logging; selective logging; canopy opening; canopy gaps; Central Africa; exploitation forestière; ouverture de canopée; logging damage; dégât d'exploitation; Bassin du Congo; UAV; Drone; Intensité d'exploitation; Logging intensity; Upscaling
Abstract :
[en] Abstract
A third of the forest area in Central Africa has been granted to logging companies. Logging is highly selective in the region, with an average of 0.7 to 4.0 trees harvested per ha, but its direct impact on forest structure and the spatial variation of this impact remain understudied. Here, we investigated the direct impact of logging on forest structure, we related this impact to logging intensity and canopy opening. We compiled unique datasets collecting field measurements and aerial observations in four FSC certified concessions. Our data includes pre- and post-logging inventory of forest plots covering 38 ha, records of over 6,000 harvested trees, and drone RGB images covering over 6,000 ha.;In average, logging activities reduced forest above-ground biomass by 8.8%, stem density by 6.5%, basal-area by 8.5% and canopy cover by 4.4%. Strong relationships were found between the reduction in biomass, stem density, or basal area with logging intensity, canopy opening and the number and volume of harvested trees (rRMSE between 0.128 and 0.164). Additionally, we demonstrated that canopy opening can be a good indicator to monitor and upscale logging intensity (rRMSE between 0.0005 and 0.0022). This study is the first covering extensive inventory plots and UAV (uninhabited aerial vehicle) images before and after logging in different locations in Central Africa, providing a valuable reference to evaluate the impact of logging on forest structure. It demonstrates how canopy opening can be used to estimate measurements usually collected in the field and provides to the remote sensing community a unique dataset that will help improving monitoring systems (https://hdl.handle.net/2268/323683). These findings also have significant implications to control and manage logging activities, especially for certification standards, forest administrations, and European regulations
Disciplines :
Agriculture & agronomy Phytobiology (plant sciences, forestry, mycology...) Environmental sciences & ecology Life sciences: Multidisciplinary, general & others Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Dupuis, Chloé ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre
Ligot, Gauthier ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières
Bastin, Jean-François ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Biodiversité, Ecosystème et Paysage (BEP)
Lejeune, Philippe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières
Doucet, Jean-Louis ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières
Rossi, Vivien
Fayolle, Adeline ; Université de Liège - ULiège > TERRA Research Centre > Gestion des ressources forestières
Language :
English
Title :
Scaling up the assessment of logging's impact on forest structure in Central Africa using field and UAV data
Alternative titles :
[fr] Ouverture de canopée causée par l'exploitation du bois en Afrique Centrale
Programme de Promotion de l'Exploitation Certifiée des Forêts
Funders :
Région Occitanie Pyrénées-Méditerranée ERDF - European Regional Development Fund FFEM - French Facility for Global Environment ULiège - University of Liège
Eba’a Atyi R Richard F H H Lescuyer G Mayaux P Defourny P Bayol N Saracco F Pokem D Sufo Kankeu R Nasi R 2022 The forests of the Congo Basin: state of the forests 2021 The Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forests 2021 CIFOR 10.17528/cifor/008700
BAD 2018 Rapport Stratégique Régional—Deéveloppement Inteégreé et Durable de La Filière Bois Dans Le Bassin Du Congo : opportunités, Défis et Recommmandations Opérationnelles Vision Stratégique et Industrialisation de La Filière Bois En Afrique Centrale Hori
Bastin J F et al 2018 Pan-tropical prediction of forest structure from the largest trees Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 27 1366 83 1366-83 10.1111/geb.12803
