Permanent forest plot
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Tropical Forest Ecology
A permanent sample plot in the former Kwamkoro Forest Reserve, now part of the Amani Nature Reserve, has been established. The site is situated at 1050 m close to the top of a hill on a gentle slope. The area was first surveyed in 1987.
The L-shaped map depicts the distribution of large trees and
the pattern and relative age of treefalls in the permanent sample
plot.
The vertical part of the L shows a ten year-old gap created by
Newtonia buchananii, felled in 1978 by pit-sawing. The Newtonia
knocked two other large trees during its fall. The stump of the cut
tree is at the top and the pit is just below. Note that timber from the
felled tree was only harvested up to the first stem fork. The
horizontal part of the L depicts the pattern of natural treefalls in
undisturbed forest.
The photograph shows the gap created by the felled Newtonia buchananii. View taken from where the tip of the crown landed looking towards the stump. The gap contained a mixture of knocked down trees, dead standing trees as well as damaged standing individuals. The large leafed tree in the left foreground is Polyscias fulva, immediately behind is a Maesopsis eminii; both light-demanding species which became established after the gap was created by the treefalls (Photograph by A.C. Hamilton, March 1987).
The site was revisited in 2006 and an updated report has been produced. It highlights the changes that have occurred over the past three decades.
