Impacts of Expansion of Eucalyptus Plantation on the environment in Horro Buluk woreda, Ethiopia.

This study aimed to identify the factors influencing farmers' eucalyptus cultivation practices and to assess the environmental impacts of eucalyptus species proliferation in the Horro Buluk district of western Ethiopia. A rigorous random sampling method was employed to select a total of 161 households. Data collection involved household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews, supplemented by secondary data obtained from both published and unpublished sources. Qualitative data were analyzed using text summarization techniques, while quantitative data were evaluated using statistical methods, including percentages, means, standard deviations, t-tests, and chi-square tests. The result of the study revealed that 82.6 % of the respondents planted Eucalyptus trees and 49.6 % and 30.8 % of them converted cropland and grazing land to Eucalyptus plantation, respectively. Income, age of the households, and distance to road and market appear to be negatively associated with the expansion of Eucalyptus; whereas family size, landholding size, and distance from natural forest seem to positively influence farmers’ decision to establish eucalyptus plantations. The study confirmed that eucalyptus has a significant contribution to the livelihood of the household as well as harmful effects on the environment because of poor silvicultural management. Therefore, further research is needed to balance Eucalyptus farming practices and food crop production and to resolve the land competition problem.