Skip to main content
Log in

Quantifying post logging biomass loss using satellite images and ground measurements in Southeast Cameroon

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Forestry Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Forest logging in the Congo Basin has led to forest fragmentation due to logging infrastructures and felling gaps. In the same vein, forest concessions in the Congo Basin have increasing interest in the REDD+ mechanism. However, there is little information or field data on carbon emissions from forest degradation caused by logging. To help fill this gap, Landsat 7 and 8 and SPOT 4 images of the East Region of Cameroon were processed and combined with field measurements (measurement of forest roads widths, felling gaps and log yards) to assess all disturbed areas. Also, measurements of different types of forest infrastructures helped to highlight emission factors. Forest contributes to 5.18 % of the degradation of the annual allowable cut (AAC) (84.53 ha) corresponding to 4.09 % of forest carbon stock (6.92 t ha−1). Felling gaps constitute the primary source of degradation, represented an estimated area of 32.41 ha (2 % of the cutting area) far ahead of primary roads (18.44 ha) and skid trails (16.36 ha). Assessment of the impact of degradation under the canopy requires the use of high resolution satellite images and field surveys.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asner GP, Keller M, Pereira R, Zweede JC (2002) Remote sensing of selective logging in Amazonia: assessing limitations based on detailed field observations, Landsat ETM+, and textural analysis. Remote Sens Environ 80(3):483–496

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atyi R, Devers D, de Wasseige C, Maisels F (2008) État des forêts d’Afrique Centrale: Synthèse sous-régionale. Les forêts du bassin du Congo. État des forêts. pp. 17–44

  • Bayol N, Demarquez B, de Wasseige C, Atyi RE, Fisher JF, Nasi R, Pasquier A, Rossi X, Steil M, Vivien C (2010). La gestion des forêts et la filière bois en Afrique centrale. État des Forêts. pp. 43–61

  • Bertault JG, Sist P (1997) An experimental comparison of different harvesting intensities with reduced-impact and conventional logging in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. For Ecol Manage 94(1):209–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown SL (2002) Measuring carbon in forests: current status and future challenges. Environ Pollut 116(3):363–372

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown SL, Pearson T, Moore N, Parveen A (2005). Impact of selective logging on the carbon stocks of tropical forests: republic of Congo as a case of study, Winrock International. p. 21

  • Brown SL, Casarim F, Grimland S, Pearson T (2011) Carbon impacts from selective logging of forests in Berau district, East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

  • Bryan JE, Shearman PL, Asner GP, Knapp DE, Aoro G, Lokes B (2013) Extreme differences in forest degradation in Borneo: comparing practices in Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei. PLoS ONE 8(7):e69679

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chave J, Andalo C, Brown B, Cairns M, Chambers J, Eamus D, Fölster H, Fromard F, Higuchi N, Kira T (2005) Tree allometry and improved estimation of carbon stocks and balance in tropical forests. Oecologia 145(1):87–99

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Chatelperron GCR (1986) Mise en exploitation du dispositif de recherche en forêt naturelle dans les forêts de Boukoko et La Lolé en République Centrafricaine. p. 58

  • de Wasseige C, Defourny P (2004) Remote sensing of selective logging impact for tropical forest management. For Ecol Manage 188(1–3):161–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Djuikouo MNK, Doucet JL, Nguembou CK, Lewis SL, Sonké B (2010) Diversity and aboveground biomass in three tropical forest types in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon. Afr J Ecol 48(4):1053–1063

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durrieu de Madron L (1998) Projet d’aménagement pilot intégré de Dimako (Cameroun)(1992-1996)/par Luc Durrieu de Madron…[et al.].

  • Durrieu de Madron L, Forni E, Mekok M (1998) Les techniques d’exploitation à faible impact en forêt dense humide camerounaise, CIRAD-Forêt

  • Durrieu de Madron L, Fontez B, Dipapounji B (2000) Dégâts d’exploitation et de débardage en fonction de l’intensité d’exploitation en forêt dense humide d’Afrique Centrale. Bois et forêts des tropiques 264:57–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Durrieu de Madron L, Bauwens S, Giraud A, Hubert D, Billand A (2011) Estimation de l’impact de différents modes d’exploitation forestière sur les stocks de carbone en Afrique centrale. Bois et forêts des tropiques 308:2

