<p>Assessing the current potential of physical soil and water conservation (PSWC) practices is vital for evaluating past efforts and informing future plans. The study aimed to compare adjacent physically conserved and non-conserved sub-watersheds in; woody species diversity, regeneration status, and soil organic carbon. Four transect lines were laid parallel at 200&#xa0;m intervals in each sub-watershed, with ten nested sample plots established 50&#xa0;m apart. The main plots sized 30&#xa0;m × 30&#xa0;m, while sub-plots were 5&#xa0;m × 5&#xa0;m. Local names were identified, and the heights and diameters of woody species were measured. Five composite soil samples were taken—four from the corners and one from the center of sub-plots. Shannon–Wiener (H’) and Simpson (1-D) diversity indices were computed to assess woody species diversity and evenness. Similarities between the two sub-watersheds were analyzed using Sorensen’s Similarity Coefficient (SSC). A total of 51 woody species from 23 families were identified; 32 species (62.7%) were common to both sub-watersheds, while 13 (25.5%) were unique to the conserved and 6 (11.8%) to the non-conserved areas. The comparison of total woody species richness showed a significant difference (P &lt; 0.05), and SSC revealed moderate similarity (0.77) between the sub-watersheds. The regeneration status of both sub-watersheds was fair as seedlings &gt; saplings &lt; adults. The total soil organic carbon stock was higher in the conserved sub-watershed (348.64 t C ha⁻¹) than in the non-conserved (316.05 t C ha^–1). Correlation analysis showed a very weak positive relationship between soil organic carbon and woody species diversity (r = 0.039, p = 0.731), which was not statistically significant. Study concluded that PSWC plays important role in woody species diversification and improves regenerations and soil organic carbon storage. Thus, PSWC practices should be adopted in different scales of land managements.</p>