Diametric distribution of forestry species in riparian forest in the southern part of the Amazon

Abstract

The expansion and changes in land use and land cover in the Southwest Amazon are mainly related to the activities of logging without management rules, agriculture and cattle production, which resulted in the conversion of natural forests, especially along water courses. This study aimed to verify the diametric distribution of forestry species with higher importance value index in the riparian forest of the Acre River (Acre, Brazil). The forestry inventory was performed at eight municipalities crossed by the Acre River, using two stage sample units (conglomerates) and applying stratified random sampling techniques at the river bank. Twenty-seven primary plots were installed, within which another four secondary plots were implanted. It was fitted Weibull’s probability density functions with 2 and 3 parameters to species diametric distribution, provided by the maximum likelihood method. Graphic analysis verified that 86% of the species analyzed presented a distribution trend with positive asymmetry. The distribution of the Weibull function with two parameters presented better the best estimative of the frequency of species by diameter class of the natural forest evaluated. Considering the heterogeneity of the species, further studies to verify whether the distribution behavior follows the same trend is recommended.