Evaluation of Forest Recovery over Time and Space Using Permanent Plots Monitored over 30 Years in a Jamaican Montane Rain Forest

BACKGROUND

An easily calculated recovery index would be of great value to studies of succession and restoration. The authors discuss the development of a new recovery index to assess the recovery of tropical forests after severe human disturbances. This index addresses current indices' limitations by incorporating the number and size of individuals within a community. The authors also propose a method for assessing recovery over time and space using permanent plots monitored over 30 years in the Jamaican montane forest. This provides more accurate estimates of forest conservation status.

GOALS AND METHODS:

The paper aims to develop a more accurate recovery index for tropical forests that incorporates both the number and size of individual trees to assess forest recovery over time and space. The study uses permanent sample plots in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica to compare forest recovery over 24-35 years by assessing species composition, stem density, and basal area, using a new recovery index based on Bray-Curtis similarity indices.

CONCLUSIONS AND TAKEAWAYS:

The research concludes that the proposed Tanner index, which combines stem density and basal area, offers a more precise assessment of forest recovery, reducing overestimations provided by existing indices. It also demonstrates that tropical montane forests in Jamaica recover slowly from disturbances due to factors like soil fertility and historical land use, highlighting the importance of incorporating these variables into recovery assessments.