Abstract
Natural regeneration and forest successional development are influenced by gap formation in forest stands. Nonetheless, there are limited studies that provide quantitative information on the influence of gaps on forest regeneration. We evaluated characteristics of inner and outer canopy gaps and their effects on natural regeneration in 40 canopy gaps in Sitapahar forest reserve of Bangladesh. A total of 50 individuals of 27 gapmaker tree species were found, of which 58% were formed by logging and the rest by natural damages. Elliptical shape represented 53% of the gaps followed by circular and rectangular gaps. The mean area of the outer and inner gaps was 50.1 ± 8.6 and 20.0 ± 3.0 m2, respectively. Gap formation types and shapes did not vary significantly between outer and inner gaps, while the mean gap area in older gaps was significantly higher than in new gaps. In comparison with outer gaps, mean densities of seedlings and saplings in the inner gaps were significantly higher, which is probably because of the closeness to seed trees. The diversity index of regenerating species and their height and collar diameter did not vary significantly between the inner and outer gaps. Positive, but weak relationships of gap area with subcanopy tree density and diversity were found. Since gaps were found dominated by few light-demanding tree species such as Brownlowia elata, Lithocarpus acuminata, Lithocarpus polystachya, and Macaranga denticulate, it is suggested that larger gaps need to be replanted with a combination of light-demanding and shade-tolerant native trees.
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Acknowledgements
Authors are indebted to Professor Dr. Kamal Hossain and Asst. Prof. Akhter Hossain of Institute of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh for helping in identifying unknown tree species. In addition, the Divisional Forest Officer and staff of Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) South Forest Division and local guide are greatly acknowledged for providing us with administrative and technical support for field measurement and species identification.
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The Research and Publication Cell of University of Chittagong, Bangladesh provided the grant for conducting this research.
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TKB: conceptualization, formal analysis, methodology, investigation, writing—original draft, validation, visualization, project administration, resources, supervision. AIC: data curation, investigation, formal analysis, methodology. MdJU: data curation, investigation. MKH: data curation, investigation. RN: conceptualization, visualization. TKN and AK: validation, writing—review and editing.
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Baul, T.K., Chowdhury, A.I., Uddin, M.J. et al. Evaluating gap characteristics and their effects on regeneration in Sitapahar forest reserve, Bangladesh. Eur J Forest Res 142, 37–47 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-022-01502-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-022-01502-3