Impact of research trails on seedling dynamics in a tropical forest

We evaluated the impact of research access trails on adjacent seedling density, survival, and recruitment in a permanent tropical forest plot in Panama. Significant differences were detected up to 20 m from trails, indicating that data collected close to trails may be biased. However, observed effects were not substantial enough to affect plot-wide estimates of seedling dynamics, suggesting that research trail impacts are negligible when affected areas constitute only a small fraction of the total area sampled.