Natural Regeneration Potentials Of Some Indigenous Timber Species In An Exploited Plantation Site At Sapoba, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

Seedlings and saplings of economic timber species encounted within an area of 4,000m2 at Sapoba, Edo State (which was previously a plantation site for Entandrophragma cylindricum, Khaya ivorensis and Lovoa trichilodes, established between 1930 and 1932, but were completely exploited between 1990 and 1992) were assessed in order to find out the economic timber species that had regenerated naturally within that land space. The results showed that only 18 choice timber species were encounted within the land area. Gossweilerodendran balsamifera, was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the most abundant species (42.0%), while the Meliaceae and the Leguminaseae were significantly the most abundant families (p ≤ 0.05)encounted. These were Meliaceae: Entandrophragma angolense(16.5%), Lovoa trichiliodes(8.3%), khaya ivorensis (5.2%) , Entandrophragma cylindricum(3.4%), Guarea cedrata(2.0%), and G. thompsonii(1.0%) and Leguminosae. Albizia ferruginea (3.0%), A. lebbeck (0.6%), Berlinia grandiflora (1.0%), Daniela ogea (0.9%). Piptadeniastrum africana (4.2%) and G. balsamiferam (42.0%). Other species in other families encounterted were Antiaris africana (3.2%), Celtis zenkeri (0.8%), Diospyros mespiliformis (1.00%), Lophira alata (3.2%), Pycannthus angolensis (3.5%) and Terminalia ivorensis (0.5%). Collar diameter correlated significantly and positively with height (r =0.77), showing that generally, the taller the individual stem the larger the collar diameter. The significance of these findings in relation to conservation and management of the choice indigenous timber species to restore them to their pride of place both in Nigeria and abroad.