Nurse Trees

Survival and Growth of Seedlings of 19 Native Tree and Shrub Species Planted in Degraded Forest as Part of a Forest Restoration Project in Madagascar's Highlands

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This study compares the survival rates of 19 native tree and shrub species grown in a forest restoration project in Madagascar’s highlands. The study results are used to compare the survival of relatively short seedlings compared to relatively tall seedlings for all species combined in order to test the importance of seedling size for restoration.

Open access copy available

A Comparative Assessment on Regeneration Status of Indigenous Woody Plants in Eucalyptus grandis Plantation and Adjacent Natural Forest

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This study investigates and compares diversity, density and species composition of naturally regenerated woody plants under Eucalyptus grandis plantations and the adjacent natural forest in southwestern Ethiopia.

research goals & methods

Vegetation data was collected from 40 sample plots, 20 in natural forest and 20 in plantations. Within the plots plant species were identified, DBH of all trees measured using a caliper; total heights of larger trees were measured using hypsometer.

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Effect of Taungya on Regeneration of Endemic Forest Tree Species in Nigeria: Edo State Nigeria as a Case Study

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This study aims to investigate the number of native species that can regenerate under natural conditions in a 3-year Taungya system in Edo State, Nigeria. Taungya is an agroforestry system that combines forestry practices with agriculture and agriculture-related activities.

Open access copy available

Parks as a Mechanism to Maintain and Facilitate Recovery of Forest Cover: Examining Reforestation, Forest Maintenance and Productivity in Uganda

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This study highlights the use of parks as a tool for restoration and forest maintenance with a focus on Kibale National Park in Uganda.  The authors assess methodological approaches and limitations with current techniques to study land cover change.

Research Goals & Methods

Landcover analyses were conducted to determine the extent and spatial distribution of temporal forest change and to provide an initial analysis of forest cover change both within and around the park.

Open access copy available

Fire Control as a Simple Means of Promoting Tropical Forest Restoration

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This study investigates whether or not fire exclusion allows grasslands to regenerate to forest in a timeframe suitable for reforestation efforts. The researchers compare tree species richness, dbh, diameter at ground height (DGH), and total woody biomass accumulation in 2 plots that have been protected from fire. They measure the size and amount of above ground biomass in plots that have been protected from fire for 12 and 32 years respectively in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Open access copy available

Factors Limiting the Survival of Native Tree Seedlings used in Conservation Efforts at the Edges of Forest Fragments in Upland Madagascar

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This study investigates the survival of tree seedlings 15 months after planting in grasslands along the edges of tropical forest fragments damaged by fire in four restoration treatments in upland Madagascar.

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Rehabilitation of Forest-Savannas in Ghana: The Impacts of Land Use, Shade, and Invasive Species on Tree Recruitment

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This study investigates the varying potential of soil seed banks of predominant agricultural land uses for the recruitment of trees from seeds and seedlings in 3 farming communities in a forest-savanna ecological zone in Ghana.

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Native Woody Species Regeneration in Exotic Tree Plantations at Munessa-Shashemene Forest, Southern Ethiopia

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This study investigates native woody species regeneration in 4 exotic species monoculture plantations in Munessa-Shashemene Forest Project Area in southern Ethiopia. The plantation ages ranged from 9 to 28 years.

Research Goals & Methods

To sample for vegetation diversity and analyses of floristic composition, species richness, and abundance, 60 sample plots were established in the study area.  48 of these plots were in plantations and 12 were in adjacent natural forests.

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Responses of Tree Seedlings to the Removal of Chromolaena odorata Linn. in a Degraded Forest in Ghana

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This study assesses the effects of Chromolaena odorata, a dense grass removal on native trees seedlings in a degraded dry semi-deciduous forest in Ghana.

Research Goals & Methods

Chromolaena odorata was removed from 50% of the plots and the other half left intact. Seedling height, the number of leaves per seedling, and seedling mortality were investigated in both released and unreleased plots immediately after the release treatment in June 1998 and again 3 months later September 1998.

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Forest Restoration in Abandoned Agricultural Land: a Case Study from East Africa

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This study quantifies the pattern of forest recovery following clearing and 3 years of cultivation of an abandoned agricultural land adjacent to a 300ha relatively undisturbed natural forest in a moist-evergreen forest in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

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