Local and regional environmental variation influences the growth of tropical trees in selection trials in the Republic of Panama

Park, Andrew; Breugel, Michiel van; Ashton, Mark S.; Wishnie, Mark; Mariscal, Emilio; Deago, José; Ibarra, Diogenes; Cedeño, Norma; Hall, Jefferson S.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2010.03.021

Cited by 36 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(50 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Neither the plantation systems nor the management applied had significant effects. Supporting these findings, we can cite other studies that have shown variations in one or more environmental characteristics, such as slope steepness and position, annual rainfall, rainfall seasonality, soil fertility, acidity, and texture, among others which may have strong influence on growth (Baker et al 2003;Henry et al 2004;Park et al 2010;Breugel et al 2011), survival (Henry et al 2004Park et al 2010), structure (Ashton 1988;Baker et al 2003;Levula et al 2003;Park et al 2010), and species richness (Wright 1992;Clinebell II et al 1995;Stevens and Carson 1999) of plant communities.…”

Section: Effects Of Site and Plantation Systemsupporting

confidence: 72%

Influence of Removal of a Non-native Tree Species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. on the Regenerating Plant Communities in a Tropical Semideciduous Forest Under Restoration in Brazil

Podadera

Engel

Parrotta

et al. 2015

Environmental Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exotic species are used to trigger facilitation in restoration plantings, but this positive effect may not be permanent and these species may have negative effects later on. Since such species can provide a marketable product (firewood), their harvest may represent an advantageous strategy to achieve both ecological and economic benefits. In this study, we looked at the effect of removal of a non-native tree species (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia) on the understory of a semideciduous forest undergoing restoration. We assessed two 14-year-old plantation systems (modified "taungya" agroforestry system; and mixed plantation using commercial timber and firewood tree species) established at two sites with contrasting soil properties in São Paulo state, Brazil. The experimental design included randomized blocks with split plots. The natural regeneration of woody species (height ≥0.2 m) was compared between managed (all M. caesalpiniifolia trees removed) and unmanaged plots during the first year after the intervention. The removal of M. caesalpiniifolia increased species diversity but decreased stand basal area. Nevertheless, the basal area loss was recovered after 1 year. The management treatment affected tree species regeneration differently between species groups. The results of this study suggest that removal of M. caesalpiniifolia benefited the understory and possibly accelerated the succession process. Further monitoring studies are needed to evaluate the longer term effects on stand structure and composition. The lack of negative effects of tree removal on the natural regeneration indicates that such interventions can be recommended, especially considering the expectations of economic revenues from tree harvesting in restoration plantings.

show abstract

Section: Effects Of Site and Plantation Systemsupporting

confidence: 72%

Influence of Removal of a Non-native Tree Species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. on the Regenerating Plant Communities in a Tropical Semideciduous Forest Under Restoration in Brazil

Podadera

Engel

Parrotta

et al. 2015

Environmental Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Rio Hato, the area surrounding the study site is dominated by cattle ranching, agriculture, and commercial timber plantations interspersed with small fragments of tropical dry forest along riparian areas. Soils at Rio Hato, ranging from loamy sand to heavy clay, are less fertile than those at Soberania, which are mostly clays and siltly clay loams, as evidenced by lower pH, soil P, soil K, soil Ca, soil Mg, and soil N at Rio Hato (Park et al, 2010) (Table 1).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the effects of soil fertility, soil structure, and precipitation on the performance of native tropical tree species in plantations have been evaluated previously (Craven et al, 2007;Wishnie et al, 2007;Park et al, 2010;Breugel et al, in press), the impact of seasonality on growth and physiological characteristics has yet to be evaluated quantitatively. In the present study, physiological and growth characteristics of eight tropical tree species established in plantations were investigated to assess how the intensity of seasonality at two sites with contrasting precipitation regimes affects their photosynthetic and growth characteristics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal variability of photosynthetic characteristics influences growth of eight tropical tree species at two sites with contrasting precipitation in Panama

Craven

Dent

Braden

et al. 2011

Forest Ecology and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Similar studies have been carried out elsewhere with the aim of recommending native species for afforestation and agroforestry (Jama et al 1989;Okorio et al 1994;Dhyani and Tripathi 1999;Yamada and Gholz 2002;McDonald et al 2003;Takaoka 2008;Park et al 2010). However, whereas most previous comparisons used sapling cohort growth trials, we studied growth in established standing trees with a large range of diameters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Given that growth varies with size, and can be influenced by environmental factors (Uriarte et al 2004;King et al 2005;Nath et al 2006;Park et al 2010), we included a range of different tree sizes and environmental conditions. We selected four widely occurring native species with medium to high timber value, and compared growth between the eastern and western sides of the district, which represent two different bioclimatic zones.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting native trees in shade coffee plantations of southern India: comparison of growth rates with the exotic Grevillea robusta

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Traditional shade coffee plantations of Kodagu district, in the Western Ghats of southern India, harbor a high density and diversity of trees. Local farmers appreciate native biodiversity, but plantation economics and public policies drive them to gradually replace the original diversified cover with exotic shade trees such as Grevillea robusta, which grows fast and can be easily traded as timber. In order to identify and recommend native timber trees with fast growth rates, we compared the growth performance of four common native species against that of G. robusta, by fitting steel dendrometer bands on 332 shade trees. Results showed that in general G. robusta had the fastest growth rates, but large trees of the native Acrocarpus fraxinifolius had faster growth in the wet western side of the district. Computer projections of long term performance showed that most species were influenced by bioclimatic zone. Species-specific local environmental effects also occurred, including competition from coffee bushes for A. fraxinifolius, influence of aspect for G. robusta, and management block effects for Lagerstroemia microcarpa. Our results show that native species potentially could produce timber at rates equivalent to those of exotic species. However, as in many tropical countries, data on growth rates of native trees within mixed-cover plantations are scarce and this study underlines the urgent need to screen for fast-growing species. Such information provides a strong basis for recommending appropriate changes in public policies that would improve tree tenure security and encourage farmers to grow more native species.

show abstract

Local and regional environmental variation influences the growth of tropical trees in selection trials in the Republic of Panama

Cited by 36 publications

References 47 publications

Influence of Removal of a Non-native Tree Species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. on the Regenerating Plant Communities in a Tropical Semideciduous Forest Under Restoration in Brazil

Influence of Removal of a Non-native Tree Species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth. on the Regenerating Plant Communities in a Tropical Semideciduous Forest Under Restoration in Brazil

Seasonal variability of photosynthetic characteristics influences growth of eight tropical tree species at two sites with contrasting precipitation in Panama

Promoting native trees in shade coffee plantations of southern India: comparison of growth rates with the exotic Grevillea robusta

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About