Buttobuvuma is a government nature reserve 1096 hectares large. It is approxiamtely 300 years old. Most important tree species in this forest are Maesopsis eminii and Celtis Mildebraedii. A total of 64 tree species were encountered, with a density of about 104 trees per hectare; mean tree height of 13.39 meters, and mean dbh of 22.7 cm. The sapling composition of this forest appears slightly different from the dominant tree species, because none of the dominant trees are represented among the ten most dominant saplings. However, all dominant trees are represented amongst the list of saplings in this forest. Thus regeneration may not be a problem, and this pattern may be a feature of the forest’s regeneration dynamics.
The forest has an irregular boundary line and is surrounded by 12 villages, some of which are enclosed within the forest. About 120 people live less than 5Km from the forest edge. The forest has low species diversity, low tree density, low commercial value, and a somewhat normal subsistence value. Tree densities have been noted to be decreasing due to commercial fuelwood harvesting, charcoal burning and pitsawing. Majority of the users feel that forest protection and law enforcement are low, and are concerned that if current harvesting levels are sustained the forest will soon be depleted.
Some serious problems include over-exploitation by illegal harvesters, limited enforcement capacity by the forest department and the need to create alternative income generating activities within the surrounding community. The greatest opportunity is for the development and experimentation of joint management between the forest department and user groups/community, as a first step towards solving the problems.