Understory Regeneration

The Savanna Tree Acacia polyacantha Facilitates the Establishment of Riparian Forests in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

background

This 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.

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Effects of Canopy Cover and Understory Environment of Tree Plantations on Richness, Density and Size of Colonizing Woody Species in Southern Ethiopia

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This study investigates the effects of canopy characteristics and associated understory environmental factors of tree plantations on native woody species colonization in two broadleaved and two coniferous plantations in southern Ethiopia. The plantation forests investigated are surrounded by dry Afromontane natural forest.

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Manejo del fuego y restauración de bosques en la reserva de la biosfera sierra de Manantlán, México (Fire management and and forest restoration)

Los autores analizan la incidencia de incendios forestales y los efectos de los regímenes de fuego sobre los bosques de la Reserva de la Biosfera Sierra de Manantlán en el occidente de México, y se presentan las líneas de acción estratégicas del Programa de Manejo del Fuego y Restauración de Bosques de esta área protegida.

A pesar de los esfuerzos de supresión de los incendios forestales en México, se observan tendencias de aumento en la superficie quemada y en la severidad de los efectos del fuego.

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Establishment of Broad-leaved Thickets in Serengeti, Tanzania: The Influence of Fire, Browsers, Grass Competition, and Elephants

Background

In Tanzania, thickets are declining due to frequent fires yet when the fires are removed the thickets fail to regrow. As a fire-resistant tree, seedlings of E. divinorum are potentially an ideal species to restore these land covers. 

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Intensive Tree Planting Facilitates Tropical Forest Biodiversity and Biomass Accumulation in Kibale National Park, Uganda

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This study investigates how intensive planting affects tropical forest regeneration and biomass accumulation in reforested sites in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The study assessed species richness of naturally regenerating (i.e. non-planted) species in the park and compared the biomass accumulation of planted versus naturally regenerating trees in sites replanted by the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

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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.

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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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Succession and Regeneration Patterns of East African Mountain Forests: A Review

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For decades East Africa has experienced heavy tree felling, which has resulted in a change in species composition. This study conducted the phytosociological in Kenya and Ethiopia between 1992 and 1996 in order to understand the succession and regeneration processes in East African Mountain forests. 

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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

Consequences of plantation harvest during tropical forest restoration in Uganda

Background

Timber plantations have recently received considerable attention as a forest restoration strategy for heavily degraded lands in the humid tropics. Plantations can facilitate secondary forest regrowth by providing an understory environment more favorable for native plant recruitment than unmanaged degraded habitats. This study explores how using plantations as a restoration tool affects forest succession; how initial floristics affect successional pathways; and the effect of fire exclusion or other interventions.

Open access copy available
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