Enrichment Planting of Bertholletia excelsa in Secondary Forest in the Bolivian Amazon: Effect of Cutting Line Width on Survival, Growth and Crown Traits
background
Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut tree) seedlings were planted as enrichment plantings under a variety of different treatments in the El Tigre reserve in the northern Bolivian Amazon.
Research Goals & Methods
Survival and growth were measured for five treatments: cutting lines of 2,4, and 6 m wide, and treatments with and without the vegetation cleared. Treatments with cleared vegetation produced high survival rates (97% vs. 86.5%), though the variation in line width did not affect survival rates.
Conclusions & Takeaways
Plants grew best with cleared vegetation and 6 m wide cutting line. For adequately high growth rates of this species, a canopy openness of 35-40% should be maintained. Planting in agricultural fields still in use may also be an effective option.
Reference:
. Enrichment planting of Bertholletia excelsa in secondary forest in the Bolivian Amazon: effect of cutting line width on survival, growth and crown traits. Forest Ecology and Management. 2002;161:159–168. doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(01)00491-1.
Affiliation:
- Programa de Manejo de Bosques de la Amazonía Boliviana (PROMAB), Riberalta, Bolivia
- Department of Plant Ecology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Carrera de Ingeniería Forestal, Universidad Técnica del Beni, Riberalta, Bolivia
- IPHAE, Casilla 106, Riberalta-Beni, Bolivia