Can intensive management accelerate the restoration of Brazil's Atlantic forests?

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2010-04, Vol.259 (9), p.1808-1814
• Main Authors: Campoe, Otávio Camargo, Stape, José Luiz, Mendes, João Carlos Teixeira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Atlantic forest; Biological and medical sciences; Degraded pasture; degraded pastures; ecological restoration; equations; Eucalyptus; forest growth; Forest management; Forest management. Stand types and stand dynamics. Silvicultural treatments. Tending of stands. Natural regeneration; forest stand establishment; forest stands; forest trees; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; intensive forestry; Leaf area index; light intensity; Light use efficiency; management intensity; pastures; radiation use efficiency; Reforestation; Restoration; silviculture; site preparation; stand density; stand management; stand structure; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; tree growth; tropical rain forests
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.06.026

Only 7% of the once extensive forest along the eastern coast of Brazil remains, and much of that is degraded and threatened by agricultural expansion and urbanization. We wondered if methods similar to those developed to establish fast-growing Eucalyptus plantations might also work to enhance survival and growth of rainforest species on degraded pastures composed of highly competitive C 4 grasses. An 8-factor experiment was laid out to contrast the value of different intensities of cultivation, application of fertilizer and weed control on the growth and survival of a mixture of 20 rainforest species planted at two densities: 3 m × 1 m, and 3 m × 2 m. Intensive management increased seedling survival from 90% to 98%, stemwood production and leaf area index (LAI) by ∼4-fold, and stemwood production per unit of light absorbed by 30%. Annual growth in stem biomass was closely related to LAI alone ( r 2 = 0.93, p < 0.0001), and the regression improved further in combination with canopy nitrogen content ( r 2 = 0.99, p < 0.0001). Intensive management resulted in a nearly closed forest canopy in less than 4 years, and offers a practical means to establish functional forests on abandoned agricultural land.