Woody Vegetation Structure and Regeneration in Odo Bulu Forest, Southeast Ethiopia

The Odo Bulu Forest in southeast Ethiopia, a critical reservoir of biodiversity, faces increasing pressures that threaten its essential ecosystem services, creating an urgent need for baseline ecological data to inform effective conservation. This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive assessment of the forest’s woody species diversity, vegetation structure, and regeneration status. Data were collected from eighty 20 × 20 m plots systematically established across three altitudinal zones (low: 1280–2000 m; mid: 2001–2755 m; high: > 2756 m). Within each main plot, mature woody species were identified and measured, while seedlings and saplings were inventoried within nested 25 m 2 and 100 m 2 subplots, respectively. A total of 104 woody species belonging to 84 genera and 46 families were recorded. Species richness and Shannon diversity were highest at lower altitudes ( S  = 70, H′ = 2.17) and significantly decreased with increasing altitude ( p  < 0.05). Yushania alpina exhibited the highest importance value index (IVI) (34%), indicating its ecological dominance. The overall regeneration status was categorized as good based on high seedling and sapling densities relative to mature trees. However, species‐specific analysis revealed that 35% of woody species, including ecologically important taxa such as Vachellia abyssinica , showed no regeneration at all. These findings highlight the ecological significance of the forest and provide a crucial baseline for future conservation interventions aimed at mitigating disturbance impacts and safeguarding its biodiversity. Specifically, management interventions must prioritize the protection of high‐diversity lower altitudinal zones and address the canopy suppression caused by dominant species at mid‐elevations.