Testing a silvicultural recommendation: Brazil nut responses 10 years after liana cutting

Although liana cutting benefi ts for tropical timber management have been documented, benefi ts for non-timber forest product (NTFP) management have not. We tested the silvicultural recommendation that lianas should be cut from Brazil nut trees (Bertholletia excelsa) to improve host tree fecundity and thus, commercial nut yields. Our 10-year experiment was conducted where local harvesters collect Brazil nuts as part of their forest-based livelihoods. We cut 454 lianas from 78 of 138 host trees ≥50 cm DBH. Treated trees were better producers 3.5 years after liana cutting, and by years 9 and 10 produced three times more fruits than untreated trees. Number of lianas rooted within 5 m of the host tree explained production levels, suggesting both above- and belowground liana competition. Once host crowns were liana free, branch regrowth was highly visible, and crown reassessments suggested that liana cutting improved crown form. Liana cutting may induce non-producing trees to become producers and may circumvent mortality of heavily infested trees. Only lianas associated with Brazil nut trees should be cut to conserve liana ecosystem functions. Liana cutting could be applied to other tropical trees to boost NTFP fruit and seed production and increase host tree fecundity.Editado por: John A. Parrota; Cynthia F. Moser; Amy J. Scherzer; Nancy E. Koerth; Daryl R. Lederle