    Google Scholar 

  • Dykstra DP, Heinrich R, Harcharic DA (1996) FAO model code of forest harvesting practice. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, Italy

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2003) Regional code of practice for reduced-impact forest harvesting in tropical moist forests of west and central Africa

  • FAO (2004) Reduced impact logging in tropical forests. Literature synthesis, analysis and prototype statistical framework. 287 pp

  • Feldpausch TR, Jirka S, Passos CAM, Jasper F, Riha SJ (2005) When big trees fall: damage and carbon export by reduced impact logging in southern Amazonia. For Ecol Manage 219(2–3):199–215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freycon V, Yandji E (1998) Le SIG, une aide pour tracer un réseau de pistes forestières, CIRAD-Forêt

  • Goetz S, Baccini A, Laporte N, Johns T, Walker W, Kellndorfer J, Houghton R, Sun M (2009) Mapping and monitoring carbon stocks with satellite observations: a comparison of methods. Carbon Balance Manage 4(1):2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gourlet-Fleury S, Mortier F, Fayolle A, Baya F, Ouédraogo D, Bénédet F, Picard N (2013) Tropical forest recovery from logging: a 24 year silvicultural experiment from Central Africa. Philos Trans R Soc B 368(1625):20120302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griscom B, Ellis P, Putz FE (2014) Carbon emissions performance of commercial logging in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Glob Change Biol 20(3):923–937

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houghton R, House J, Pongratz J, van der Werf G, DeFries R, Hansen M, Le Quéré C, Ramankutty N (2012) Carbon emissions from land use and land-cover change. Biogeosciences 9(12):5125–5142

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang M, Asner GP (2010) Long-term carbon loss and recovery following selective logging in Amazon forests. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 24(3). doi:10.1029/2009GB003727

  • Iskandar H, Snook LK, Toma T, MacDicken KG, Kanninen M (2006) A comparison of damage due to logging under different forms of resource access in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. For Ecol Manage 237(1):83–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson SM, Fredericksen TS, Malcolm JR (2002a) Area disturbed and residual stand damage following logging in a Bolivian tropical forest. For Ecol Manage 166(1–3):271–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson SM, Fredericksen TS, Malcolm JR (2002b) Area disturbed and residual stand damage following logging in a Bolivian tropical forest. For Ecol Manage 166(1):271–283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jonkers W (2000) Logging, damage and efficiency: a study on the feasibility of Reduced Impact Logging in Cameroon, Tropenbos-Cameroon Programme.

  • Laporte NT, Stabach JA, Grosch R, Lin TS, Goetz SJ (2007) Expansion of industrial logging in Central Africa. Science 316(5830):1451–1451

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lumet F, Forni E, Laurent D, Maître H.F. (1993). Étude des modalités d’exploitation du bois en liaison avec la gestion durable des forêts tropicales humides. Quatrième et dernière étude cas : le Cameroun. CIRAD-forêt. p. 68

  • Medjibe V, Putz FE, Romero C (2013) Certified and uncertified logging concessions compared in Gabon: changes in stand structure, tree species, and biomass. Environ Manage 51(3):524–540

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Meijaard E (2005) Life after logging: reconciling wildlife conservation and production forestry in Indonesian Borneo, Cifor

  • Mertens B, Forni E, Lambin EF (2001) Prediction of the impact of logging activities on forest cover: a case-study in the East province of Cameroon. J Environ Manage 62(1):21–36

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mugnier A. (2009). Estimation des stocks de carbone des forêts du Bassin du Congo pour le REDD: étude comparative conduite sur 22 types forestiers, 4 pays et un dispositif d’aménagement 4.8 millions d’ha.

  • Murdiyarso D, Skutsch M, Guariguata MR, Kanninen M, Luttrell C, Verweij P, Martins OS (2008) How do we measure and monitor forest degradation? In: Angelsen A (ed) Moving ahead with REDD: issues, options and implications. Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, pp 99–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasi R, Frost PG (2009) Sustainable forest management in the tropics: is everything in order but the patient still dying. Ecology and Society 14(2):40

    Google Scholar 

  • Nasi R, Mayaux P, Devers D, Bayol N, Eba’a Atyi R, Mugnier A, Cassagne B, Billand A, Sonwa D (2008) Un aperçu des stocks de carbone et leurs variations dans les forêts du Bassin du Congo. In: Wasseige C, Devers D, de Marcen P, Eba’a Atyi R, Nasi R, Mayaux Ph (ed) LES forêts du Bassin du Congo. Etat des Forêts. pp. 199–216

