Natural Forest Silviculture for Central African Meliaceae

Abstract

African Meliaceae have long been appreciated for their timber, with exports from coastal West Africa beginning over 100 years ago. Exploitation of African mahoganies of the genera Khaya and Entandrophragma has sustained much of the timber industry in Central Africa for several decades. Low levels of high-grade logging have led to the situation where Meliaceae still remain an important component of the timber harvest in the Central African subregion, particularly in more remote areas. Thus, the potential for natural forest silviculture where Meliaceae are targeted still exists. African Meliaceae are found in low densities within the subregion, with densities of between 0.5 and 2 individuals per hectare of exploitable individuals (more than 80-cm diameter at breast height, DBH) in unlogged forest being common. Typically there is an abundance of individuals within the 10-cm-DBH size class, with relatively few individuals in intermediate (20–70-cm-DBH) size classes. African mahoganies are classed as nonpioneer light demanders or species that can regenerate in the shade but need light to recruit to larger size classes. Seedlings can suffer high rates of mortality and many species distributions within the forest have been found to be related to microsite soil fertility. Because of these challenges, management of these species should be undertaken in association with management of nonpioneer light demander species from other genera and families where the exploitation intensity of mahoganies is reduced and volumes are replaced by a suite of timber species. Management for regeneration and recruitment of these species requires increasing understory light and liberating individuals belonging to the small and intermediate size classes. Highly selective logging will likely lead to long-term impoverishment of African mahogany populations where these species no longer play an important role in the timber industry.