Positive effects of liana cutting on seedlings are reduced during El Niño-induced drought

1. Liana cutting is a management practice currently applied to encourage seedling regeneration and tree growth in some logged tropical forests. However, there is limited empirical evidence of its effects on forest demographic rates in Southeast Asia.
2. We used 22 four-hectare plots in the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment (a reduced impact logging site) enrichment line planted with 16 dipterocarp species to assess the effects of complete liana cutting on tree growth and survival. We compared plots where lianas were only cut along planting lines (standard enrichment line planting) with those with one (2014) or two rounds (2011 and 2014) of complete liana cutting.
3. We found increased seedling growth following the first complete liana cut in 2011 relative to the enrichment line planting, consistent with previous studies. The response after three years to the cutting in 2014 depended on whether lianas had been previously cut or not: in twice-cut plots, seedling growth was not significantly...