Secondary forest structure and biomass following short and extended land-use in central and southern Amazonia

Abstract

A study was conducted on the effect of extended land-use on secondary forest biomass accumulation in the Amazon. Structural measurements were made in a series of secondary forest stands, from 4–30 y old, in Brazil and Bolivia. Half of the stands were forest regrowth following clearance and only 1 y of cultivation; the other half were regrowth following 4 y or more of continuous pasture in Brazil and three or more rotations of medium-fallow agriculture in Bolivia. Above-ground live biomass was estimated using published allometric equations. Total biomass ranged from 17 to 207 Mg ha⁻¹. Biomass of pioneer trees was poorly related to stand age, while that of later-successional trees increased linearly with age. Total biomass accumulation in Bolivia averaged 5.4 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ over the entire age sequence. Biomass accumulation for regrowth following short-term use was not greater than that for regrowth following medium-fallow agriculture. In Brazil, biomass accumulation averaged 9.1 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ over the first 12 y of regrowth and 5.9 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ over the entire age sequence. Biomass accumulation was significantly slower, around 5.0 Mg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹, for regrowth following continuous pasture than for regrowth following 1 y of cultivation.