Forest structure in harvested sites of Afromontane forest of Prunus africana [Hook.f.] Kalkm., in Bioko (Equatorial Guinea)

Prunus africana [Hook.f.] Kalkm. has been declining over much of its geographical range during the last 40 years because of unsustainable harvesting of its bark for the international medicinal trade. In Bioko Island, bark harvesting from natural stands began in 1994, but no sylvicultural management practices have been applied. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of bark harvesting in the Bioko Afromontane forest in terms of structure, tree composition and mortality as a first step to establishing sylvicultural practices. Forty one plots