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Beyond Basic Needs: Participation and Village Reforestation in Thailand

Background

At present, many federally-sponsored community reforestation projects engage  communities by hiring local labor to establish plantations with fast-growing tree species. This method ignores the importance of local knowledge and local-level accountability that improves the chances of a project's survival.

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Reforestation of an Indonesian Tropical Forest: The Win-Win Approach of a Private Japanese Firm

Background

As one of Japan's largest forestry firms, Sumitomo Forestry Company, Ltd. provides a unique approach to a sector that is increasingly faced with pressures due to population and economic growth. This resource examines on initiative by the firm, the Sebulu experimental forest project in the eastern part of Kalimantan, Indonesia.

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The Reforestation Value Chain for the Philippines

background

This paper describes the reasons for the failure of reforestation projects in the Philippines and the potential actions to improve success. When reforestation is focused narrowly on tree plantings, they can last for a few years (mostly 3) but then are easily cut by farmers who want to resume farming, by people in need of wood, or by people feeling that the reforestation was unjust. Most reforestation projects do not have plans beyond tree establishment.

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On the Restoration of High Diversity Forests: 30 years of Experience in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

background

This review evaluates the restoration of Brazil's Atlantic forest by drawing from published and unpublished sources. Reforestation in Atlantic Brazil took place in phases: government-sponsored plantations predominated until 1982; a focus on native species plantations from 1982-1985; higher diversity of species used from 1985 to 2000; a focus on restoring process rather than copying the structure of natural forests from 2000-2003; and finally a conscious effort to improve intraspecific genetic diversity and seed acquisition from 2003 to today.

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Tree planting by small producers in the tropics: A comparative study of Brazil and Panama

Background

Forest regrowth is a widespread phenomenon across the tropical forest latitudes. Such reforestation takes place in the wake of land abandonment, occurs cyclically in a rotational agricultural system, and may result from the deliberate planting of trees by farmers. Although less extensive than successional forest regeneration, tree planting by small farmers can have potentially important environmental impacts at both the site and global scale.

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Human Ecological Questions for Tropical Restoration: Experiences from Planting Native Upland Trees and Mangroves in the Philippines

Background

This article evaluates the human ecology of reforestation in the Philippines under the Bais Bay Development Action Program. Reforestation is considered in upland riparian as well as coastal mangrove areas.

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Methods of Facilitating Reforestation of Tropical Degraded Land with the Native Timber Tree, Terminalia amazonia

background

In tropical dry regions, like Costa Rica, it is critical to reforest degraded farms in order to reduce erosion and increase soil fertility. This paper explores the results of an 8-year long experiment in Southern Costa Rica that sought to identify ways to reforest such land economically.

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Species-Specific Tree Water Use Characteristics in Reforestation Stands in the Philippines

Background

The need for reforestation is becoming increasingly evident in countries like the Philippines where deforestation has lead to a scarcity of wood and other forest commodities. One concern with reforestation is the reduction in streamflow and groundwater recharge as trees move water from the ground into the atmosphere.

Research Goals & Methods

This study seeks to investigate the sap flux responses and tree water use in two 12-year-old multi-species stands.

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Determinants for Successful Reforestation of Abandoned Pastures in the Andes: Soil Conditions and Vegetation Cover

Background

This article compares the growth of native and exotic species seedlings planted in abandoned pasture and among brachen ferns and shrubs in Andean Ecuador over three years.

Research Goals & Methods

The species (native: Alnus acuminata, Cedrela montana, Juglans neotropica, Heliocarpus americanus, Tabebuia chrysantha, exotic: Pinus patula and Eucalyptus saligna) were planted in a block design in the different successional stages and in plots with and without above-ground weeding.

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Soil compaction and topsoil removal effects on soil properties and seedling growth in Amazonian Ecuador

Background

Soil properties affect plant growth including during germination and establishment. Topsoil loss, nutrient loss, and compaction due to industrial activity in forest may impact forest regeneration. This study reports on soil properties and seedling growth following topsoil removal in Amazonian Ecuador.

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