Multi-stemming enhances tree survival and growth in Borneo’s logged forests

Abstract

Multi-stemmed architecture is a common but overlooked tree growth form in tropical rainforests. Although multi-stemming is thought to be a key trait for tree persistence after disturbance, the role of multi-stemmed trees in post-disturbance demographic processes has been largely unexplored in logged rainforests. Here, we used decade-long measurements on nearly 14,000 tree stems to study post-logging growth and survival along a logging disturbance gradient in Malaysian Borneo. We found that multi-stemming enhanced tree persistence after logging. Along the entire disturbance gradient, multi-stemmed trees suffered significantly lower mortality than single-stemmed trees, and survival strongly increased with the number of stems. Small to medium-sized trees with multiple stems showed greater growth than similar-sized single-stemmed trees, with the difference increasing as the disturbance increased. Our findings demonstrate the significance of multi-stemmed architecture after logging in Borneo’s rainforests and highlight the need to consider the multi-stemmed growth form in forest inventories and models of post-disturbance forest dynamics.