Caractéristiques structurales et écologiques des populations d'espèces commerciales: une base pour la sylviculture dans les peuplements forestiers de Niaouli (Sud-Benin).

This study was carried out to provide silvicultura! guidance in the Niaouli forest (6°43'- 6°44'N and 2°07'- 2°08'E), Southern Benin, based on commercial species. Twenty-three 0.25 ha plots (50 m x 50 m) were set to characterize the structure and the ecology of these species' populations. Within each plot of 0.25 ha, three 100 m² sub-plots (10 m x 10 m) were set for the assessment of regeneration. A multidimensional scaling was performed with SPSS 16.0 on presence-absence data of species, and led to the identification of four forest stands. Overall, the number of species and their abundance in the stands were linked to the presence of water. Diameter structure and regeneration revealed that the populations of the studied species were not at equilibrium. The silvicultural interventions suggested to equilibrate them were as follows: enrichment of the forest stands with the studied species; removal of liana and clearing of the undergrowth to enable the germination of seeds and the growth of the seedlings of commercial species, and the protection of the forest from illegal logging by improving security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]