For the 0 and − 0.4 kPa soil water pressures, water retention was 14% greater and 9% greater for the logged areas versus the logging road and log landing areas averaged across all soil depths, respectively.
Bulk density was significantly greater (P < 0.01), and KSat was significantly lower (P < 0.01) under the logging road and log landing areas as compared to the logged area treatment.
For the macropores (> 1000 μm diameter) and coarse mesopores (60 to 1000 μm diameter) combined, values were 131% greater for the logged area compared to logging road and log landing areas within the 0 to 10 cm depth.
While the effects of logging gaps have been studied in detail, the impacts of road and log landing construction, and how the forest regenerates after such disturbances, remain poorly understood.
From this study, the methods used in the logged area appear to have caused small changes to soil physical and hydraulic properties; however, significant changes to these properties occurred for logging road and the log landing areas.
These companies, he says, have to build their own roads, re-forest logged lands, and pay the cost of planning their sales.
"The new roads open up the frontier for waves of unplanned and illegal logging, land colonization, and land speculation that is nearly impossible for the government to control," he said.
They described the cause as a combination of factors, from a hotter, drier climate in many places to logging, land clearing, changes in fire prevention and management policies, insect attacks and diseases.
Despite alleged illegal logging, land grabs, harassment and threats by police and government thugs, activists claim the ruling party's win in July of just 68 seats to the opposition's 55 means that Hun Sen, who has governed Cambodia for the past 28 years, may be softening, out of necessity, to the will of the people, in turn allowing environmental groups to gain strategic ground.
Montane forests are highly endangered due to logging, land-use and climate change.
