FOREST DAMAGE CAUSED BY SELECTION LOGGING OF MAHOGANY (SWIETENIA-MACROPHYLLA) IN NORTHERN BELIZE

We assessed the damage caused by selection logging of mahogany in a tr opical forest in northern Belize and compared it with damage reported in other Neotropical logging and disturbance studies. We mapped skid r oads and tree felling sites, and assessed soil compaction, loss of can opy cover, damage to saplings and trees, seedling survival and seedlin g height growth. Logging had been conducted using hand crews with chai n saws and cable skidders. Logging directly affected 11.9 ha (12.9%) o f the 92.3 ha logging area. Canopy cover decreased the most at logging gaps, and soils were most compacted on skid roads. Soil compaction wa s much greater on roads where more than one tree had been skidded. For the whole logged area, canopy cover declined 2% and compacted soils c overed 3.8% of the area. Seedling height growth was unaffected by soil compaction, but seedling survival was less on compacted sites. About 50% of the trees and about 15% of the saplings were damaged in gaps an d along skid roads. However, only 4.8% of the trees and 1.9% of the sa plings were damaged for the logged area as a whole. The most common ki nds of damage included scraped bark, snapped tops, and run-over stems. Although this logging operation had relatively low impacts compared w ith other logging operations in the Neotropics, it may not be silvicul turally sustainable because its disturbance may be insufficient to pro mote adequate mahogany regeneration.