Open access copy available
Cultural Assessment of Reforestation Practices in Rural Eastern ParaguaybackgroundThis master's thesis examines reforestation projects in eastern Paraguay with the aim of improving the methods of agroforestry extensionists. It describes the geography and historical background of Paraguay, including information on economic and environmental problems. It then provides a detailed site description of the study community and reforestation programs in rural Paraguay generally. Open access copy available |
An Ethnographic Study of Tree-Planting Successes and Failures by Small Farmers in ParaguaybackgroundThis thesis outlines the characteristics of farmers that successfully implement forestry projects in eastern Paraguay. The work begins by providing background information on the geographical, political, and social aspects of Paraguay and the focal community, as well as a summary of the literature on agroforestry. Open access copy available |
Applied Nucleation as a Forest Restoration StrategybackgroundTo combat deforestation and restore forest cover quickly and efficiently, this article proposes the use of applied nucleation as a restoration strategy. The article reviews research to date on applied nucleation, which is a method for restoring degraded landscapes in which small clusters of shrubs and trees are planted to encourage natural forest regeneration. Open access copy available |
Addressing Forest Degradation and Timber Deficits in GhanabackgroundThis report combines the efforts of several studies to present suggestions for best practices in Ghanaian tree plantation systems in the context of the country’s 1996 Forest Development Master Plan, which aimed to reforest 10,000 hectares per year for 20 years. Both public and private plantation systems are discussed, including the country’s Modified Taungya System (MTS)which encourages small-scale plantations. The report presents information on planting schemes, policies, stakeholders, and worker income. Open access copy available |
Forest Recovery after Swidden Cultivation across a 40-year Chronosequence in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, BrazilbackgroundSecondary forest with a range of ages was compared to old growth forest in the Serra do Conduru State Park in Southern Bahia, Brazil in terms of species composition and structure. Open access copy available |
Plantaciones forestales con especies nativas: Una alternativa para la producción de madera y la provisión de servicios ambientales (Native species tree plantations: and alternative for wood production and environmental services)Se presenta un panorama general del desarrollo de las actividades de plantaciones forestales en Costa Rica, así como algunos resultados de ensayos de rehabilitación de áreas degradadas con especies forestales nativas en la Estación Biológica La Selva. Durante 12 años, se midió anualmente el crecimiento y la producción de biomasa aérea de doce especies nativas en rodales mixtos y puros, como asi también la fertilidad del suelo bajo plantaciones puras de cuatro especies forestales nativas. La mezcla de especies mostro la mayor productividad volumétrica, estadísticamente superior a las especies en plantaciones puras. Open access copy available |
Domesticación de cedro y caoba en la Península de Yucatán, México: Experiencias en el mejoramiento del germoplasma forestal (Domestication of cedar and mahogany in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: Experiences in improving forest germplasm)EspañolAntecedentesExiste un déficit en la oferta de madera de caoba que pudiera ser parcialmente remediado a través del control del barrenador de brotes. Open access copy available |
The Ecophysiology of Pioneer Tree Species in Relation to their Disturbance Ecology in a Wet Lowland Rainforest, Sri LankaBackgroundThis dissertation evaluates pioneers species and their response to light availability and disturbance characteristics in the Shorea-Mesua vegetation type (an aseasonal, mixed dipterocarp forest) around the Sinharaja World Heritage Forest Reserve in southwest Sri Lanka. Open access copy available |
Kibale National Park Rehabilitation ProjectBackgroundKibale National Park is one of the last remaining tracks of tropical forest in Uganda. It provides great environmental benefits, specifically serving as a home to large populations of primates. The Kibale National Park Rehabilitation Project seeks to protect these benefits. Open access copy available |
Principles and Practice of Forest Landscape Restoration: Case Studies from the Drylands of Latin AmericabackgroundDryland forests cover nearly 30% of the surface of the earth and are of global importance for biodiversity and human livelihoods.Many dryland forest ecosystems have been destroyed or highly degraded due to unsustainable land-use practices, including livestock ranging, overharvesting, conversion to agriculture, and rapid urban growth. This document provides the results of a study evaluating the application of forest landscape restoration to dryland ecosystems in Latin America. Open access copy available |

