Differences in the structure, species composition and diversity of primary and harvested forests on Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

Broadleaved-Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest is a typical vegetation type in the eastern Eurasian continent. We compared the structure, composition and diversity of a primary forest and a logged forest for effective management and regeneration of a mixed forest ecosystem on Changbai Mountain, Northeast China. The logged forest was subjected to selective harvesting twenty years ago. The mean diameter and basal area for overall trees (≥ 2 cm dbh) were higher in the primary forest than in the logged forest, whereas overall tree density was significantly lower in the former (994 ± 34 trees∙ha–1) than in the logged forest (1921 ± 79 trees∙ha–1). The values of species richness and both Simpson's and Shannon's diversity indices for seedlings (< 2 cm dbh, ≥ 50 cm tall), saplings (2−9.9 cm dbh) and overall trees were greater in the primary forest. These results indicate that the selective logging had a lasting impact on the structural characteristics of the forest. There were major differences in species composition between the two forest sites, with the logged forest having more pioneer and mid-tolerant species than the primary forest. Diversity was more extensive in the logged forest due to the invasion of pioneer species. Twenty years is clearly an insufficient time for the logged forest to regain "primary" forest composition and structure. These two characteristics of the primary forest may serve as a reference for developing management plans for forest regeneration.

Download Full-text

The consequences of selective logging for Bornean lowland forest birds

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1992.0036 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 335 (1275) ◽

pp. 443-457 ◽

Cited By ~ 105

Keyword(s):

Population Dynamics ◽

Bird Species ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Forest Birds ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Bird Conservation ◽

Lowland Forest ◽

Dipterocarp Forest ◽

Logged Forest ◽

Lowland Dipterocarp Forest

In lowland dipterocarp forest in Sabah, Malaysia, most primary forest bird species were present in areas selectively logged eight years previously. However, certain taxa, notably flycatchers, woodpeckers, trogons and wren-babblers, became comparatively rare. In contrast, nectarivorous and opportunistic frugivorous species were significantly more abundant. Few species appeared to change foraging height, but netting rates suggest that the activity of some species had increased, or that some birds ranged over larger areas after logging. Although there is still much to be learned about the survival of birds in logged forest, large areas of this habitat are important for bird conservation. However, the susceptibility of logged forest to fire, and our present incomplete understanding of bird behaviour and population dynamics in logged forests mean that they should not be considered by conservationists as alternatives to reserves of primary forest.

Download Full-text

Stand structure and species composition of merbau in logged-over forest in Papua, Indonesia

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d190123 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 163-171

Author(s):

PRIJANTO PAMOENGKAS ◽

ISKANDAR Z. SIREGAR ◽

AJI NURALAM DWISUTONO

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Stand Structure ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Growth Stages ◽

Timber Species ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Selective Cutting ◽

Average Value ◽

Reference Plot

Pamoengkas P, Siregar IZ, Dwisutono AN. 2018. Stand structure and species composition of merbau in logged-over forest in Papua, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 19: 163-171. Single selective cutting is the most common form of timber extraction in natural forest in the tropics. Although, vast tracts natural forests are already logged-over, the effect of logging on the structure and species composition has been sparsely documented, especially for merbau (Intsia bijuga). Merbau is an excellent timber species and intensively harvested in Papua. The objective of this study was to analyze the structure and species composition of merbau in the several logged-over forests at different ages, i.e., 1, 5, 11, 16, 21 years old after selective logging and primary forest as the reference plot. The study was conducted in February 2016 at Sarmi District, Papua. The distributions of merbau in each plot varies but when they were compared with that in the primary forest that had reached 9.81%. Thus, the decrease of merbau trees in the plots of logged forest areas was not significant. Index of Diversity of all growth stages was high. In general, the number of merbau seedling regeneration in the study plots are above the average value standardized in Selective Cutting and Replanting System (TPTI) regulation. With regard to the condition of sapling regeneration, we concluded that selective logging might not provide enough growing space for regeneration of merbau. Providing appropriate growing space is one of the key factors to achieve adequate merbau natural regeneration.

