Abstract
The fire experimental plot of a total landed area of 0.174 ha was divided into three equal parts designated Plot A, Plot B and Plot C, corresponding to the early burnt, the late burnt and the control plot, respectively. Out of the 15 species of trees identified, six species belong to Fabaceae- Mimosoideae family and other families represented are Combretaceae, Meliaceae, Lamiaceae, Rubiaceae, Anacardiaceae, Urtiaceae and Sapotaceae. Gmelina arborea was the most abundant species and it was found in plot A, B and C. The diversity indices enumerated were Dominance index, Simpson index, Shannon index or diversity index and evenness index. Plot C had the highest abundance (species count), followed by Plot A and Plot B. While Plot B depicted a high dominance, dominance was low in Plot A and lowest in Plot C. This means that a particular species was dominating Plot B, which was Gmelina arborea. This Gmelina arborea also dominated Plot A but to a lesser extent compared to Plot B. Plot C was richer in species than Plot A and Plot B. The Shannon index was low across the three plots, but considerably highest in Plot C. Evenness index was moderate at Plot C, implying that there was an even distribution of tree species in Plot C, while evenness was low at Plot A and Plot B. Comparing the present data with the older data, it is clear that the fire experimental plot has undergone deforestation over the years, which requires urgent attention and reforestation.
 Key words: cluster, dendogram, deforestation, burning, richness
Highlights
Fire is a fundamental factor on ecosystem functioning and as a major ecological driver of vegetation changes (Attiwill, 1994; Moreno and Oechel, 1994), by modelling landscapes and contributing to maintain habitat heterogeneity and biological diversity (Moreira et al, 2001; Blondel et al, 2010)
The oldest and best known fire experimental plot in West Africa was established in the derived forest savanna ecotone of the Olokemeji Forest Reserve in Ogun State, Nigeria in the year 1889
Species Composition of Woody Flora Out of 165 tree stands enumerated for this study, 15 species were found belonging to nine families out of which family Fabaceae-Mimosoideae had the highest number of species, the six species belonging to family Fabaceae-Mimosoideae were Dalbergia sisso, Pterocarpous erinaceous, Albizia lebbeck, Acacia spania, Afzelia africana and Parkia biglobosa
Summary
Fire is a fundamental factor on ecosystem functioning and as a major ecological driver of vegetation changes (Attiwill, 1994; Moreno and Oechel, 1994), by modelling landscapes and contributing to maintain habitat heterogeneity and biological diversity (Moreira et al, 2001; Blondel et al, 2010). Three small plots laid down in open grassy tree savannah in 1929 were enumerated, clear-felled, and treated annually, the first plot was named as Plot A where early burning takes place in the early dry season, the second plot was called Plot B where late burning takes place, while the last plot was named as Plot C which is protected from fire and other disturbance
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