Ecosystem Services and Ecological Processes

Species-Specific Tree Water Use Characteristics in Reforestation Stands in the Philippines

Background

The need for reforestation is becoming increasingly evident in countries like the Philippines where deforestation has lead to a scarcity of wood and other forest commodities. One concern with reforestation is the reduction in streamflow and groundwater recharge as trees move water from the ground into the atmosphere.

Research Goals & Methods

This study seeks to investigate the sap flux responses and tree water use in two 12-year-old multi-species stands.

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Determinants for Successful Reforestation of Abandoned Pastures in the Andes: Soil Conditions and Vegetation Cover

Background

This article compares the growth of native and exotic species seedlings planted in abandoned pasture and among brachen ferns and shrubs in Andean Ecuador over three years.

Research Goals & Methods

The species (native: Alnus acuminata, Cedrela montana, Juglans neotropica, Heliocarpus americanus, Tabebuia chrysantha, exotic: Pinus patula and Eucalyptus saligna) were planted in a block design in the different successional stages and in plots with and without above-ground weeding.

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Soil compaction and topsoil removal effects on soil properties and seedling growth in Amazonian Ecuador

Background

Soil properties affect plant growth including during germination and establishment. Topsoil loss, nutrient loss, and compaction due to industrial activity in forest may impact forest regeneration. This study reports on soil properties and seedling growth following topsoil removal in Amazonian Ecuador.

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Carbon Forestry Project CO2OL Tropical Mix

BACKGROUND

Degraded land, originally forest land, later used for extensive cattle ranching, is reforested with mostly native tree species and gradually converted into mixed forests. The project provides for sustainable timber production and cocoa cultivation; protects biodiversity and restores a healthy forest ecosystem. The  project reforests previously degraded pastureland with a mixture of native tree species to produce fine tropical timber, enrich the soil, save and filter water, sequester carbon, and contribute to the mitigation of climate change.

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CO2OL Native Tree Species Reforestation

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CO2OL Biodiversity Reforestation, Vietnam

BACKGROUND

CO2OL Biodiversity Reforestation is the reforestation of former fallow land or excessively used grasslands in  an area of state-owned forest in Kon Tum Province, Vietnam. Reforestation is achieved through the planting of native trees financed through the sale of carbon credits. The area is characterised by high biodiversity.  Reforestation aims to recover and sustain the provision of vital ecosystem goods and services and also provide employment for local communities.  

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The Potential for Carbon Sequestration Through Reforestation of Abandoned Tropical Agricultural and Pasture Lands

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This article reviews the field of carbon accumulation in tropical secondary forests to shed light on the ability of reforestation to encourage carbon sequestration.

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Linking Reforestation Policies with Land Use Change in Northern Vietnam: Why Local Factors Matter

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Based on a case study in Vietnam, this study seeks to understand the extent to which common state policies on land management actually contribute to reforestation. 

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Geographic Variation in Tree Growth and Wood Density of Guazuma crinita Mart. in the Peruvian Amazon

background

This research addresses intra-specific variation in the native Peruvian tree species Guazuma crinita, a fast-growing pioneer species and priority timber tree used in reforestation and agroforestry systems. It also evaluates the tree growth and wood density of G. crinita varieties from 11 provenances in the Peruvian Amazon.

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Restoring tropical diversity: beating the time tax on species loss

Background

Remnant tropical forests are being deforested at approximately the same rates as cleared lands revert to secondary forest, leading to a fragmented or patchwork landscape. Small patches of remnant forest may remain, but these inevitably lose species to local extinction. Despite forestation rates that may appear relatively stable on paper, vegetation matrices are rapidly changing from a diversity of old-growth species to a much smaller number of early-successional and non-native species that dominate natural-regeneration and reforestation sites.

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