Even-aged silviculture in tropical rainforests of Asia: Lessons learned and myths perpetuated

Abstract

In the past three decades tropical rainforests of the Far East have been managed using systems based almost exclusively on cutting cycles. Much recent research concerning this management approach has focused on reducing logging impacts on the residual forest. Evidence from historical records and research suggests that in certain circumstances shelterwood systems and their variants that provide both structural and age-class diversity can be appropriate. We give examples of such systems in India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia.