Understory Regeneration
Effect of Exotic Tree Plantations and Site Management on Plant DiversityBackgroundIn this study of species richness, species behavior and stand parameters were analyzed under fast growing exotic tree plantations and compared with the characteristics of nearby secondary forest patches in Pointe-Noire and Loudima in Congo. The plantations were established in a grass-dominated vegetation of native savanna. The planted species investigated were mainly eucalypts hybrid (PF1), and secondarily Acacia auriculiformis and Pinus caribaea. Open access copy available |
Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration: The Niger ExperienceBACKGROUNDThis paper reviews the farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) program introduced in the Maradi region of Niger around 1983 to restore degraded parts of the lands. FMNR was started in response to past failures of restoration projects that were modeled for temperate climates and in societies and cultures different from those in West Africa. This prompted the use of more conventional traditional methods of regeneration from re-sprouts of felled trees without running expensive nurseries. Open access copy available |
Restoration of Dry Afromontane forest using pioneer shrubs as nurse-plants for Olea europaea ssp. cuspidataBackgroundShrubs are often considered competitive barriers for seedlings planted in reforestation programs, although they can facilitate tree recruitment, especially in ecosystems under high abiotic stress. An alternative reforestation technique using pioneer shrubs as nurse-plants for Olea europaea ssp. cuspidata was tested in exclosures in northern Ethiopia. Open access copy available |
The Restoration of Degraded Forests in Ghana: A Case Study in the Offinso Forest DistrictbackgroundThis study investigates how density and diversity of key native tree saplings differ in different plantation stand types in plantations adjacent to a degraded forest reserve in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The influence of overstory species composition on natural regeneration of single exotic (Cedrella odorata and Tectona grandis) and mixed stands (Khaya grandifoliola, Antiaris toxicaria, Ceiba pentandra, Triplochiton scleroxylon, Terminalia superb, Terminalia ivorensis and Anopyxis klaineana) of native species was assessed. Open access copy available |
A 10-year evaluation of the functional basis for regeneration habitat preference of trees in an African evergreen forestBackgroundThis study reports on the growth and survival of experimentally planted tree seedlings in the understory over a 10-year period in a moist evergreen forest at Kibale National Park in Western Uganda. Available with subscription or purchase |
Expediting Reforestation in Tropical Forests Grasslands: Distance and Isolation from Seed Sources in PlantationsbackgroundThis study investigates the potential use of tree plantations to facilitate regeneration of indigenous trees in successionally arrested grassland. It focuses on how characteristics of the plantations and native species can determine the type of regeneration occurring in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Open access copy available |
Forest Succession in Kibale National Park, Uganda: Implications for Forest Restoration and ManagementbackgroundThis sudy examines forest succession in 4 plots in former grasslands adjacent to mature forests in Kibale National Park, Ngogo, Uganda. These plots were located in areas protected from fire for .58,25,9 and 30 years for plots 1,2, 3, and 4 respectively. Available with subscription or purchase |
Recovery of Plant Species Richness and Composition in Abandoned Forest Settlement Area in KenyabackgroundThis paper examines natural regeneration of tree species in a former forest village settlement that had been cultivated and abandoned in Mau forest, Kenya. Following 19 years of abandonment, the site consists of 3 zones of recovery due to different degrees of degradation before abandonment, continued grazing, selective logging and firewood collection. The zones are grass zone (GZ), transition zone I (TZ I) and TZ II and secondary forests (SF). Available with subscription or purchase |
The Savanna Tree Acacia polyacantha Facilitates the Establishment of Riparian Forests in Serengeti National Park, TanzaniabackgroundThis study tests if stands of Acacia polyacantha facilitate the establishment of forest trees by examining the distribution, growth, and survival of juvenile forest trees. The influence of stand size, locations within the stand, presence of canopy trees, competition from grasses, effects of fires and effects of thorny shrubs on herbivore exclusion and conditions for establishment of A. polyacantha in grasslands were examined in Serengeti National Park of Tanzania. Open access copy available |
Enrichment Planting Does Not Improve Tree Restoration when Compared with Natural Regeneration in a Former Pine Plantation in Kibale National Park, UgandabackgroundThis study assesses the rate of biomass accumulation of planted seedlings relative to natural regeneration in a harvested plantation in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Enrichment planting was carried out in an area where a pine plantation had been harvested to determine the relative value of these management options. Available with subscription or purchase |
