Woody Species Diversity and Regeneration Status in Natural Forest and Semi-Coffee Forest in Southwestern Ethiopia

Tropical forests in southwestern Ethiopia are increasingly shaped by land-use systems that integrate biodiversity conservation with agricultural production, particularly semi-coffee forest management. This study compared woody species diversity, composition, forest structure, and regeneration status between natural forest and adjacent semi-coffee forest in Kersa District, Jimma Zone. A systematic stratified sampling design using 60 plots (20 m × 20 m) was employed. Vegetation data were analyzed using the Shannon–Wiener diversity index, species richness, Sørensen similarity index, Importance Value Index (IVI), and regeneration status. A total of 75 woody species from 45 families were recorded, with 69 species in natural forest and 55 in semi-coffee forest. Floristic similarity was high (0.79), but natural forest retained more unique species (29%) than semi-coffee forest (10.9%). Shannon diversity was higher in natural forest (3.79) than semi-coffee forest (2.55), though not statistically significant. Stem density was significantly greater in natural forest. Regeneration was good in natural forest and fair in semi-coffee forest, with significantly higher seedling and sapling densities. Overall, semi-coffee forests maintain species similarity but show reduced structural complexity and regeneration potential due to management practices.