Costa Rica
Restoring abandoned pasture land with native tree species in Costa Rica: Effects of exotic grass competition and lightBackgroundUnderstanding the early establishment requirements and performance of tropical tree seedlings is essential to ensuring the success of restoration plantings. This study characterizes growth and light requirements of six common neotropical tree species: Pseudosamanea guachapele (Fabaceae), Tabebuia impetiginosa (Bignoniaceae), Ceiba pentandra (Bombacaceae), Pachira quinata (Bombacaceae), Dalbergia retusa (Fabaceae), and Tabebuia rosea (Bignoniaceae). Available with subscription or purchase |
Early Growth of Native and Exotic Trees Planted on Degraded Tropical PasturebackgroundThis study describes the potential of two exotic and five native tree species to restore degraded land in Costa Rica. Research Goals & MethodsThirty blocks were established over 25 hectares of abandoned cattle pasture and tree height was measured at 3 and 7 years and tree survival was measured after 7 years. Available with subscription or purchase |
Growth and effects of thinning of mixed and pure plantations with native trees in humid tropical Costa RicaBackgroundAs reforestation with native tree species gains in popularity, more information about proper management is needed. This study examines the growth and responses to thinning of ten native species in mixed and pure-species plantations in the Caribbean Lowlands of Costa Rica. Open access copy available |
Pure and Mixed Forest Plantations with Native Species of the Dry Tropics of Costa Rica: A Comparison of Growth and ProductivitybackgroundThis research monitored the growth and survival of 13 natives species in pure and mixed-species plantations, and compared the results to measurements of T. grandis, an exotic species commonly planted in the area. Open access copy available |
Environmental Services of Native Tree Plantations and Agroforestry Systems in Central AmericaBackgroundPlantations and agroforestry systems supply wood and environmental services such as carbon sequestration and recovery of biodiversity. At the time of writing (2004), Central American countries were developing systems of payments for environmental services to encourage the development of these systems. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Effect of a Teak (Tectona grandis) Plantation on the Establishment of Native Species in an Abandoned Pasture in Costa RicabackgroundThis study compares native tree species recruitment in the understory of a 10-year-old teak plantation in premontane wet forest in Costa Rica to the native tree species recruitment on nearby abandoned agricultural land. Available with subscription or purchase |
Attempting Restoration of Wet Tropical Forests in Costa RicaBackgroundThis article describes a reforestation effort of the Tropical Forestry Initiative using mixed stands of native species to recover abandoned pastureland in the tropical wet forest of Costa Rica. Available with subscription or purchase |
Direct Seeding of Late-Successional Trees to Restore Tropical Montane ForestbackgroundThis study measures seed germination, seedling establishment, survival, growth and foliar nutrient content of five late-successional tree species which were directly seeded into three different habitats representing different stages of succession in tropical montane Costa Rica.The study also compares the costs of direct seeding with locally collected seeds with planting nursery-raised seedlings. Available with subscription or purchase |
Planting Seedlings in Tree Islands Versus Plantations as a Large-Scale Tropical Forest Restoration StrategybackgroundThis research compares the growth and mortality of 4 tree species (2 native to Costa Rica and 2 native to northwestern South America) in the reforestation of abandoned agricultural land in Costa Rica. Open access copy available |
Payments for Environmental Services in Latin America as a Tool for Restoration and Rural DevelopmentBackgroundTwo Payments for Environmental Services (PES) projects are assessed in this article: 1) a bundled PES system in forestry projects in Costa Rica, and 2) the Regional Integrated Silvopastoral Approaches to Ecosystem Management Project in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Colombia. The first project based PED on the provision of four different environmental services (carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, watershed protection, and aesthetic improvements and/or maintenance of the landscape) within the same plot of land. The second project implemented PES proportional to carbon sequestration and biodiversity outputs by participants. Open access copy available |
