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The open savanna woodlands in Ethiopia, distributed over very large areas of the Rift valley in southern and eastern parts of the country, have suffered from deforestation due to excessive tree cutting and overgrazing. Previous reforestation programs attempting to counteract the effects of deforestation have failed mainly due to lack of knowledge on site–species matching. This research was set out to asses the effect of disturbance on water status of both plants and their respective sites, explain differences among species in survival and distribution and determine their relative suitability for restoration of degraded lands. Plant water potentials of five common co-occurring species were measured in the field at midday and predawn in the dry season. The water potential values of the species at different sites of biophysical settings and diurnal differences revealed significant difference among the species. The differences …