The impact of selective logging and clearcutting on forest structure, tree diversity and above-ground biomass of African tropical forests
The impact of selective logging and clearcutting on forest structure, tree diversity and above-ground biomass of African tropical forests
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DOI：
10.1007/s11284-014-1217-3
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发表时间：
2015-01-01
影响因子：
2
通讯作者：
Valentini, Riccardo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gatti, Roberto Cazzolla;Castaldi, Simona;Valentini, Riccardo
众所周知，热带森林砍伐对生物多样性、陆地碳汇和大气温室气体平衡产生严重的负面影响。相比之下，有选择地砍伐热带森林往往被认为对生态系统的影响较小，特别是从长期来看，尽管对这种做法，特别是在非洲，几乎没有进行过严格的评价。我们比较了来自塞拉利昂，加纳，喀麦隆和加蓬热带森林的511个地块的实地数据。这些地块采用不同的森林管理做法：近期没有采伐（原始森林）、选择性采伐（树龄达30年）和砍伐后重新生长的次生林（至少20年前）。研究结果表明，择伐次生林和原始林的垂直结构和植物丰富度的变化幅度不同，但茎密度和藤本和杂草物种的流行差异很大。我们表明，选择性采伐的影响大于那些预期的简单地从商业物种的删除，并可以持续几十年。选择性采伐，除非是在非常低的采伐强度下进行，否则会在几十年内显著减少热带森林的生物量，严重减少地上碳储存能力，并为杂草和藤蔓蔓延创造机会，减缓生态演替。
Tropical deforestation is well known to have serious negative consequences for biodiversity, terrestrial carbon sinks and the balance of atmospheric greenhouse gases. By contrast, selective logging of tropical forests is often regarded as having a lesser impact on the ecosystem particularly in long terms, even though there have been few critical evaluations of the practice, particularly in Africa. We compared field data from 511 plots in the tropical forest of Sierra Leone, Ghana, Cameroon and Gabon. These plots were subject to different forest management practices: no recent logging (primary forests), selective logging (up to 30 years old) and re-grown secondary forests post clear-cutting (at least 20 years ago). Our findings suggest that the vertical structure and plant richness of the selectively logged and secondary forests change in different amplitude from those of primary forests, but stem density and the prevalence of vine and weed species differ greatly. We show that the effects of selective logging are greater than those expected simply from the removal of commercial species, and can persist for decades. Selective logging, unless it is practiced at very low harvest intensities, can significantly reduce the biomass of a tropical forest for many decades, seriously diminishing aboveground carbon storage capacity, and create opportunities for weeds and vines to spread and slow down the ecological succession.