Abstract
Timber production is the most pervasive human impact on tropical forests, but studies of logging impacts have largely focused on timber species and vertebrates. This review focuses on the risk from invasive alien plant species, which has been frequently neglected in production forest management in the tropics. Our literature search resulted in 114 publications with relevant information, including books, book chapters, reports and papers. Examples of both invasions by aliens into tropical production forests and plantation forests as sources of invasions are presented. We discuss species traits and processes affecting spread and invasion, and silvicultural practices that favor invasions. We also highlight potential impacts of invasive plant species and discuss options for managing them in production forests. We suggest that future forestry practices need to reduce the risks of plant invasions by conducting surveillance for invasive species; minimizing canopy opening during harvesting; encouraging rapid canopy closure in plantations; minimizing the width of access roads; and ensuring that vehicles and other equipment are not transporting seeds of invasive species. Potential invasive species should not be planted within dispersal range of production forests. In invasive species management, forewarned is forearmed.
Highlights
IntroductionBrazil (520 million ha), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (154 million ha), and Indonesia (94 million ha) have the most tropical forest
Tropical forests, broadly defined, cover 1.66 billion hectares; 35% of the tropical land surface area [1].Brazil (520 million ha), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (154 million ha), and Indonesia (94 million ha) have the most tropical forest
A quarter of the total tropical forest area is designated as production forest, but only a fraction of this area is formally managed and an unknown proportion of tropical timber comes from areas that are not designated for production
Summary
Brazil (520 million ha), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (154 million ha), and Indonesia (94 million ha) have the most tropical forest. Most of this is natural forest, the area of forest plantations is increasing rapidly. A quarter of the total tropical forest area is designated as production forest, but only a fraction of this area is formally managed and an unknown proportion of tropical timber comes from areas that are not designated for production. Tropical forests supply an estimated 9% of the global demand for timber and wood products [2,3], and the production and processing of these makes a significant contribution to incomes and employment in many tropical countries. Current global concerns for tropical forests focus largely on carbon—they account for about half the total biomass carbon in the terrestrial biosphere and a third of global terrestrial carbon fluxes [4]—and biodiversity—they are believed to support more than half of global terrestrial biodiversity [5]
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