Post-fire dynamics of tree vegetation in forests with and without a history of selective logging in the Eastern Amazon

Abstract

Worldwide, forests are susceptible to fi re. Forests with fi re and selective logging interactions require monitoring and evaluation. This study evaluated the phytosociology and dynamics of tree vegetation in a disturbed forest (DF) and an undisturbed forest (UF) in selective logging areas affected by fi re, in the Brazilian East Amazon. All trees with DBH ≥ 5 cm were measured and identifi ed botanically in 93 plots (5 X 50 m) in the DF area and 58 plots (5 X 50 m) in the UF area, in 2010 (before logging), 2011, 2015 and 2017 (two years after the fi re). Analysis of species and tree composition, diversity, similarity, mortality and recruitment were carried out. The fi re affected the DF and UF areas in a similar proportion in terms of trees loss and basal area, intensifying the mortality rate. In the short term (2 years), the fi re did not cause a signifi cant reduction in species diversity, but there was a tendency towards a similarity loss in species composition in the area disturbed by logging. Subsequent assessments are necessary to understand the forest's recovery mechanisms.