Records and analysis for all trees measured in the 150 circular plot of 20 m of radius in a perturbed tropical forest of Moloundou council in Cameroon, during surveys that took place from march to June 2018.

Published: 25 April 2020| Version 4 | DOI: 10.17632/fg5wrzjv5n.4
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Description

Despite the perturbation of permanent forest due to previous illegal exploitation and the use of management technics of forest which are unsustainable, there still remain a correlation between non spatialised index of forest and the durability of the management of these forests. We have positioned 25 rectangular plots of 120 x 80m (0.96 ha) following three topographic positions (08 in the ridge lines, 08 in the lowlands and 09 in the basin slope) to facilitate their position in different slope and altitude. Then, six semi-permanent circular plots of 20 m radius were installed in each plot, ie 150 semi-permanent plots using either a multidirectional rangefinder in which all timbers more than 10 cm of diameter have been identified. We have explored the correlation between initial structural parameters (density of stems, basal area, above-ground biomass, vertical stratification, altitude, slope) of these disturbed forests and the sustainability of their management. It appears that the analysis of the correlation between the non-spatialised forest index which are the number of stems.ha-1, the number of stems.ha-1 ≥ 40 cm, the above-ground biomass and the basal area illustrated by the inexistence of correlation between the mean height of the canopy and the number of stems greater than 40 cm in diameter on the one hand and on the other hand between the above-ground biomass and the number of stems greater than 40 cm in diameter. The low initial densities of these forest areas are attributable to the limitation of dispersal in the distribution of trees, but also to illegal logging prior to the application of sustainable management standards. Moreover, in this context, undertaking to enhance promotion species to diversify the exploitation of wood is to be questioned with regard to the low initial potential of stems more than 10 cm available in the FDP in comparison with the densities considered in secondary forest. So, initial densities from 73 permanent forests in Cameroon that are 6 times lower than the initial stem potential of a secondary forest indicate difficulty in the planned renewal of wood resources.

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Forest Management, Forest Ecology

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