Monitoring the structure and ecological characterization in rainforest managed in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

In this study aspects of floristic composition were discussed, species diversity and diameter structure of a managed forest, in the county of Paragominas, Pará. The data were obtained in two transects of 100 x 900 m, corresponding to a sample area of 18 ha, measured on seven annual occasions. The trees were classified into two inclusion levels, Level 1: DBH ? 20 cm in plots of 100 x 100 m and Level 2: 10 cm < DBH ? 20 cm in subplots of 25 x 50 m. Shannon-Weaver’s index ranged from 3.97 to 4.03 nats ind-1 for Level 1 and 3.80 and 4.03 nats ind-1 for Level 2. The ecological groups composed of non-pioneer dominated the forest, both in terms of richness and density of trees. The results indicated that 10 years after the exploration, no significant changes were observed in the richness, diversity and diametric structure of the vegetation, possibly indicating that the forest when submitted to the sustainable forest management should maintain its characteristics near the forest not disturbed by the logging.