Spatiotemporal changes in biomass after selective logging in a lowland tropical rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

We studied biomass changes in a lowland tropical rain forest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve of Peninsular Malaysia after selective logging in 1958. A tree census was undertaken every 2 years from 1998 to 2012 in a 6-ha logged forest plot. Total aboveground biomass (AGB) was 72 % of that in a primary forest plot within the same reserve in 1998, but reached 87 % in 2012. AGB regrowth was spatially variable within the logged forest plot and was much less in swampy areas than in upland areas. The overall annual growth rate of AGB in the logged forest throughout the study period was 1.5 % and slowed (to 0.6 %) in a dry period (2004 2006). The biomass of large trees (DBH ≥ 50 cm) increased by 56 % during the study period, but amounted to only 58 % of the biomass of the corresponding size class in the primary forest, suggesting that stand structure is still recovering from logging. Spatiotemporal variation in AGB recovery after logging needs to be taken into account for logging and subsequent management of the tropical lowland forest biome.

UAV-based height measurement and height–diameter model integrating taxonomic effects: exploring vertical structure of aboveground biomass and species diversity in a Malaysian tropical forest

“…The estimated total AGB in 2017 in the comparable (conventional) method was 475.8 Mg ha −1 , which was far higher than that in the previous report, which indicated that AGB increased at by an average of 2.3 Mg ha −1 per year in 1998-2017. The total AGB of tropical forests generally highly fluctuated with time, as well as space (Okuda et al 2021). In particular, because the plot included a 'disturbed area' in the past; these areas would have recovered in more recent years and contributed to increased AGB, which was also suggested in the former study (Okuda et al 2021).…”

“…The total AGB of tropical forests generally highly fluctuated with time, as well as space (Okuda et al 2021). In particular, because the plot included a 'disturbed area' in the past; these areas would have recovered in more recent years and contributed to increased AGB, which was also suggested in the former study (Okuda et al 2021).…”

“…This study was conducted in Pasoh Forest Reserve in Malaysia, where to date AGB and species diversity studies have been intensively conducted (Kato et al 1978, Hoshizaki et al 2004, Niiyama et al 2010, Okuda et al 2021. These previous study findings allowed us to compare and validate the results.…”

The Influence of Logging Equipment on the Content, Stock and Stratification Coefficient of Elements of the Mineral Nutrition of Plants in the Soils of the Taiga Zone of Karelia

“…As is known, the rate of chemical reactions doubles when the temperature is increased by 10 • C (Van 't Hoff reaction). When cutting down a stand, it is possible to change the thermal regime of soils due to the "opening" of the territory from the forest canopy, which can directly and indirectly enhance the microbial transformation of organic matter [15,20]. In this regard, a question also arises regarding the need to optimize the state of the microbiota so that carbon losses into the atmosphere are optimal and the forest can perform its ecosystem functions of maintaining the carbon balance in the ecosystem.…”

“…Changes in ecosystem processes lead to changes in the type of vegetation, carbon recycling in the plant-soil system, microbial transformation of organic matter and patterns of biomass distribution [14,19,20]. There may also be spatial-temporal changes in biomass, tree composition and diversity in the forest [12,20,21]. A change in soil organic matter may indirectly affect global climate warming [22].…”