Download Full-text

The impact of selective logging on sympatric civet species in Borneo

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605300021360 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 31-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Matthew J. Heydon ◽

Pullin Bulloh

Keyword(s):

East Asia ◽

Marked Reduction ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Feeding Strategies ◽

Food Chains ◽

South East Asia ◽

Logged Forest ◽

Disturbed Forest ◽

The Impact

Selective logging is the predominant method of commercial timber exploitation in South East Asia. Its effects upon mammalian carnivores have seldom been addressed, despite the vulnerability of these animals at the top of many food chains. The authors investigated the effects of logging by comparing the abundance of sympatric civet species, which display feeding strategies ranging from strict carnivory tofrugivory, in primary and selectively logged rainforest in the Malaysian state ofSabah in northern Borneo. All species occurred in disturbed forest, but the overall density of civets in logged forest (6.4 individuals per sq km) was found to be significantly lower than in primary forest (31.5 individuals per sq km). This reflected a marked reduction in the abundance of civets from the predominantly carnivorous subfamilies Viverrinae and Hemigalinae.

Download Full-text

Temporal variation in abundance and diversity of butterflies in Bornean rain forests: opposite impacts of logging recorded in different seasons

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467405002361 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 21 (4) ◽

pp. 417-425 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

K. C. Hamer ◽

J. K. Hill ◽

N. Mustaffa ◽

S. Benedick ◽

T. N. Sherratt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Variation ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Temporal Variation ◽

Monsoon Season ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Tropical Rain Forests ◽

Rain Forests ◽

Monsoon Period ◽

Logged Forest

We used traps baited with fruit to examine how the temporal variation of butterflies within primary forest in Sabah, Borneo differed between species. In addition, we compared patterns of temporal variation in primary and selectively logged forest, and we tested the hypothesis that selective logging has different recorded impacts on species diversity of adults during the wet monsoon period and the drier remaining half of the year. Species of Satyrinae and Morphinae had significantly less-restricted flight periods than did species of Nymphalinae and Charaxinae, which were sampled mainly during the drier season, especially in primary forest. Species diversity of adults was significantly higher during the drier season in primary forest, but did not differ between seasons in logged forest. As a consequence, logging had opposite recorded impacts on diversity during wetter and drier seasons: primary forest had significantly higher diversity than logged forest during the drier season but significantly lower diversity than logged forest during the wetter monsoon season. The results of this study have important implications for the assessment of biodiversity in tropical rain forests, particularly in relation to habitat disturbance: short-term assessments that do not take account of seasonal variation in abundance are likely to produce misleading results, even in regions where the seasonal variation in rainfall is not that great.

Download Full-text

Spatial Variability in Physical Soil Properties in a Pinus koraiensis-Dominated Broadleaved Mixed Forest Gap in Xiao Xing’an Mountains of Northeast China

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.518-523.4761 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 518-523 ◽

pp. 4761-4765

Author(s):

Wen Biao Duan ◽

Yan Li ◽

Li Xin Chen

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Northeast China ◽

Interactive Effect ◽

Mixed Forest ◽

Grid Method ◽

Spatial Distance ◽

Pinus Koraiensis ◽

Forest Gap ◽

Anisotropic Structures

Locations of sampling points in Pinus koraiensis-dominated broadleaved mixed forest gap in Xiao Xing’an Mountains of Northeast China were determined by grid method. Spatial variability in physical soil properties (PSPs) at those locations in 2 depths of 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm was analyzed by descriptive statistics and geostatistics. The results indicated that soil water content (SWC), saturated moisture capacity, capillary water-holding capacity and porosity were higher in 0–20 cm than in 20–40 cm except for bulk density. PSPs in 0–20 cm had relatively higher ranges and coefficients of variation. The total and autocorrelative spatial heterogeneity in PSPs were larger in 0–20 cm than in 20–40 cm. SWC had a strong anisotropic structure in an easterly and northerly direction, but porosity exhibited isotropy structure in the same directions. With increasing spatial distance, the three other PSPs presented anisotropic structures. Within spatial autocorrelative range, the interactive effect between semivariograms of PSPs in 0–20 cm was not significant. For spatial distribution of PSPs in 2 different depths, the patches with the middle and lower ranks dominated in the forest gap. Patches with higher rank were only distributed in 0–20 cm and were located north of the forest gap.