Bauwens S Ploton P Fayolle A Ligot G Loumeto J J Lejeune P Gourlet-Fleury S 2021 A 3D approach to model the taper of irregular tree stems: making plots biomass estimates comparable in tropical forests Ecol. Appl. 31 1 12 1-12 10.1002/eap.2451
Bayas L et al 2022 Drivers of tropical forest loss between 2008 and 2019 Sci. Data 9 1 8 1-8 10.1038/s41597-022-01227-3
Bourgoin C et al 2020 UAV-based canopy textures assess changes in forest structure from long-term degradation Ecol. Indic. 115 106386 10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106386
Castillo G V B de Freitas L J M Almeida Cordeiro V Orellana J B P Reategui-Betancourt J L Nagy L Matricardi E A T 2022 Assessment of selective logging impacts using UAV, Landsat, and Sentinel data in the Brazilian Amazon J. Appl. Remote Sens. 16 014526 10.1117/1.JRS.16.014526
Chave J et al 2014 Improved allometric models to estimate the aboveground biomass of tropical trees Glob. Change Biol. 20 3177 90 3177-90 10.1111/gcb.12629
Chave J et al 2019 Ground data are essential for biomass remote sensing missions Surv. Geophys. 40 863 80 863-80 10.1007/s10712-019-09528-w
Cledat E Jospin L V Cucci D A Skaloud J 2020 Mapping quality prediction for RTK/PPK-equipped micro-drones operating in complex natural environment ISPRS J. Photogramm. Remote Sens. 167 24 38 24-38 10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2020.05.015
de Madron D Luc B F Dipapoundji B 2000 Dégats d’exploitation et de Débardage En Fonction de l’intensité d’exploitation En Forêt Dense Humide d’Afrique Centrale Bois For. Trop. 264 57 60 57-60 10.19182/bft2000.264.a20052
Doucet J L Lambert Kouadio Y Monticelli D Lejeune P 2009 Enrichment of logging gaps with moabi (Baillonella toxisperma Pierre) in a Central African rain forest For. Ecol. Manage. 258 2407 15 2407-15 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.08.018
Dupuis C et al 2024 Scaling up the assessment of logging’s impact on forest structure in Central Africa using field and UAV data: dataset (available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2268/323683)
Dupuis C Fayolle A François Bastin J Latte N Lejeune P 2023 Monitoring selective logging intensities in Central Africa with sentinel-1: a canopy disturbance experiment Remote Sens. Environ. 298 113828 10.1016/j.rse.2023.113828
Dupuis C Lejeune P Michez A Fayolle A 2020 How can remote sensing help monitor tropical moist forest degradation?—A systematic review Remote Sens. 12 1087 10.3390/RS12071087
Eliott M Hérault B Piponiot C Derroire G Delgado D Finegan B Aubry Kientz M Amani B H K Ange Ngo Bieng M 2023 A common framework to model recovery in disturbed tropical forests: common model for disturbed forest recovery Ecol. Modelling 483 110418 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110418
Fayolle A et al 2018 A regional allometry for the Congo Basin forests based on the largest ever destructive sampling For. Ecol. Manage. 430 228 40 228-40 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.07.030
Fayolle A Jopaul Loubota Panzou G Drouet T Swaine M D Bauwens S Vleminckx J Biwole A Lejeune P Louis Doucet J 2016 Taller trees, denser stands and greater biomass in semi-deciduous than in evergreen lowland Central African forests For. Ecol. Manage. 374 42 50 42-50 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.04.033
Fayolle A Picard N Louis Doucet J Swaine M Bayol N Bénédet F Gourlet-Fleury S 2014 A new insight in the structure, composition and functioning of Central African moist forests For. Ecol. Manage. 329 195 205 195-205 10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.014
Gillet J-F 2013 Les Forets a Marantaceae Au Sein De La Mosaïque Forestiere Du Nord De La Republique Du Congo : origines Et Modalites De Gestion Communaute Francaise De Belgique Academie Universitaire Wallonie-Europe Universite De Liege— Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech
Gourlet-Fleury S Mortier F Fayolle A Baya F Ouédraogo D Bénédet F Picard N 2013 Tropical forest recovery from logging: a 24 year silvicultural experiment from Central Africa Phil. Trans. R. Soc.B 368 1 10 1-10 10.1098/rstb.2012.0302
