Tropical Moist Forest Silviculture and Management: A History of Success and Failure

Silviculture in tropical forests has a long history going back many centuries and active management for timber production began about two hundred years ago. There is therefore a considerable body of evidence regarding both sustainable and destructive forestry practices in these forests, the future of which is the subject of one of the great scientific and public debates of the late twentieth century. Based on fifty years experience by each author and extensive research of the literature, this book provides information, much of which was previously not widely available, on the development of silvicultural systems in tropical moist forest (a broad term which encompasses many forest types). The book begins by tracing the early history and goes on to describe the later, more technical phases and the growth of global exploitation. Examples from many countries are described in detail, considering all aspects including the economic, ecological and social implications. It is the aim of the authors to demonstrate that sustainable timber production in many of these forests is not only possible, but the techniques necessary have been known to foresters for many decades. This book is essential reading for forest managers in the tropics, advanced students and researchers in forestry and ecology concerned with natural resource management and will also be of interest to economists, policy makers and environmentalists