Forest Inventory and Sustainable Management Strategies

The investigation assessed the 98.4-hectare Amecho Cupressus lusitanica plantation for forest management. Compartment one, an old stand of 66.14 ha established in 1977 on steep slopes (>30%), has a good stocking of 1,213 trees/ha, with trees averaging 19.63 cm DBH and 15.25 m tall. Its total volume is 22,577.2 m³ (341.35 m³/ha), indicating it’s ready for immediate harvesting. The second compartment, established in 2003 on moderately steep to steep hills, covers 32.26 ha with 1,139 trees/ha, DBH of 11.85 cm, and height of 7.07 m. It holds about 1,725.43 m³ total (53.49 m³/ha), but growth is limited due to lack of management like pruning and weed control. The forest’s total value is approximately 36.45 billion birr, with the old compartment valued at around 33.87 billion birr and the younger at about 2.59 billion birr. The old stand’s volume supports immediate harvest, while the younger stand requires silvicultural management to improve future productivity.