Is it possible that the structure of tropical rainforests has recovered 40 years after clear-cutting?

Abstract

The tropical rainforest of Bajo Calima, Buenaventura, Colombia, was known for its large biodiversity and enormous regeneration potential. During the 1970–90s, industrial use through clear-cutting gave rise to secondary forest (SF), which is now a collective property of the communities that inhabit it. The productivity of secondary forest would recover after 30 years according to the linear recovery trend, as predicted by Mazuera (1985). The purpose of conducting this research in Bajo Calima, Colombia was to quantify the productivity of SF at different ages after clear-cutting. Plots of 0.1 ha were selected after 23, 27, 31 and 35 years of SF following clear-cutting of the initial primary forest (PF). It is now managed through selective logging. Samples of equal size of PF and SF without selective logging, called mature secondary forest MSF (> 40 years), were used as controls. The productivity variables of the SF expressed as basal area, volume (Vol) and aerial biomass (AB), on average for the four ages studied was 45%, 29% and 22% compared to the productivity of the PF, and 94%, 50% and 49% with respect to the productivity of the MSF. Without the opportunity to reach maturity the trend predicted by the recovery model was not achieved and the SF showed productive characteristics far below those of the initial primary forest.

Keywords

• chronosequence
• structure
• tropical secondary forest
• productive variables