Guitet S Pithon S Brunaux O Jubelin G Gond V 2012 Impacts of logging on the canopy and the consequences for forest management in French Guiana For. Ecol. Manage. 277 124 31 124-31 10.1016/j.foreco.2012.04.011
Heinrich V H A et al 2023 The carbon sink of secondary and degraded humid tropical forests Nature 615 436 42 436-42 10.1038/s41586-022-05679-w
Henry M et al 2013 GlobAllomeTree: international platform for tree allometric equations to support volume, biomass and carbon assessment IForest 6 326 30 326-30 10.3832/ifor0901-006
Hirsh F Jourget J-G Feintrenie L Bayol N Atyi R E 2013 Projet Pilote REDD+ de La Lukénie (available at: www.cifor.org/publications/pdf_files/WPapers/WP111Atyi.pdf)
Kleinschroth F Laporte N Laurance W F Goetz S J Ghazoul J 2019 Road expansion and persistence in forests of the Congo Basin Nat. Sustain. 2 628 34 628-34 10.1038/s41893-019-0310-6
Larjavaara M Muller‐Landau H C Metcalf J 2013 Measuring tree height: a quantitative comparison of two common field methods in a moist tropical forest Meth. Ecol. Evol. 4 793 801 793-801 10.1111/2041-210X.12071
Ligot G Dubart N Tchowo Hapi M Bauwens S Doucet J-L Fayolle A 2019 Réviser Les Tarifs de Cubage Pour Prendre En Compte l’évolution de La Ressource Au Cameroun Bois For. Trop. 338 57 10.19182/bft2018.338.a31677
Lisein J Pierrot-Deseilligny M Bonnet S Lejeune P 2013 A photogrammetric workflow for the creation of a forest canopy height model from small unmanned aerial system imagery Forests 4 922 44 922-44 10.3390/f4040922
McNicol I M Mitchard E T A Aquino C Burt A Carstairs H Dassi C Modinga Dikongo A Disney M I 2021 To what extent can UAV photogrammetry replicate UAV LiDAR to determine forest structure? A test in two contrasting tropical forests J. Geophys. Res. 126 1 17 1-17 10.1029/2021JG006586
Medjibe V P Putz F E Romero C 2013 Certified and uncertified logging concessions compared in Gabon: changes in stand structure, tree species, and biomass Environ. Manage. 51 524 40 524-40 10.1007/s00267-012-0006-4
Medjibe V P Putz F E Starkey M P Ndouna A A Memiaghe H R 2011 Impacts of selective logging on above-ground forest biomass in the Monts de Cristal in Gabon For. Ecol. Manage. 262 1799 806 1799-806 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.07.014
Molto Q Rossi V Blanc L Freckleton R 2013 Error propagation in biomass estimation in tropical forests Meth. Ecol. Evol. 4 175 83 175-83 10.1111/j.2041-210x.2012.00266.x
Ngueguim J R Gatchui H C Ayobami S T Orimoogunje O O 2009 Evaluation of logging impacts on tropical rainforest in Eastern Cameroon using Remote Sensing and GIS techniques Int. J. Bio. Chem. Sci. 3 771 85 771-85 10.4314/ijbcs.v3i4.47163
Ota T Ahmed O S Thu S Cin T Mizoue N Yoshida S 2019 Estimating selective logging impacts on aboveground biomass in tropical forests using digital aerial photography obtained before and after a logging event from an unmanned aerial vehicle For. Ecol. Manage. 433 162 9 162-9 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.058
Ouédraogo D Y Beina D Picard N Mortier F Baya F Gourlet-Fleury S 2011 Thinning after selective logging facilitates floristic composition recovery in a tropical rain forest of Central Africa For. Ecol. Manage. 262 2176 86 2176-86 10.1016/j.foreco.2011.08.009
Loubota G J Fayolle A Feldpausch T R Ligot G Doucet J-L Forni E Zombo I Mazengue M Loumeto J-J Gourlet-Fleury S 2018 What controls local-scale aboveground biomass variation in Central Africa ? Testing structural, composition and architectural attributes For. Ecol. Manage. 429 570 8 570-8 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.07.056
Peña-Claros M et al 2008 Beyond reduced-impact logging: silvicultural treatments to increase growth rates of tropical trees For. Ecol. Manage. 256 1458 67 1458-67 10.1016/j.foreco.2007.11.013
Pérez M R et al 2005 Logging in the Congo Basin: a multi-country characterization of timber companies For. Ecol. Manage. 214 221 36 221-36 10.1016/j.foreco.2005.04.020
Picard N Gourlet-Fleury S 2008 Manuel de Référence Pour l’installation de Dispositifs Permanents En Forêt de Production Dans Le Bassin Du Congo Comifac p 265 (available at: http://hal.cirad.fr/cirad-00339816/)
