Use Patterns of Indigenous Woody Species in and around Agoro-Agu CentralForest Reserve, Northern Uganda

Forests are an essential component of rural livelihoods around the world. This paper assessed the utilizationpatterns of indigenous woody plant species in and around Agoro-Agu Central Forest Reserve in northern Uganda.Data were collected using a combination of semi-structured household interviews, Focus Group Discussions andkey informant interviews. A total of 108 households participated in the interviews. Statistical tests were performedusing the SPSS software package (SPSS Version 16, SPSS Inc. USA). Chi-square (X2) tests were run to determinethe association between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and woody plant species use patterns.The study recorded 86 useful species in 60 genera and 28 families. Mimosaceae was the most dominant family. Themain use categories were fuel (36%), construction (29.8%), food (15.6%), and household implements (11.3%).Commonly harvested woody plant parts were stems (66.8%) and fruits (14.5%). Ecological knowledge variedsignificantly (p=<0.05) with the age and village of residence of the respondents. The study has shown that thepeople of Agoro-Agu utilize a wide range of woody plant species to meet their subsistence needs. The inhabitantsare the store house of traditional knowledge on important woody plant species. However, the extraction of thesewoody species by the local communities, if not sustainably managed, is likely to put pressure on the forest resourcesof Agoro-Agu landscape. The paper recommends that the National Forestry Authority and partners need to regularlymonitor the populations of these useful woody plant species, while creating awareness on sustainable utilizationamong the local communities