diversity measured by two indices, i.e., the Shannon diversity and evenness for the different growth forms d...