Regeneration Potential of Woody Species at the Side of Secondary Roads Post-Logging of Loundoungou-Toukoulaka Forest Management Unit, Republic of the Congo
Natural regeneration
is the basis of a dynamic and demographic balance of plant populations. The
objective of this study was to assess the natural regeneration potential of
woody species along secondary roads post-logging abandoned since 2008 and 2018.
In the two Annual Allowable Cuts (AAC 2008 and AAC 2018), 24 regenerating
sub-plots (i.e. 12 sub-plots for AAC 2008 and 12 sub-plots for AAC 2018)
with a unit area of 5 m × 5 m were delimited with a total area of 0.06 ha (i.e. 0.03 ha for each AAC). The abundance and diversity of woody species were
respectively inventoried and estimated. Two estimators of the specific richness
were used to estimate the floristic diversity of each Annual Allowable Cuts
(AAC). The results reveal globally 88 woody species in the AAC 2008 and 241
woody species in the AAC 2018, with respective average densities of 2933
stem/ha and 8033 stem/ha. There was a very highly significant difference
between the mean densities of the two AAC (Kruskal-Wallis test; H = 2.36,
p-value < 0.000). The results also highlight a great diversity and a
relatively high abundance of woody species in the 2018 AAC compared to the 2008
AAC. Also, the spatial structuring of the sub-plots on the basis of Principal
Component Analysis (PCA) demonstrates that the floristic composition of the two
AAC is globally different. The study suggests silvicultural interventions and
the long-term assessment of regenerating woody species along abandoned
secondary roads in order to guarantee the sustainable management of their
population.
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