Pericopsis elata (Harms) Meeuwen in Cameroon: Ecological Check-up of an Endangered Timber Species

Pericopsis elata (Fabaceae – assamela, afrormosia, kokrodua) is a high valued timber species of the moist semi deciduous African forests. Because of logging which started more than 50 years ago, it is considered as threatened and included on both IUCN Red List and CITES Appendix II. Nevertheless, there is still little information available on the species ecology: essential biological parameters controlling its population dynamics remain unknown.

Our study first aims at improving the knowledge of its main ecological parameters, then at assessing the impact of selective logging on its populations in a forest management unit in Cameroon (ca 120,000 ha). After inventorying the species (sampling rate of 1.2%), mortality and growth were assessed over continuous 5 and 2-year periods in unlogged and logged areas, respectively. Phenology was monitored in the unlogged forest during 5 years (leaf shedding and flushing, flowering, ripe and unripe fruiting).

The population structure followed a bell-shaped curve. Mean annual diameter increments in both environments did not differ significantly between unlogged and logged areas (0.29±0.06 0.31±0.04 cm for unlogged and logged areas, respectively). P. elata is a deciduous species that flowers at the end of the main dry season (Marsh-April). The minimum reproduction and effective flowering diameters were, respectively, 32 and 37 cm. Fruit maturation took place during 7 months (the seed rain occurs in December-January), but all unripe fruits abort 3 years out of 5.

With a minimum logging diameter of 90 cm, the recovery rate computed over a 30-year period was greater than 100%. Selective logging harvested only 12.1% of the total number of seed trees and had little influence on the species biological parameters. Securing sufficient regeneration as a post-logging action is probably the most important consideration for achieving long-term sustainability.