  • Ndassa A (2010) Evaluation post exploitation et incidence sur la dynamique forestiere cas des UFA 10.030 et 10.031 au Cameroun.. p. 84

  • Pinard MA, Putz FE (1996) Retaining forest biomass by reducing logging damage. Biotropica 28:278–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE, Zuidema PA, Synnott T, Peña-Claros M, Pinard MA, Sheil D, Vanclay JK, Sist P, Gourlet-Fleury S, Griscom B (2012) Sustaining conservation values in selectively logged tropical forests: the attained and the attainable. Conserv Lett 5(4):296–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz Pérez M, Ezzine de Blas D, Nasi R, Sayer JA, Sassen M, Angoué C, Gami N, Ndoye O, Ngono G, Nguinguiri JC (2005) Logging in the Congo Basin: a multi-country characterization of timber companies. For Ecol Manage 214(1):221–236

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shu GN (2013) Assessment and prediction of above-ground biomass in selectively logged forest concessions using field measurements and remote sensing data: case study in south east Cameroon. Thesis submitted for a M.Sc. Degree in Forest Ecology and Management. University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, Viikki Tropical Resources Institute (VITRI), May 2013.

  • Shu GN, Kanninen M, Atyi RE, Sonwa DJ (2014) Assessment and prediction of above-ground biomass in selectively logged forest concessions using field measurements and remote sensing data: case study in South East Cameroon. For Ecol Manage 329:177–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sist P (2002) Logging damage and the subsequent dynamics of a dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan (1990–1996). For Ecol Manage 165(1):85–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sist P, Sheil D, Kartawinata K, Priyadi H (2003) Reduced-impact logging in Indonesian Borneo: some results confirming the need for new silvicultural prescriptions. For Ecol Manage 179(1):415–427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souza CM Jr, Siqueira JV, Sales MH, Fonseca AV, Ribeiro JG, Numata I, Cochrane MA, Barber CP, Roberts DA, Barlow J (2013) Ten-year Landsat classification of deforestation and forest degradation in the Brazilian Amazon. Remote Sensing 5(11):5493–5513

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamungang R (2011) Tracking logging roads to assess the impact of commercial logging on the forest above ground biomass. The case of south east (jengi). p. 9

  • TEREA (2013) Concession REDD+ certifiée FSC du Haut Nyong: Augmentation des DMA et certification FSC. p. 103

  • Verissimo A, Barreto P, Mattos M, Tarifa R, Uhl C (1992) Logging impacts and prospects for sustainable forest management in an old Amazonian frontier: the case of Paragominas. For Ecol Manage 55(1–4):169–199

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb EL (1997) Canopy removal and residual stand damage during controlled selective logging in lowland swamp forest of Northeast Costa Rica. For Ecol Manage 95(2):117–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitman AA, Brokaw NV, Hagan JM (1997) Forest damage caused by selection logging of mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) in northern Belize. For Ecol Manage 92(1):87–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zapfack L, Noumi VN, Kwouossu P, Zemagho L, Nembot TF (2013) Deforestation and carbon stocks in the surroundings of Lobéké National Park (Cameroon) in the Congo Basin. Environ Nat Resour Res 3(2):78

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman BL, Kormos CF (2012) Prospects for sustainable logging in tropical forests. Bioscience 62(5):479–487

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We equally thank FORAFAMA and COBAM project for financial support during the study and M. Laurent Cerbonney for allowing us take measurements in forest concession. We also thank all anonymous reviewers for their input. Special appreciation goes to Dr. Anne Marie Tiani for her encouragement. Anonymous scientists are also thanked for their input and comments on this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Richard Sufo Kankeu.

Additional information

Project funding: This work was financially supported by FORAFAMA and COBAM project.

The online version is available at http://www.springerlink.com.

Corresponding editor: Yu Lei.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sufo Kankeu, R., Sonwa, D.J., Eba’a Atyi, R. et al. Quantifying post logging biomass loss using satellite images and ground measurements in Southeast Cameroon. J. For. Res. 27, 1415–1426 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-016-0277-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-016-0277-3

Keywords

Navigation