Persistent Effects of Historical Selective Logging on a Vascular Epiphyte Assemblage in the Forest Canopy of the Western Ghats, India

Forest canopies have been dubbed the last biological frontier and continue to remain underexplored. Vascular epiphytes form a rich assemblage of plants within the forest canopy and apart from sustaining diverse taxa, they also fulfill critical ecological functions. Vascular epiphytes are particularly sensitive to perturbations of microclimate and microhabitat within the canopy, especially from anthropogenic changes such as logging. The forests of the megadiverse Western Ghats in India harbor a rich assemblage of vascular epiphytes, but their ecology has not been examined systematically. We compared the diversity, abundance, and composition of a vascular epiphyte assemblage between an unlogged and a historically selectively logged forest in the southern Western Ghats, India, and identified factors affecting the epiphyte assemblage. Canopies of 100 trees each in selectively logged and unlogged forests were accessed using the single-rope technique. We found 20 species of vascular epiphytes with the assemblage dominated by members of Orchidaceae. The diversity and abundance of epiphytes were significantly greater in the selectively logged forest. One host tree, Cullenia exarillata, supported the greatest number of epiphytes in both forest stands. The niche widths of epiphyte species, computed with host tree species as a resource, were similar between the two stands but a greater number of species pairs overlapped in the selectively logged forest. Overall, epiphyte abundance was negatively associated with unlogged forests. Host tree species, tree height, and presence of moss on branches were positively associated with the abundance of epiphytes. Despite being ecologically important, no study has thus far examined the impact of selective logging on the epiphyte assemblage in the Western Ghats. Our findings contribute to the knowledge of vascular epiphytes from South and Southeast Asia and set the stage for future research and conservation.

Population structure of understory, canopy/emergent tree species in Brazilian Atlantic Forest remnants with different Conservation status

The size and spatial structures of populations are a synthesis of demographic attributes and indicators of competitive ability, colonization, and survival. In this study, the objective was to analyze the height and spatial pattern of an understory and canopy/emergent tree populations group in two protected fragments of seasonal semideciduous forest, one with a history of selective logging and another without selective logging evidences. Six species with high importance values (IV) from different guilds were selected and height and spatial pattern analysis was realized in both areas. Then, comparison of results was realized in an area with history of selective logging and another without selective logging evidences. Differences in height and spatial pattern were found between the two areas, including species not directly exploited. In Logged Forest the size structure for all species presented a higher coefficient of skewness, showing a greater proportion of young trees. Random distribution was observed for the majority of species in both areas. Some emergent/canopy species had a deficit of individuals in the largest size classes and the majority of understory species showed more individuals in Logged Forest. Selective Logging changed the pattern of populations. Selecting species based on IV together with spatial patterns data contribute to demonstrating the impacts of exploitation. The Logged Forest is surrounded by an agricultural matrix, limiting arrival and dispersion of propagules of shade-tolerant species. Efforts to connect surroundings fragments to Logged Forest will be necessary.

Recovery of logged forest fragments in a human-modified tropical landscape during the 2015-16 El Niño

The past 40 years in Southeast Asia have seen about 50% of lowland rainforests converted to oil palm and other plantations, and much of the remaining forest heavily logged. Little is known about how fragmentation influences recovery and whether climate change will hamper restoration. Here, we use repeat airborne LiDAR surveys spanning the hot and dry 2015-16 El Niño Southern Oscillation event to measure canopy height growth across 3,300 ha of regenerating tropical forests spanning a logging intensity gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We show that the drought led to increased leaf shedding and branch fall. Short forest, regenerating after heavy logging, continued to grow despite higher evaporative demand, except when it was located close to oil palm plantations. Edge effects from the plantations extended over 300 metres into the forests. Forest growth on hilltops and slopes was particularly impacted by the combination of fragmentation and drought, but even riparian forests located within 40 m of oil palm plantations lost canopy height during the drought. Our results suggest that small patches of logged forest within plantation landscapes will be slow to recover, particularly as ENSO events are becoming more frequent.

