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The Effect of a Teak (Tectona grandis) Plantation on the Establishment of Native Species in an Abandoned Pasture in Costa Rica

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This 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.

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Attempting Restoration of Wet Tropical Forests in Costa Rica

Background

This 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.

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Native Trees and Shrubs for the Productive Rehabilitation of Tropical Cattleranching Lands

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The authors of this study examined strategies to improve cattle ranching in Colombia and Mexico through the use of intensive silvopastoral systems. Silvopastoral systems transform extensive cattle ranching with intensively managed systems with high densities of trees and shrubs to improve yields and environmental impacts.

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Early Growth and Survival of 49 Tropical Tree Species across Sites Differing in Soil Fertility and Rainfall in Panama

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This research investigates the importance of soil quality upon species survival across a gradient of differing levels of rainfall and dry season length on disturbed land in Panama.

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The Ecology and Ecosystem Services of Native Trees: Implications for Reforestation and Land Restoration in Mesoamerica

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This article summarizes papers presented at a conference on the state of tropical reforestation and restoration in Central America.

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Tree plantations on farms: Evaluating growth and potential for success

Background

Interest in native species is growing across the tropics as reforestation of degraded lands becomes more widespread. Evaluation of successful species is an important component of reforestation planning.

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A Case Study Assessment of Agroforestry: The Panama Canal Watershed

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This article provides a qualitative assessment of three agroforestry sites in the Panama Canal watershed based on management objectives, project life span, incentives, technology, economic feasibility, community involvement, and extension. It seeks to guide sustainable forest management options for the Panamanian government.

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Barriers to Lowland Tropical Forest Restoration in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Background

This article examines the major barriers to forest restoration in the abandoned pastureland surrounding three forest fragments  in the Rio Rancheria watershed of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. These barriers include: seed source, seed predation, competition from grasses, microclimate, soil quality, and fire.

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Environmental Services of Native Tree Plantations and Agroforestry Systems in Central America

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Plantations 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.

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Growth of Euterpe edulis under forest and agroforestry in southern Brazil

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The shade-tolerant palm Euterpe edulis is prevalent in native forests and in reforestation of banana plantations in Brazil. However, there are no data comparing its plantation growth performance to its native forest growth. This study evaluates growth and mortality of E. edulis planted in secondary dense forest and in banana plantations, as well as their relationships with site variables.

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Influence of Distance to Forest Edges on Natural Regeneration of Abandoned Pastures: A Case Study in the Tropical Mountain Rain Forest of Southern Ecuador

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This study evaluates the role that distance from forest edges plays in the restoration of abandoned pasture.

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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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Forest Management Practices in the Bayano Region of Panama: Cultural Variations

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This paper examines differences in forest exploitation between indigenous groups and colonists along an agricultural frontier in Panama and focuses on differences in forest use, economic base, and management practices.

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Forest Regeneration in a Chronosequence of Tropical Abandoned Pastures: Implications for Restoration Ecology

Background

During the mid‐1900s, most of the island of Puerto Rico was deforested, but a shift in the economy from agriculture to small industry beginning in the 1950s resulted in the abandonment of agricultural lands and recovery of secondary forest. This research examines the natural regeneration patterns on these abandoned agricultural lands in four different regions of Puerto Rico.

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Establishment and Growth of Living Fence Species: An Overlooked Tool for the Restoration of Degraded Areas in the Tropics

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This article describes three studies conducted in Honduras which examined the potential of using living fence species in restoration.

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Cattle and Weedy Shrubs as Restoration Tools of Tropical Montane Rainforest

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In abandoned Latin American pastures, grasses often inhibit the establishment of woody species. This study tests the effect of cattle grazing on woody and herbaceous vegetation establishment in pastures of P. clandestinum and M. minutiflora.

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The Structure and Composition of a Tropical Dry Forest Landscape After Land Clearance; Azuero Peninsula, Panama

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The Role of Animal Seed Dispersal in Accelerating Native Forest Regeneration on Degraded Tropical Lands

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This article reviews the role of seed-dispersal in forest regeneration. In natural forest, species with animal-dispersed species tend to predominated in both early and mid-stages of succession, while wind-dispersed species tend to be vines and canopy species. The implications of wind versus animal seed dispersal are briefly summarized.

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Early Growth of Native and Exotic Trees Planted on Degraded Tropical Pasture

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This study describes the potential of two exotic and five native tree species to restore degraded land in Costa Rica.

Research Goals & Methods

Thirty 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.

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Studies on the Seed Biology of 100 Native Species of Trees in a Seasonal Moist Tropical Forest, Panama, Central America

Background

Since 1998, the Panama Canal Watershed has experienced a decline in forest cover. The watershed ensures a functioning canal, thus there has been a significant investment in resources to reforest and restore the region. While these projects have focused primarily on native species, there has been issues with seed-handling. 

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