Selective logging in the Amazon rainforest

Selective logging or partial forest removal is the practice of cutting down one or two species of trees while leaving the rest intact. Selactive logging is often considered a better alternative to clear cutting in which a large area of a forest is cut down, leaving little behind except wood debris and a deforested landscape. Selective logging in the Brazilian Amazon was recently shown in analyses of Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus data at high spatial resolution to be occurring at rates of about 12,000–20,000 km2 per year, thus indicating the central role of selective logging in tropical forest disturbance.Although selective logging has a far less impact on forest processes than deforestation, selectively logged sites experience higher rates of forest fires,tree fall, changes in microclimate, soil compaction and erosion, among other impacts.