Changes in tree functional composition and forest functioning ten years after logging and thinning interventions in Bornean tropical forests

• Main Authors: Mahayani, Ni Putu Diana, Slik, Ferry J.W., Webb, Edward L., Savini, Tommaso, Gale, George A.
• Format: Article PeerReviewed
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2022
• Subjects: Forestry Sciences
• Online Access: https://repository.ugm.ac.id/278797/1/Changes%20in%20tree%20functional%20composition%20and%20forest%20functioning%20ten%20years%20after%20logging%20and%20thinning%20interventions%20in%20Bornean%20tropical%20forests.pdf; https://repository.ugm.ac.id/278797/; https://www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119948
• Institution: Universitas Gadjah Mada

Examining ecosystem functioning of logged-over forests requires a quantitative trait-based monitoring approach, in addition to a taxonomic approach, which allows for evaluation of the accompanying shifts in species traits and functional composition. Our study evaluated forest regrowth after different logging and thinning techniques applied to 60 one-hectare forest subplots in East Kalimantan that were logged using selective conventional and reduced-impact techniques. We used seven functional traits to compare the short-term (~1-year) and longerterm (~10-year) changes in functional diversity and composition of the forest. Both conventional and reduced impact logging resulted in higher functional diversity after 10 years, but forest functional traits shifted away from those observed in unlogged (control) subplots. Reduced-impact logging led to smaller deviations in functional composition compared to unlogged forest. We found that low-intensity reduced-impact logging, i.e., <3 m2 ha