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The impact of selective logging and clearcutting on forest structure, tree diversity and above-ground biomass of African tropical forests

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Ecological Research

Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) Grant for Africa GHG project. We thank Bia National Park and Ankasa Forest Reserve guides and operators, Ghana and Cameroon Forestry Commissions, Mr. Ntim Gyakari and Mr Seth Nuamah for thier invaluable work on the taxonomy of West African tree species, the Gola Forest Programme and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security of Sierra Leone and the Gabonese Herbarium staff.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Innovation in Biological, Agro-Food and Forestry Systems (DIBAF), University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy

    Roberto Cazzolla Gatti & Riccardo Valentini

  2. Department of Environmental Sciences, Seconda Università di Napoli, Caserta, Italy

    Simona Castaldi

  3. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, UK

    Jeremy A. Lindsell

  4. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EA, UK

    David A. Coomes

  5. Department of Bioscience and Territory (DIBT), University of Molise, Pesche (IS), Italy

    Marco Marchetti & Mauro Maesano

  6. Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC), Lecce, Italy

    Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Arianna Di Paola & Riccardo Valentini

  7. Department of Mathematics and Physics “Ennio De Giorgi”, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

    Francesco Paparella

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  1. Roberto Cazzolla Gatti
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  2. Simona Castaldi
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Correspondence to Roberto Cazzolla Gatti.

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Cazzolla Gatti, R., Castaldi, S., Lindsell, J.A. et al. The impact of selective logging and clearcutting on forest structure, tree diversity and above-ground biomass of African tropical forests. Ecol Res 30, 119–132 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-014-1217-3

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