Logging in the Brazilian Amazon Michael Keller USDA Forest Service Int’l Institute of Tropical Forestry

Logging in the Brazilian Amazon Extent of Logging Logging Techniques Logging Effects – Carbon Long Term Sustainability?

Selective Logging

Nepstad et al, 1999 Logging Centers in the Brazilian Amazon Region

AutoMCU Results Asner et al., in press

Logging Approaches Conventional Logging Reduced Impact Logging Sustained Yield Management Sustainable Forest Management

Pereira et al. (2002) Forest Ecology and Management)

Pereira et al. (2002) Forest Ecology and Management

Logging and Carbon Carbon losses and recovery following logging Comparison of logging practices

Carbon Loss (Tg C) from Logging 30 Year Integration, km 2 y -1 Slow decayFast decay Conventional Logging Reduced Impact (Keller et al. in press)

Logging and Sustainability Biological –Water and Energy Exchange –Carbon Storage –Nutrient Cycling –Habitat and Diversity Production system Economic and social

Potential Nutrient Limitation: Selective Logging (30 m 3 removed each 30 y) [Nutrients in kg ha -1 y -1 ] (*) Estimated maximum Mg owing to detection limit Data from Silver et al and Fernandes et al. 1997

Logging and Sustainability Production Systems –Given realistic inputs, costs, and benefits, at what rate can logs be selectively removed from the forest over a long period of harvest cycles? –A critical factor in determining production system sustainability is the range of species acceptable to the market.

Keller et al. in press CAFOGROM Model (Alder & Silva)

Logging and Sustainability Long term sustainability of logging depends upon protection of the forest against risks such as fire.

Susceptibility Forest Fire Logging Forest Fire Risk: Positive Flammability Feedback Source: Nepstad et al. 2001

Conclusions Selective logging may release substantial carbon to the atmosphere but this is highly dependent upon area logged and the logging techniques. Nutrients, with the possible exception of K, Mg, and Ca, are unlikely to severely limit productivity on most soils With good management, current models suggest that log production may be maintained at presently profitable levels if the number of merchantable species increases in the future

Acknowledgements Natalino Silva, Greg Asner, MCT and the LBA Central Office at CPTEC LBA-ECO Project Johan Zweede and FFT NASA, US Forest Service, USAID, DFID, EMBRAPA

Estimation of Potential Nutrient Limitation: Selective Logging (30 m 3 removed each 30 y) [Nutrients in kg ha - 1 y -1 ] (*) Estimated maximum Mg owing to detection limit Data from Silver et al. 2000, Fernandes et al. 1997, & Williams et al. 1997