Tree diversity in protected forest in Aburi Botanic Gardens, Ghana

Study Extent

This study was carried out in a protected forest which forms part of the 61 hectare Aburi Botanic Garden (5°51’N and 0°10’W), located in the Akuapem North District of the Eastern Region of Ghana. The protected forest covers an area of 52.6 hectares and overlooks the Accra coastal plain from an elevation of 350 to 500 m. The climate is characterised by a bimodal rainfall distribution and the mean annual precipitation is 1400 mm. The major rainfall occurs between May and June and the minor rainfall between September and November. The mean annual temperature is 24 °C with very little annual variation. Geologically, the study area is dominated by rocks of Precambrian age; Togo and Birimian series. Soils are shallower, drier, and often stony, and are of the lithosol group. The vegetation of the area is dry semi-deciduous forest.

Sampling

In order to capture the range of variation within the study area, 4 parallel transects ranging in length between 600 m and 800 m and spaced 100 m between the two closest transects were demarcated. Data collection was carried out using 25 m x 25 m (625 m^2) plots demarcated at 100 m intervals along each transect. However, along transects 1 and 2, the interval between plots varied due to the impassable nature of the terrain. In total, 20 plots were sampled. Trees with diameter at breast height (dbh)≥ 5 cm were enumerated within the 25 m x 25 m plots

Method steps

1. The data accumulated from the field study were entered into Microsoft Excel, cleaned for internal errors and internal consistency.

Aburi Botanic Gardens,Ghana