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Abstract

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 6 4.44
Mg/ha and 252.92 6 7.00 Mg/ha (mean 6 SE), which was reduced by logging to 146.92 6 4.58
Mg/ha and 158.84 6 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 higherbiomass
region. Across the two regions logging resulted in a mean aboveground carbon loss of
35 6 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.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Bryan, JE and Shearman, P and Ash, J and Kirkpatrick, JB
Journal or Publication Title:	Ecological Applications
ISSN:	1051-0761
DOI / ID Number:	10.1890/09-1818.1
Additional Information:	Copyright © 2010 ESA
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