Preliminary investigations on insect pest attacks in a disturbed evergreen forest of south Cameroon

The study was carried out in a dense humid forest of South Cameroon on young and naturally regenerated trees of 24 timber and nontimber trees species. Evidence was obtained that none of the investigated tree species was immune to pest attack. Of the insect pests recorded, 34 were identified as pests for the first time in Cameroon. Attacks were most of the time negligible and in some cases were likely to be due to occasional generalist’s insects, especially defoliators for which seasonal effects were noticeable. Tree of less than 2 m in height suffered more damage in disturbed than in undisturbed forest from leaf eating, shoot boring and sap sucking attacks. Wood boring insect attacks were not common on young trees. These preliminary observations provided indications that insect pests may affect the success of sustainable timber production system for natural forests, thus highlighting the need for further investigations.