Download Full-text

Shifting cultivation along the Trans-African Highway and its impact on the understorey bird community in the Ituri Forest, Zaire

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270900001659 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 317-329 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Andrew J. Plumptre

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Forest Structure ◽

Shifting Cultivation ◽

Secondary Forest ◽

Bird Species ◽

Bird Community ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Forest Sites ◽

Ituri Forest

summarySince the 1940s, horticulturalists (the Lese) have been settled along the sides of the roads that traverse a large part of the forest in eastern Zaire. These people have maintained their lifestyle of shifting cultivation and trade with the Mbuti pygmies. This has resulted in corridors of heavily disturbed and regenerating forest. The results of a study of the understorey bird community at three sites in the Okapi Reserve in the Ituri forest in Zaire are reported here. Two primary forest sites (one monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest) in the Reserve were compared with an area of forest disturbed by shifting cultivation. The two primary forest sites were more similar in species composition than they were to secondary forest created by shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation had a more severe impact on the bird community than selective logging does in forests in Uganda and Malaysia. There was a shift following disturbance from a bird community dominated by insectivores to one with more frugivore-insectivores and nectarivores. Ground thrushes Zoothera spp. and flycatchers were abundant in the monodominant Gilbertiodendron forest and appear to suffer from the change in forest structure following disturbance. The Okapi Reserve currently conserves some important bird species and at least 333 birds have been reported to occur there.

Download Full-text

Structural and compositional responses to timber harvesting for an old-growth forest on Changbai Mountain, China – Short Communication

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/20/2008-jfs ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 54 (No. 6) ◽

pp. 281-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. Gu ◽

L. Dai

Keyword(s):

High Intensity ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Mixed Forest ◽

Basal Area ◽

Timber Harvesting ◽

Diameter Distribution ◽

Pinus Koraiensis ◽

Korean Pine ◽

Important Species ◽

Old Growth Forest

Broadleaved-Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest is a dominant native vegetation type in the eastern Eurasian Continent. We intended to examine the implications of high-intensity timber harvesting (ca 70% of stand volume) for the sustainable management of a mixed forest ecosystem. We measured trees at three sites: control without cutting, older-cut site cut in 1987 and newer-cut site (cutting in 1997). There were significant differences in structure and composition between these three sites in 2003. There were 4,441 trees of 14 species with basal area 56 m2 at control plot, 6,314 trees of 16 species with basal area 9 m2 at newer-cut site and 8,438 trees of 21 species with basal area 31 m2 at older-cut site (all on the area of 1 ha). The high-intensity timber harvesting system helped promote natural regeneration and the growth of small trees but it also allowed light-demanding tree species to invade into the forest. Dominant position and suitable diameter distribution of economically important species (Pinus koraiensis and Tilia amurensis) were maintained across the three sites. The existing timber harvesting appears to consider short-term economic values to a larger extent than long-term ecological values. To manage the broadleaved-Korean pine mixed forest for both timber production and biodiversity conservation, timber-harvesting intensity must be lowered.

Download Full-text

The effects of selective logging on the distribution of moths in a Bornean rainforest

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1999.0520 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 354 (1391) ◽

pp. 1783-1790 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

S. J. Willottf

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Selective Logging ◽

Primary Forest ◽

Significant Heterogeneity ◽

Faunal Composition ◽

Number Of Species ◽

Species Abundances ◽

Logged Forest ◽

Forest Understorey ◽

Minimum Estimate

The effects of selective logging on the diversity and species composition of moths were investigated by sampling from multiple sites in primary forest, both understorey and canopy, and logged forest at Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. The diversity of individual sites was similar, although rarefied species richness of logged forest was 17% lower than for primary forest (understorey and canopy combined). There was significant heterogeneity in faunal composition and measures of similarity (NESS index) among primary forest understorey sites which may be as great as those between primary understorey and logged forest. The lowest similarity values were between primary forest understorey and canopy, indicating a distinct canopy fauna. A number of species encountered in the logged forest were confined to, or more abundant in, the canopy of primary forest. Approximately 10% of species were confined to primary forest across a range of species’ abundances, suggesting this is a minimum estimate for the number of species lost following logging. The importance of accounting for heterogeneity within primary forest and sampling in the canopy when measuring the effects of disturbance on tropical forest communities are emphasized.

Download Full-text