The rain forests of Bangladesh are relicts of the great Asian Pacific lowland rain forest community possessing a unique status of species richness and scientific values. The present study investigates the diversity and distribution pattern of tree species of Bamu Reserved Forest at Cox's Bazar Forest Division, Bangladesh. A total of 89 tree species having the dbh of 10 cm and above were recorded from the forest of which 81 identified species belonged to 31 families. The relative frequency, relative density, abundance, relative dominance and importance value (IV) of each species for each site were calculated to characterize the structure of the vegetation. The average density and basal area were calculated as 369 stems/ha and 41.8 m2/ha. The percentage distribution of the number of individuals of each species with respect to total individuals found in all plots showed Bursera serrata attained the highest (8.05%) percentage distribution followed by Glochidion lanceolarium (7.68%), Dipterocarpus turbinatus (5.58%), Hopea odorata (5.37%), Pterospermum acerifolium (4.88%), Bauhinia spp. (4.02%) and Lagerstroemia speciosa (3.05%) respectively. The rest of the species have values <2.8%.
Correspondence: M.K. Hossain, Institute of Forestry, Chittagong University, Chittagong 4331, Bangladesh