Abstract
Sal (Shorea robusta) forests, a dominant forest type in Nepal, experience different disturbance intensities depending on management regimes. This study compares the impact of disturbance on Nepalese Sal forests, which are managed on three major management regimes: protected area, state-managed forest, and buffer zone community forest. Using a systematic sampling approach, we sampled 20 plots, each covering 500 square meters, and nested plots within each main plot to measure pole and regeneration for each management regime. We recorded forest characteristics including tree species, counts, diameter, height, crown cover, and disturbance indicators. We compared forest attributes such as diversity indices, species richness, and stand structure by management regime using analysis of variance and regression analysis. The forest management regimes were classified into three disturbance levels based on disturbance factor bundles, and the buffer zone community forest was found to have the highest disturbance while the protected forest had the lowest disturbance. Species richness, diversity, evenness, abundance, density and basal area were higher, but regeneration was lower in protected area and state-managed forest compared to the buffer zone community forests. This suggests positive impacts of moderate disturbance on regeneration. The management plan should prioritize the minimization of excessive disturbance to balance forest conservation and provide forest resources to local users.
Highlights
We examined three different forest management regimes, namely, protected area forest (PAF), state-managed forest (SMF) and buffer zone community forest (BZCF), and categorized them into three levels based on respective disturbance bundles
This study found that structure, composition, regeneration, and diversity varied at different levels of disturbance, with higher values of forest attributes in mild and moderately disturbed forests compared to heavily disturbed forests
This suggests that a moderate level of disturbance can facilitate positive forest attributes more effectively than higher disturbance
Summary
Forest disturbances are events that change the structure and composition of the forest ecosystems, their functions, and resources availability in the ecosystems [1] Disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic in origin, vary in frequency and intensity in a changing ecosystem [2]. They are ecosystem processes that help to maintain the supply of ecosystem services and conservation of plant and wildlife populations [3]. They play an important role in maintaining plant diversity, influencing stand structure, and impacting regeneration of forest ecosystems [1,4,5,6]. They regulate forest dynamics and tree diversity at the local and regional scale [7,8]
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