East Asia and Pacific
Growing agroforestry trees: Farmers’ experiences with individual and group nurseries in Claveria, PhilippinesBackgroundIn the 1990s, a Landcare movement formed in Claveria, South Philippines, establishing community nurseries for fruit and timber trees based on a growing interest in promoting agroforestry and soil conservation. Ten years after the formation of these nurseries, the authors interviewed growers about the successes and limitations of that effort. Open access copy available |
Landscape Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Forest Ecosystems: Case Study of the CIFOR/Japan Project in Indonesia and PerubackgroundThe CIFOR/Japan project on tropical forest restoration involves three principal components: 1) evaluation of logging impacts on forest systems, 2) development of methods for the restoration of logged and degraded forests, and 3) development of silvicultural practices for degraded forests. Open access copy available |
Rehabilitation of Tropical Rainforests Based on Indigenous Species for Degraded Areas in Sarawak, MalaysiabackgroundThis study describes the success of native species planted in areas of abandoned shifting cultivation in Sarawak, Malaysia. Research Goals & MethodsSite contitions in which species were planted included: open conditions, including severely eroded and compacted areas and man-made mounds, and shady conditions. Growth and survival was recorded for 60-72 months, depending on the site Open access copy available |
Rehabilitation of Degraded Forest with Shorea leprosula and S. selanica CuttingsbackgroundThis article describes limits to dipterocarp-based reforestation due to irregular flowering pattern, short seed storage period, and uncertain planting techniques in Southeast Asia. In West Java, Indonesia, the authors test the effectiveness of vegetative propagation for two species of fast-growing dipterocarps: Shorea leprosula and Shorea selanica. Open access copy available |
Growth Increments of Indigenous Species Planted in Secondary Forest AreaBackgroundAppropriate species selection for reforestation of degraded lands in the tropics makes a great difference in survival rates and success in establishing secondary forest. Indigenous species used in reforestation are not always able to survive in their native landscapes based on the degree of site degradation. This paper reports on growth increments of five tree species indigenous to Malaysia five years after planting. Open access copy available |
Variability and Grouping of Leaf Traits in Multi-Species Reforestation (Leyte, Philippines)backgroundResearch on functional diversity is an important part in ongoing efforts to identify appropriate native tree species for reforestation projects. Increasing understanding of easy to measure physiological characteristics, such as specific leaf area, can help predict a variety of functional characteristics as well as growth perfromance. Available with subscription or purchase |
Trees Commonly Cultivated in Southeast Asia: An Illustrated Field GuidebackgroundThis manual is an identification guide for the commonly-encountered trees of Southeast Asia. It provides botanical information for conifers, broad-leafed trees, bamboos, palms, and bananas. Open access copy available |
Evaluation of Reforestation Potential of 83 Tree Species Planted on Imperata cylindrica Dominated Grassland – A case Study from South Kalimantan, IndonesiabackgroundIn this study, 83 tree species (native and exotic) were tested for their growth and survival in species selection trials in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Research Goals & MethodsThe trees were planted between January 1987 and December 1988 in areas dominated by the exotic grass Imperata cylindrica and weeding was conducted twice a year. Available with subscription or purchase |
Tree Plantations in the Philippines and Thailand: Economic, Social, and Environmental EvaluationBackgroundTropical land area under plantations have dramatically increased in recent decades, largely as a result of natural forest depletion. Forest plantations cannot qualitatively substitute the timber or the habitat of natural forests, yet are growing in global importance both commercially and ecologically. However, the negative and positive social and environmental impacts must also be included in analysis of tropical forest plantations. Open access copy available |
Farm Forestry: An Alternative to Government-Driven Reforestation in the PhilippinesBackgroundThis study reviews literature and various case studies about growing trees at the farm level by rural farmers. In the Philippines, millions of dollars have gone to employ people to plant trees as part of reforestation programs while only about 10% of those planted areas are successful. The authors assert that paying people to plant trees is unsustainable and often hindered by the lack of prompt release of funding. Available with subscription or purchase |
