Ecological effects of harvesting in Victoria's native forests: quantification of research outputs

Abstract

Summary We quantified all research documents, released prior to mid-2002, that contain unique assessments of ecological effects of timber harvesting practices in the native commercial forests of Victoria. The frequency and diversity of research increased after the 1970s and particularly in the 1990s, consistent with trends in public demand for information. This, together with a strong correlation between research activity in each forest type and current volumes of extracted timber, reflected a strong management focus in forest research. Nonetheless, most studies were not part of large coordinated research programs (60% of documents), and spanned less than three years (61%). Studies were overwhelmingly conducted at the scale of individual sites (79%). Many documents were in the form of unpublished, internal reports (i.e. not externally and independently reviewed 38%). Categorisation by forest type, harvesting practice and biological response variables shows negligible to minimal research of current and recent harvesting practices in river red gum and box-ironbark forests. Categorisation also shows negligible to minimal research into the ecological effects of four current harvesting practices in high-elevation mixedspecies forest, and of non-standard practices in most forests. Studies of harvesting effects on the soil, water and physical environment are few in most forests, particularly for harvesting practices other than clearfelling. In contrast, traditional interests in tree regeneration and growth are more evenly represented across forests and practices. Considerable scope remains to increase the diversity of research on harvesting effects in native forests. We argue that studies should not be isolated but placed in broader contexts that increase research efficiency and data longevity, and enable objective assessment of ecological theories on harvesting effects.