Decline in Giant Tree Numbers: Status Report for Santa Catarina State and Perspectives for Brazil

ABSTRACT Loss of large trees due to indiscriminate timber cutting and opening of new areas for human use is a global problem. Brazil is well known for tree species richness within its extensive forested areas composed of various biomes. Giant trees are “key” to recognize the original forest structure. Decline of their populations in Brazil may be estimated by comparing data of the National Forest Inventory (NFI) with those of regional data and other surveys. In fact, Santa Catarina is the first state in Brazil to have currently completed its forest inventory. However, only few large trees were sampled systematically. Recognition of the maximum tree growth is important for their ecological management and tourism potential. Public policies for cataloging and management of these resources must be developed before it is too late.

摘要：因无节制采伐林木以及开辟新的人类活动用地而导致的大型乔木流失，是一个全球性问题。巴西拥有广袤且由多样生物群系（biome）构成的森林区域，其林木物种丰富度享誉全球。大型乔木是还原原始森林结构的“关键”标识。通过将国家森林清查（National Forest Inventory, NFI）数据与区域调研及其他普查数据进行对比，可估算巴西境内大型乔木种群的衰减情况。事实上，圣卡塔琳娜州是巴西目前首个完成全境森林清查的州份，但该州仅对少量大型乔木开展了系统抽样调查。明确乔木的最大生长量，对于其生态管理及旅游开发潜力评估均具有重要意义。相关部门必须尽快制定针对这类林木资源的编目与管理公共政策，以免错失时机。