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Greenhouse-gas emissions resulting from logging are poorly quantified across the tropics. There is a need for robust measurement of rain forest biomass and the impacts of logging from which carbon losses can be reliably estimated at regional and global scales. We used a modified Bitterlich plotless technique to measure aboveground live biomass at six unlogged and six logged rain forest areas (coupes) across two ;3000-ha regions at the Makapa concession in lowland Papua New Guinea. ‘‘Reduced-impact logging’’ is practiced at Makapa. We found the mean unlogged aboveground biomass in the two regions to be 192.96 6 4.44 Mg/ha and 252.92 6 7.00 Mg/ha (mean 6 SE), which was reduced by logging to 146.92 6 4.58 Mg/ha and 158.84 6 4.16, respectively. Killed biomass was not a fixed proportion, but varied with unlogged biomass, with 24% killed in the lower-biomass region, and 37% in the higherbiomass region. Across the two regions logging resulted in a mean aboveground carbon loss of 35 6 2.8 Mg/ha. The plotless technique proved efficient at estimating mean aboveground biomass and logging damage. We conclude that substantial bias is likely to occur within biomass estimates derived from single unreplicated plots.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	aboveground biomass; degradation; logging impact; Papua New Guinea; selective logging;
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Environmental management
Research Field:	Conservation and biodiversity
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean environments
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Bryan, J (Ms Jane Bryan)
UTAS Author:	Kirkpatrick, JB (Professor James Kirkpatrick)
ID Code:	66580
Year Published:	2010
Web of Science® Times Cited:	20
Deposited By:	Geography and Environmental Studies
Deposited On:	2011-02-02
Last Modified:	2011-03-28
Downloads:	690 View Download Statistics