| Content | Restoring degraded tropical forests is crucial to halt biodiversity loss and safeguard human well-being. The development of targeted and site-specific restoration strategies requires an in-depth understanding of the patterns and processes of structural and functional recovery of degraded tropical forests. While the detrimental impacts of unsustainable management practices on tropical forests have been studied intensively, the patterns and processes of forest recovery remain largely unknown, especially for African forests. This project focuses on the site-specific identification and analysis of structural and functional recovery following selective logging in the Budongo central forest reserve, Uganda. Against this background, we aim at identifying the long-term impacts of selective logging on the dynamics of tree species diversity, three-dimensional forest structure and carbon sequestration. Field research will be carried out in a network of permanent plots. To address the patterns and processes of structural and functional forest recovery, a total of 300 plots will be distributed along a time-since-logging gradient (30, 50, and 70 years since logging), each comprising 100 plots. Furthermore, 100 additional reference plots will be established within unlogged old-growth forest. In pursuit of the project's primary objectives, an extensive array of methodological strategies will be implemented. These encompass the utilisation of repeated terrestrial laser scanning to quantify the dynamics of three-dimensional forest structure, the installation of high-resolution dendrometer tapes for intra-annual and inter-annual tree growth monitoring, the conduct of repeated forest inventories, and soil analyses. The intended project's outcome is to provide comprehensive information on forest recovery rates that will subsequently be integrated into developing site-specific forest restoration, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem conservation strategies in collaboration with relevant local stakeholders. |
