Review Silviculture in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests

Abstract

Because tropical dry forests have been disturbed by humans more than wetter tropical forests, there is an urgent need for conservation of the remaining tropical dry forests, and thus a large amount of research has also been directed toward their restoration. The development of cost-efficient silvicultural treatments will be critical to achieve sustained use of forest products from the remaining natural dry forests, as well as for restoration efforts. Tropical dry forests present special problems for silviculturists because prolonged dry seasons reduce growth rates and can cause significant tree mortality, especially for seedlings. Coppice systems are particularly important in the regeneration of these forests. Management of both timber and nontimber products is confined largely to managing their extraction, with relatively little application of silviculture. Although reduced-impact logging operations are increasingly applied in tropical forests, postharvest silvicultural treatments have not been integrated in the management of tropical forests, particularly in dry forests. Management in any form is often complex in areas where dry forests have been fragmented and harvested for subsistence products, such as firewood, and are affected by the damaging effects of livestock grazing and wildfire.