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Influence of Overstory Composition on Understory Colonization by Native Species in Plantations on a Degraded Tropical Site

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This study evaluates forest understory regeneration in a 4.5 year-old plantation in Puerto Rico. The plantations, established in 1989, were planted on abandoned pasture in mixtures or monocultures of three exotic species: Casuarina equisetifolia, Eucalyptus robusta, and Leucaena leucocephala.

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The Bigger Picture: Tropical Forest Change in Context, Concept and Practice

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This article discusses differing concepts of reforestation between the fields of forest science and land change science. Most data from the field of forest science is small in scale and evaluates growth and production from the perspective of use of wood products.

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Reforestation: Conclusions and Implications

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Integration of Hyperion Satellite Data and A Household Social Survey to Characterize the Causes and Consequences of Reforestation Patterns in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon

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This paper describes reforestation in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA) using 2002 remotely sensed Hyperion images and 2001 Ikonos images.

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

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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.

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

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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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Carbon Sequestration and Plant Community Dynamics Following Reforestation of Tropical Pasture

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Conversion of abandoned cattle pasture to secondary forest in the tropics is a potential means to increase carbon sequestration as well as to enhance local biodiversity. This study uses data from a long-term tropical reforestation project – Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico – to estimate rates of above- and belowground carbon sequestration.

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Tropical Montane Forest Restoration in Costa Rica: Overcoming Barriers to Dispersal and Establishment

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Open access copy available

Seed rain and seed limitation in a planted gallery forest in Brazil

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Seed dispersal by wind (anemochorous) and animals, usually birds and bats (zoochorous), is an important driver of succession. This study examines seed rain in a planted gallery forest (riparian corridor) in Brazil.

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Propagating Framework Tree Species to Restore Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest: Implications of Seasonal Seed Dispersal and Dormancy

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This paper evaluates the seed germination characteristics of native tree species selected for reforestation in Thailand and cultivated in nurseries.

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Understory Development in Young Cordia alliodora Plantations

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This article presents the findings of a study evaluating the biomass and composition of understory plants in 1- and 5- year old plantations at the La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica.

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The Agua Salud Project, Central Panama

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The Agua Salud Project is located in the watershed that includes and surrounds the Panama Canal, an engineering feat that largely relies on natural hydrological systems. Much of this watershed has been deforested, thus an official policy has been put into place to reforest and regain ecosystem services. This project seeks to utilize the globalize role of the canal to bring attention to the ecosystem services of the region. 

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Seed Dispersal by Birds and Bats in Lowland Philippine Forest Successional Area

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While seed dispersal by birds and bats can be an important driver of succession, few studies have studied this dynamic in the tropical forests of SE Asia. This study compares the role of bird and bat dispersal in the lowland dipterocarp forest of the Subic Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) in Luzon Island, Philippines.

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Releasing Rain Forest Succession: A Case Study in the Dicranopteris linearis Fernlands of Sri Lanka

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This study evaluates the effectiveness of different site treatments for controlling the invasive fern Dicranopteris linearis which has arrested forest succession in areas of the Sinharaja Man and Biosphere (MAB) reserve in lowland Sri Lanka. The fernlands, which had existed in the reserve for 10-20 years before this study, are favored by forest clearance for swidden agriculture and periodic fires. 

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Light Acclimation of Four Native Tree Species in Felling Gaps within a Tropical Mountain Rainforest

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This article addresses the decline of Ecuadorian mountain rainforests by evaluating the success fo enrichment planting of native tree species in forest gaps to prote native tree abundance and biodiversity.

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A Review of Dipterocarps: Taxonomy, Ecology and Silviculture

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This edited volume provides a detailed introduction to the ecology and silviculture of dipterocarp trees.

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Seed Dispersal Distances and Plant Migration Potential in Tropical East Asia

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Most predictions of vegetation responses to anthropogenic climate change over the next century are based on plant physiological tolerances and do not account for the ability of plant species to migrate over the distances required in the time available, or the impact of habitat fragmentation on this ability. This review assesses the maximum routine dispersal distances achievable in tropical East Asia and their vulnerability to human impacts.

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Tree species diversity and vegetation structure in shade coffee farms in Veracruz, Mexico

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While some studies have argued that shade coffee enables similar biodiversity to remnant forest fragments, others contest that the ecological functions of shade coffee can be assumed to be the same or that policies promoting shade coffee will also benefit remnant forest fragments. Not all taxa have been thoroughly studied in shade coffee. This study reports on tree species diversity and vegetation structure in shade coffee farms in Veracruz, Mexico.

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Tree biodiversity in farmer cooperatives of a shade coffee landscape in western El Salvador

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Conservation of tropical biodiversity in agricultural landscapes has become more important as the area covered by natural ecosystems decreases. Understanding the types of biodiversity common in agriculturally managed lands, and involving farmers in conservation planning, is important for regional conservation goals.

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Forest Recovery after Swidden Cultivation across a 40-year Chronosequence in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, Brazil

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Secondary 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.

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