Megan Sullivan
Selective logging has clear impacts on forests: trees of a specified size range of selected high-value timber species are removed from the forest, with the associated disturbances of tree-fall gaps, skid trails, and access roads. Forests may undergo profound shifts on composition, structure, and function as a result. Whether these shifts persist years after cutting to impact lasting change remains unclear. Disentangling the various impacts of logging requires careful analysis. Critically, we need to better understand the processes affecting forest regeneration in both natural and human-dominated landscapes to develop management strategies that encourage sustainable forest use and preserve long-term forest ecosystem function through a matrix of strict protection and human land-use. To address this need, I will examine the impact of selective logging on seedling taxonomic and functional diversity, through the establishment and monitoring of 150 long-term vegetation plots. I will monitor the growth and survival of seedlings, saplings, and adult trees over 2 years as a window into dynamics of tree community composition and function over time.