Logging in bamboo-dominated forests in southwestern Amazonia: Caveats and opportunities for smallholder forest management Cara A. Rockwell a,⇑ , Karen A. Kainer a,b , Marcus Vinicio Neves d’Oliveira c , Christina L. Staudhammer d , Christopher Baraloto e,f a School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA b Center for Latin American Studies, Tropical Conservation and Development Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA c EMBRAPA-CPAF-Acre, BR 364 km 14, CEP 69901-180, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil d Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA e Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA f INRA, UMR ‘‘Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane’’, 97387 Kourou Cedex, French Guiana article info Article history: Received 3 September 2013 Received in revised form 14 December 2013 Accepted 18 December 2013 Available online 24 January 2014 Keywords: Bamboo Community forest management Guadua Logging Timber management Tropical forest abstract Guadua sarcocarpa and Guadua weberbaueri (Poaceae: Bambuseae) have a negative influence on tree regeneration and recruitment in bamboo-dominated forests of southwestern Amazonia. The lack of advanced regeneration and sparse canopy in this forest type present a considerable challenge for devel- oping sustainable timber management plans. We conducted field studies in the Porto Dias Agroextractive Settlement Project in Acre, Brazil to assess influences of logging in bamboo-dominated forest sites. Tax- onomic composition, stand structure, aboveground biomass, commercial timber volume, and commercial tree seedling and bamboo culm density were compared between five logged vs. unlogged sites in differ- ent landholdings, using modified 0.5 ha Gentry plots. No differences in taxonomic composition, above- ground biomass, adult and juvenile stem density, or woody seedling and bamboo culm density were detected between paired logged and unlogged sites. Commercial timber volume, however, was reduced by almost two-thirds in logged plots, suggesting that long-term timber management goals in this forest type are compromised since so few future crop trees remained onsite. Our findings indicate that in order to maximize local management objectives, community forest managers must approach logging in bam- boo-dominated forests with caution. We suggest an integration of non-timber forest product extraction with low harvest intensity and low-impact logging, tending of natural regeneration, and diversification of commercial species. Ó 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction There is substantial debate in the scientific community on ex- actly what constitutes ‘‘sustainable timber management’’ in the tropics, since many large trees are often removed in the first har- vest cycle (Rice et al., 1997; Bowles et al., 1998; Pearce et al., 2003; Sist and Ferreira, 2007; Zarin et al., 2007). Particularly chal- lenging are forests that differ from the idealistic tall, closed-canopy stands of trees (e.g., Mostacedo et al., 1998; Toledo et al., 2001), for which many current logging guidelines were developed (see Pinard et al., 1995; Dykstra and Heinrich, 1996). Forests prone to distur- bances (wind damage, fire, logging), or characterized by a discon- tinuous canopy, create ideal settings for aggressive pioneer plants, such as lianas (Putz, 1991; Gerwing, 2001; Schnitzer et al., 2000), or bamboos (Griscom and Ashton, 2006; Veldman et al., 2009; Larpkern et al., 2011; Medeiros et al., 2013), potentially limiting regeneration and recruitment of commercially valuable tree species. As such, the likelihood of high-grading, or removal of the majority of desirable commercial stems, is increased. Espe- cially for locally rare species, e.g., Tabebuia spp. and Hymenaea courbaril (Bignonaceae and Fabaceae, respectively; Schulze et al., 2008a), or those exhibiting slow growth rates, e.g., Tabebuia spp. (Schulze et al., 2008b), residual stand recovery may take many dec- ades (Zarin et al., 2007). Dauber et al. (2005) determined that even with a low harvest intensity (11.8 m 3 ha 1 ) and implementation of reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques, only 22% of the original harvest volume will be replaced in 25 years in a liana-dominated forest in Bolivia. While a recent global meta-analysis of more than 100 case studies estimated a doubling of these replacement volumes to an average 54% for the next harvest (Putz et al., 2012), it is clear that recovery of tropical timber volumes under current cutting cycles is not feasible. 0378-1127/$ - see front matter Ó 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.12.022 ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 352 846 2156. E-mail address: rockwell_cara@yahoo.com (C.A. Rockwell). Forest Ecology and Management 315 (2014) 202–210 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Ecology and Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco