Recruitment exceeds mortality in subtropical secondary forest after conventional selective logging

Abstract

Studies on the dynamics of managed forests are essential for planning and executing management strategies. Timber harvesting can modify recruitment rates, mortality, gain and loss of basal area of the remaining stand. In secondary forests, especially in the Atlantic Forest, these studies are still scarce. Our study hypothesis is that the management intervention stimulates the growth of the remaining trees, overcoming the reduction of the growth of the damaged trees and the harvest mortality. We investigated the dynamics of the remaining trees and recruits (in number of individuals and basal area), with DBH ≥ 5 cm, by ecological group of the species, and the damage to the remaining adult individuals. We measured eleven permanent plots with 1.600m² each, before and four years after being harvested in a secondary forest in southern Brazil. We found that the different harvesting intensities significantly influence the forest dynamics, special the annual recruitment rates, while basal area gain/loss showed a weaker relationship to logging intensity. However, the mortality rates are similar in control plots and managed plots. We also observed that in the managed plots, the recruitment rate (5.3 ± 1.9% year-¹) exceeded mortality (2.3 ± 1.2% year-¹). Among ecological groups, we found less recruitment of climax species than of secondary species. In general, the proportion of damage of remaining trees decreased over time. We conclude that the management has modified the forest dynamics, indicating that planning, including adequate cutting limits and low impact harvesting methods are essential for achieving the sustainability of forest management.