[IUFRO Div 1] new publication

dear colleagues, Please find enclosed a paper published in current biology by Rutishauser et al. 2015, from our TmFO network that might interest you, particularly those interested in tropical silviculture. abstract: While around 20% of the Amazonian forests has been cleared for pastures and agriculture, one fourth of the remaining forests is dedicated to wood production. Most of these production forests have been or will be selectively harvested for commercial timber, but recent studies show that even soon after logging, harvested stands retain much of their tree-biomass carbon and biodiversity. We use a network of 79 permanent sample plots (376 ha total) located at 10 sites across the Amazon Basin to assess the main drivers of time-to-recovery of post-logging tree carbon. Recovery time is of direct relevance to policies governing management practices (i.e. allowable volumes cut and cutting cycle lengths), and indirectly forest-based climate change mitigation interventions. We found that the proportion of initial above-ground carbon stock lost (i.e., trees harvested and destroyed by logging operations) best predicted the time to recover initial carbon stocks. No other variables tested contributed substantially to the prediction of recovery times, despite the fact that the sampled plots span large geographic and environmental gradients across the entire Amazon Basin. These results reveal clear patterns that can clarify tradeoffs for policy-makers and forest managers between short-term economics and long-term carbon storage and hence climate regulation. Forest management regulations vary among Amazonian countries, but generally set minimum cutting cycles at 30-60 years, with harvests of 10- 30 m3 ha-1. While these cutting cycles are generally insufficient to recover commercial timber stocks, such harvest intensities require 7 and 21 years respectively to recover their initial ACS, assuming ACS losses proportional to harvested timber volumes. cheers -- Plinio Sist Cirad-ES Directeur-Director UR (B&SEF) "Biens et Services des Ecosystèmes Forestiers tropicaux" Coordinator of IUFRO 1.02.02 Ecology and silviculture of moist forests in the tropics Campus International de Baillarguet, TA C-105/D 34398 Montpellier Cedex 5 France Tél : +33 4 67 59 39 13 Tel.Portable/Mobile Phone: +33 786 3289 46 http://ur-bsef.cirad.fr/fr