Pinard M A Putz F E Tay J Sullivan T E 1995 Guidelines for a reduced-impact logging project in Malaysia J. For. 93 41 45 41-45 10.1093/jof/93.10.41
Quentin G du Jardin P White L J T Lassois L Louis Doucet J 2022 Gabon’s green gold: a bibliographical review of thirty years of research on Okoumé (Aucoumea Klaineana Pierre) Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ. 26 30 42 30-42 10.25518/1780-4507.19458
Reiche J et al 2021 Forest disturbance alerts for the Congo Basin using Sentinel-1 Environ. Res. Lett. 16 024005 10.1088/1748-9326/abd0a8
Réjou-Méchain M et al 2019 Upscaling forest biomass from field to satellite measurements: sources of errors and ways to reduce them Surv. Geophys. 40 881 911 881-911 10.1007/s10712-019-09532-0
Réjou-Méchain M et al 2021 Unveiling African rainforest composition and vulnerability to global change Nature 593 90 94 90-94 10.1038/s41586-021-03483-6
Réjou-Méchain M Tanguy A Piponiot C Chave J Hérault B 2017 Biomass: an R package for estimating above-ground biomass and its uncertainty in tropical forests Meth. Ecol. Evolut. 8 1163 7 1163-7 10.1111/2041-210X.12753
Rutishauser E et al 2015 Rapid tree carbon stock recovery in managed Amazonian forests Curr. Biol. 25 R787 88 R787-88 10.1016/j.cub.2015.07.034
Saiful I Latiff A 2019 Canopy gap dynamics and effects of selective logging: a study in a primary hill dipterocarp forest in Malaysia J. Trop. For. Sci. 31 175 88 175-88 10.26525/jtfs2019.31.2.175188
Sanchez-Azofeifa A Antonio Guzmán J Campos C A Castro S Garcia-Millan V Nightingale J Rankine C 2017 Twenty-first century remote sensing technologies are revolutionizing the study of tropical forests Biotropica 49 604 19 604-19 10.1111/btp.12454
Sist P 2000 Reduced-impact logging in the tropics : objectives, principles and impacts Int. For. Rev. 2 3 10 3-10
Sist P Nguyen-Thé N 2002 Logging damage and the subsequent dynamics of a dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan (1990-1996) For. Ecol. Manage. 165 85 103 85-103 10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00649-1
Sist P Piponiot C Kanashiro M Pena-Claros M Putz F E Schulze M Verissimo A Vidal E 2021 Sustainability of Brazilian forest concessions For. Ecol. Manage. 496 119440 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119440
Sullivan M J P et al 2018 Field methods for sampling tree height for tropical forest biomass estimation Methods Ecol. Evol. 9 1179 89 1179-89 10.1111/2041-210X.12962
Takasu T Yasuda A 2009 Development of the low-cost RTKGPS receiver with an open source program package RTKLIB Int. Symp. on GPS/GNSS 4-6 November International Convention Center
Tritsch I Le Velly G Mertens B Meyfroidt P Sannier C Sylvestre Makak J Houngbedji K 2020 Do forest-management plans and FSC certification help avoid deforestation in the Congo Basin? Ecol. Econ. 175 106660 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106660
Tyukavina A Hansen M C Potapov P Parker D Okpa C Stehman S V Kommareddy I Turubanova S 2018 Congo Basin forest loss dominated by increasing smallholder clearing Sci. Adv. 4 1 12 1-12 10.1126/sciadv.aat2993
Umunay P M Gregoire T G Gopalakrishna T Ellis P W Putz F E 2019 Selective logging emissions and potential emission reductions from reduced-impact logging in the Congo Basin For. Ecol. Manage. 437 360 71 360-71 10.1016/j.foreco.2019.01.049
Van Hoef Y Doucet J-L Fayolle A 2019 Installation d’un Dispositif Permanent de Suivi de La Dynamique Forestière Au Gabon Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liege
Vancutsem C Achard F Pekel J F Vieilledent G Carboni S Simonetti D Gallego J Aragão L E O C Nasi R 2021 Long-term (1990-2019) monitoring of forest cover changes in the humid tropics Sci. Adv. 7 1 22 1-22 10.1126/sciadv.abe1603
Welsink A Reiche J de Sy V Carter S Slagter B Suarez D R Batros B Peña-Claros M Herold M 2023 Towards the use of satellite-based tropical forest disturbance alerts to assess selective logging intensities Environ. Res. Lett. 18 054023 10.1088/1748-9326/acd018
