Forest Plantations

Restoration of Tropical Forest Ecosystems

BACKGROUND

This book presents a compilation of papers presented at a symposium on "Restoration of Tropical Forest Ecosystems" that occurred in Bonn, Germany during October of 1991. The event, sponsored by Mitsubishi Corporation, addressed the reasons for tropical forest destruction, opportunities and challenges for restoration, rehabilitation and management. This book presents perspectives  of authors from different countries and contexts on forestry, ecology, and nature conservation to address the need for restoration and rehabilitation of tropical forests.

Open access copy available

Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Forest Lands

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This article discusses the options for the rehabilitation of degraded land on high rainfall areas. It suggests that it is both environmentally and economically disadvantageous to let the degraded land remain in an unproductive and rapidly eroding state.

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The Role of Rustic Coffee Plantations in the Conservation of Wild Tree Diversity in the Chinantec Region of Mexico

background

This study examines the potential of shade coffee systems to promote native tree diversity across the landscape of southern Mexico.

Research Goals & Methods

Twenty-two coffee plantations, representing a range of elevation and age of development, were sampled to assess their species compositions. In total, 45 species (34 tree species) were recorded in the plantations, and 77% of them were native species.

Open access copy available

Impacts of Native Trees on Tropical Soils: A Study in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica

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This article describes the results of a study in Costa Rica that compared the soil fertility in a 2.5 year-old plantation of 6 native tree species, grass pasture, and 20 year-old secondary forest.

Research Goals & Methods

Soil extractable Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn, the pH, exchangeable acidity, organic matter and total N were measured in three plots.

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Strategies for the Recovery of Degraded Ecosystems: Experiences from Latin America

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This paper reviews the rehabilitation potential of native species forest plantations in lowland Costa Rica, the Atlantic Forest of Bahia, Brazil, and sub-tropical Argentina. Native species can improve forest regeneration where soils are degraded and where sources of propagules are limited. While most tropical plantations are dominated by exotic species, native trees may be more appropriate because they are better adapted to the local environment, are already familiar to local farmers, and their propagules are locally available.

Open access copy available

Optimising Seedling Management: Pouteria sapota, Diospyros digyna, and Cedrela odorata in a Mexican Rainforest

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This study compares the height growth of three native tree species (Pouteria sapota, Diospyros digyna, and Cedrela odorata) during the first two years after transplantation from a nursery in three plot types (primary rainforest, secondary forest, and open pasture) in Veracruz, Mexico.

Research Goals & Methods

The effects of canopy closure, leaf nutrients, initial seedling height and seed mass on the final height of the plant after two years were analyzed.

Open access copy available

Silvicultural and economic aspects of pure and mixed native tree species plantations on degraded pasturelands in humid Costa Rica

Background

Reforestation of degraded land in tropical regions provides one means of restoring ecosystems and improving rural livelihoods. Most plantations in humid tropical regions are established in pure plots using few species of high commercial value, generally exotics. This study compares growth and economic viability of native trees in pure and mixed plantations on degraded land.

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New Options for Land Rehabilitation and Landscape Ecology in Southeast Asia by "Rainforestation Farming"

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The authors describe a methodology for reforestation called "Rainforestation Farming" developed in the Philippines in the 1990s to restore forest cover on degraded lands covered with Imperata cylindrica grass in the Visayas region

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Sustaining Tropical Forest Resources: Reforestation of Degraded Lands

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This government report provides background material on tropical reforestation and discusses techniques to reforest degraded tropical lands. It considers species planting issues such as: native v. exotic species, monoculture v. polyculture, single purpose v. multipurpose trees, and genetic improvement and plant breeding.

Open access copy available

Manual de Reforestación para América Tropical (Reforestation Manual for Tropical America)

Este documento aporta una visión general de la reforestación a partir de muchas perspectivas diferentes.

Open access copy available
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