Effects of selective logging on tree diversity and some soil characteristics in a tropical forest in southwest Ghana

Alex Asase, Bismark K. Asiatokor, Kwasi Ofori-Frimpong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We investigated the effects of selective logging disturbances on tree diversity and soil characteristics in the Bia Conservation Area in southwest Ghana. The study was conducted in unlogged, 29-35 years post-logged and swamp forests using ten 25 m × 25 m plots. In total, we identified 310 individual trees belonging to 87 species. Mean Shannon-Weiner index was highest in the post-logged forest but there were no significant differences in tree density, dominance, or DBH size class distributions between these forests. Soil physical properties such as pH and bulk density up to 30 cm depth were similar in the two of forests In terms of soil nutrient status, available P, exchangeable K and total N contents were all similar in the unlogged and post-logged forests. Our findings suggest that the effects of logging on tree diversity are comparatively long-term, in contrast to its short-term effects on some top soil physical and chemical characteristics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)171-176
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Forestry Research
Volume25
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Mar 2014

Keywords

  • Ghana
  • deforestation
  • plant diversity
  • soil properties
  • tropical forest

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