Influence of Thinning and Pruning Regime on Woody Species Density and Abundance

The revival of forests is gaining prominence, with a focus on common tree species. However, the most affected species by fragmentation are the exotic woody species; therefore attention to forest silvicultural practices is essential. Kenya is acknowledged as one of the nations that value its forest environment greatly, although there are still restrictions on the application of silvicultural regimes there. This is a result of the continued strong demand for wood. It is anticipated that silvicultural regimes would eclipse Kenya’s fragmentation tactics. Thus, the goal of this research was to evaluate the influence of thinning and pruning regime on the woody species density and abundance in Kimondi forest, Nandi County, Kenya. This study was centered on Eucalyptus saligna, Cupressus lusitanica and Pinus patula as the woody species that are harvested for timber in Kimondi forest. The island biogeography theory served as the basis for this research. The number of woody species per plot, the basal area per plot, the different types of woody species, the total number of each woody species in the study area, the diameter at breast height, soil type, plantation size, soil depth and forest pest were the intervening factors. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive study design. The study area’s species types were observed, observation schedule was filled, 30 sample plots were randomly selected each measuring 20m by 20m, and the number of woody species in each plot counted and recorded as the primary data. To assess the appropriateness of the species chosen, Two-way Analysis of Variance was used. Based on the study’s findings, Effect size is 36.098%, hence 36.098% of the variation of the abundance and density of woody species can be explained by the thinning and pruning regime. There was a significant interaction. In thinning and pruning regime,Pinus patula was the most abundant with a mean and standard deviation of 6.433a ± 2.37, Cupressus lusitanica had 4.467b ± 1.74 while Eucalyptus saligna had 3.267c ± 1.74.There was a significant difference in the woody species abundance indicated by LSD = 0.711 and p-value = 0.001**.The importance of this research was to raise awareness about the application of silvicultural regimes to enhance the density and abundance of woody species in Kimondi Forest, Nandi County, Kenya, in order to mitigate the consequences of increasing forest fragmentation and species extinction