Assisted Natural Regeneration
Forest Regeneration in a Chronosequence of Tropical Abandoned Pastures: Implications for Restoration EcologyBackgroundDuring 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Restoration of degraded forest land in Thailand: the case of Khao KhoBackgroundThis chapter discusses the deforestation of Khao Kho district, situated in Thailand’s central highlands, in the 1970s and restoration efforts in the 1990s. Over 75% of the district was forested until 1968, when as a counterinsurgency strategy the Royal Thai Army began to build roads, deforest the district and encourage agricultural settlement in this heretofore intact forest. Deforestation and maize cultivation on these steep hillsides, often with already-poor soil quality degraded in situ, led to rapid degradation with farming untenable by 1990. A UNDP-funded reforestation project – managed by the Army – was initiated in 1990. Open access copy available |
Reforestation of Mangroves after Severe Impacts of Herbicides during the the Viet Nam War: The Case of Can GiobackgroundThis article describes the detrimental impacts of chemicals used in the Viet Nam war on mangroves with a focus on the reforestation efforts of the mangroves of the Can Gio district. In the 1980s, poor management, combined with stress from fuelwood collection and conversion to shrimp ponds, limited the success of mangrove restoration. Between 1978 and 1989,29,583 ha of Rhizophora apiriculata were planted; however, due to a lack of technical experience and a very high planting density, by 1990 only 18,125 ha remained. 35,000 ha of mangrove were replanted by 1996 and, in 2001, about 20,000 ha still survived. Open access copy available |
The Sabah Biodiversity Experiment: A Long-Term Test of the Role of Tree Diversity in Restoring Tropical Forest Structure and FunctioningbackgroundThis article details the initial stages of an experiment in Borneo which aims to study the relationship between tree diversity and lowland dipterocarp rainforest functioning during restoration after selective logging. Open access copy available |
Direct Seeding of Late-Successional Trees to Restore Tropical Montane ForestbackgroundThis study measures seed germination, seedling establishment, survival, growth and foliar nutrient content of five late-successional tree species which were directly seeded into three different habitats representing different stages of succession in tropical montane Costa Rica.The study also compares the costs of direct seeding with locally collected seeds with planting nursery-raised seedlings. Available with subscription or purchase |
Influence of Distance to Forest Edges on Natural Regeneration of Abandoned Pastures: A Case Study in the Tropical Mountain Rain Forest of Southern EcuadorbackgroundThis study evaluates the role that distance from forest edges plays in the restoration of abandoned pasture. Available with subscription or purchase |
Light Acclimation of Four Native Tree Species in Felling Gaps within a Tropical Mountain RainforestbackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Effect of a Teak (Tectona grandis) Plantation on the Establishment of Native Species in an Abandoned Pasture in Costa RicabackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Barriers to Lowland Tropical Forest Restoration in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ColombiaBackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
Attempting Restoration of Wet Tropical Forests in Costa RicaBackgroundThis 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. Available with subscription or purchase |
