Increasing human occupation of the Brazilian Amazon has led to the intensification of
deforestation over the last 50 years. The present study is aimed at analysing the impacts of
the first year of slash-and-burn cultivation on soil physicochemical properties. Sampling was
done in 26 small-scale farms of the Tapajós River basin. In August 2004, soil samples were
collected from primary forest plots planned for slash-and-burn cultivation. In September
2005, 1 year after the initial burning and the beginning of cultivation, the same sites were re …