Author(s): J.I. Alfa* and P.U. Ancha

Affiliation: *Department of Forestry and Wildlife, Kogi State University, Anyigba, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract: The study assessed urban forestry practices in Makurdi metropolis, Benue State with a view to ascertain its current status. The study examined the urban forestry practices, the tree species mostly utilized in urban forestry practices and the challenges of urban forestry in the study area. Five council wards were randomly selected out of the eleven council wards, and four hundred respondents were selected through systematic random sampling. Data for the study was obtained with the aid of semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency distribution, percentage and mean). The result revealed that planting of shade trees in residential areas is the most common type of urban forestry practice in Makurdi metropolis and this constituted 46.67% of the types of urban forestry practices in the study area. The most predominant urban tree species according to the study was mango and it constitutes 22.00% of the urban trees in the study area while the least predominant tree species was Mahogany with 0.21%. However, urban forestry is not without challenges in Makurdi metropolis. Insufficient information on the need for urban forestry represented by 31.14% is the major challenge. Other challenges include poor management by the government (29.00%), lack of access to the right tree species (12.82%), poor management by the individuals (7.88%) and legal framework (5.86%). Thus, awareness on the importance of urban forest practices should be created and proper management approach should be developed to preserve urban forest in Makurdi metropolis with the enforcement tree planting by the government.

Pages: 40-45 | Views: 1136 | Downloads: 728

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