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Impact of logging on aboveground biomass stocks in lowland rain forest, Papua New Guinea
Author(s) -
Bryan Jane,
Shearman Phil,
Ash Julian,
Kirkpatrick J. B.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
ecological applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.864
H-Index - 213
eISSN - 1939-5582
pISSN - 1051-0761
DOI - 10.1890/09-1818.1
Subject(s) - logging , biomass (ecology) , environmental science , rainforest , tropics , agroforestry , carbon sequestration , greenhouse gas , agronomy , ecology , carbon dioxide , biology
Greenhouse‐gas emissions resulting from logging are poorly quantified across the tropics. There is a need for robust measurement of rain forest biomass and the impacts of logging from which carbon losses can be reliably estimated at regional and global scales. We used a modified Bitterlich plotless technique to measure aboveground live biomass at six unlogged and six logged rain forest areas (coupes) across two ∼3000‐ha regions at the Makapa concession in lowland Papua New Guinea. “Reduced‐impact logging” is practiced at Makapa. We found the mean unlogged aboveground biomass in the two regions to be 192.96 ± 4.44 Mg/ha and 252.92 ± 7.00 Mg/ha (mean ± SE), which was reduced by logging to 146.92 ± 4.58 Mg/ha and 158.84 ± 4.16, respectively. Killed biomass was not a fixed proportion, but varied with unlogged biomass, with 24% killed in the lower‐biomass region, and 37% in the higher‐biomass region. Across the two regions logging resulted in a mean aboveground carbon loss of 35 ± 2.8 Mg/ha. The plotless technique proved efficient at estimating mean aboveground biomass and logging damage. We conclude that substantial bias is likely to occur within biomass estimates derived from single unreplicated plots.