Mixed-Species Plantings in Regreening the Bare Hills: Tropical Reforestation in the Asia-Pacific Region

background

This chapter reviews the use of mixed plantations for the goal of reforestation. Mixed plantantions are a more efficient use of resources, pest resistance, and economic and ecological resilience. When establishing a new tropical reforestation program, if unaware of site conditions (and what species to choose), mixed plantations can provide greater insurance. Mixed plantations are more expensive to establish but may provide insurance against volatile markets.

Conclusions & Takeaways

Some examples of complementarity (choosing various species that complement each other) include nitrogen fixing, niche partitioning (light use, soil nutrient use), and advanced regeneration (some species will already be growing when the overstory is harvested). Species selected for mixed plantations can be classified into functional groups - by taxa, life form, resource use, response to disturbance, ecosystem role, etc.  Mixed plantations can include higher quality native sawlogs (for the long term) and fast growing Eucalyptus for poles (for short term) and the eucalyptus can encourage the timber trees to grow straighter.