The effect of additional silvicultural treatments (i.e., liana cutting
and girdling of competing trees) on species-specific growth rates
was larger than expected for tropical dry forests. Models simulating
an improvement in growing conditions of FCTs in Bolivian dry
forests predicted that species-specific growth rates would increase
on average by 22% (Dauber et al., 2005). In contrast, we found that
when FCTs of commercial and potentially commercial species were
liberated from lianas and overtopping competitors, their growth
rates increased on average by 58% (Table 3). The higher growth rates
observed suggest a greater potential recovery of harvestable volume
in the next cutting cycle than predicted by Dauber et al. (2005) if
silvicultural treatments are applied. It is also worth mentioning that
the application of additional silvicultural treatments to FCTs results
in higher increments in the dry forest (58%) than in themoist forest
(46%; Pen˜a-Claros et al., 2008), whichwas not expected considering
the fact that dry forests are exposed to longer periods of drought
than moist forests.
Silvicultural treatments have positive effects on growth rates of
FCTs not only in humid forests but also in tropical dry forests. Using
reduced-impact logging techniques to assure reduce damage to the
residual stand coupled with the liberation of FCTs from lianas and
overtopping non-merchantable trees will lead to higher recovery
rates of timber volume for the next cutting cycle.