Negative Effects of Logging on Bird Dispersed Plants in Northern Papuan Lowland Forest, Indonesia

Many plants in New Guinean rainforest have relatively larger fruits than those in other tropical forests and may depend on large animal dispersers, but little is known about the impacts of forest disturbance, especially logging, on the species composition and abundance of these trees. In order to provide a baseline for the understanding of their vulnerability, we counted fruiting plants and measured habitat parameters in primary and human-altered habitats in the little studied lowland forest of northern Papua, Indonesia. During the surveys coinciding with peak fruit season, eighty-nine species were recorded in fruit, with 71 species in 24 families known to be consumed by birds, and most of them (97%) were trees. The diversity of bird-consumed fruiting plants differed among the habitat types and was highest in undisturbed primary forest and hunted primary forest. Secondary forests still had a high number of species and individuals but were dominated by light demanding plants and a low number of uniquely found species. Logged forest and agricultural habitats showed only a low abundance of bird-consumed fruiting plants, being about 2-3 times lower than in primary forests. Plants with large sized fruits (diam. > 20 mm) were mainly found in primary forests, confirming their importance for maintaining interactions between large frugivorous birds and plants that are of relevance for forest regeneration.

Managing threatened ungulates in logged-primary forest mosaics in Malaysia

Across the tropics, large-bodied mammals have been affected by selective logging in ways that vary with levels of timber extraction, collateral damage, species-specific traits and secondary effects of hunting, as facilitated by improved access through logging roads. In Peninsular Malaysia, 3.0 million hectares or 61 percent of its Permanent Reserved Forests is officially assigned for commercial selective logging. Understanding how wildlife adapts and uses logged forest is critical for its management and, for threatened species, their conservation. In this study, we quantify the population status of four tropical ungulate species in a large selectively logged forest reserve and an adjacent primary forest protected area. We then conduct finer scale analyses to identify the species-specific factors that determine their occurrence. A combined indirect sign-camera trapping approach with a large sampling effort (2,665 km and 27,780 trap nights surveyed) covering a wide area (560 km2) generated species-specific detection probabilities and site occupancies. Populations of wild boar were widespread across both logged and primary forests, whereas sambar and muntjac occupancy was lower in logged forest (48.4% and 19.2% respectively), with gaur showing no significant difference. Subsequent modelling revealed the importance of conserving lower elevation habitat in both habitat types, particularly <1,000 m asl, for which occupancies of sambar, muntjac and gaur were typically higher. This finding is important because 75 percent (~13,400 km2) of Peninsular Malaysia’s Main Range Forest (Banjaran Titiwangsa) is under 1,000 m asl and therefore at risk of being converted to industrial timber plantations, which calls for renewed thinking around forest management planning.

Perkembangan Pertumbuhan Tegakan Setelah Penebangan di Areal IUPHHK-HA PT. Diamond Raya Timber

Peat swamp forest management which is less precise will cause diversity on peat swamp forest decreased, in particular endemic species that can only be grown on peat swamp forest. So the research about the condition of peat swamp forest after logging needs to be done. This research aims to analyze species diversity and the development of stand growth after logging as well as analyze stability of species diversity in logged forest IUPHHK-HA PT Diamond Raya Timber. The data collected by combination of path method and grid line method. This research located in biodiversity strip (Protected Area) and logged over area (LOA) 2013, logged over area (LOA) 2015 and logged over area (LOA) 2016. The results showed that condition of the forest in the studied area was already quite stable with index of evenness ranged at 0.56-0.94. There is decreasin stand potential compared with biodiversity strip areal. Stand potential in biodiversity was 254,06 m3/ha, LOA 2013 was 99,72 m3/ha, LOA 2015 was 53,57 m3/ha and LOA 2016 was 58,41 m3/ha. Keywords: peat swamp forest, stability, stand potential, LOA, diversity