Selecting framework tree species for restoring seasonally dry tropical forests in northern Thailand based on field performance

Cluster planting facilitates survival but not growth in early development of restored tropical forest

“…Despite competing for height growth with non-pioneer species in early restoration phase, pioneer species had higher initial survival rates, which makes them suitable for restoration projects (Elliott et al 2003). However, these species usually have short life cycles and many restoration projects in Brazil have failed after they died (Barbosa et al 2003;Souza & Batista 2004;Rodrigues, Brancalion, & Isernhagen 2009), highlighting the importance of introducing nonpioneer, long-lived species at some point in the restoration process (Rodrigues, Lima, Gandolfi, & Nave 2009).…”

Species-site matching in mixed species plantations of native trees in tropical Australia

“…Mixed species tree plantations may also provide benefits of product diversification, improved risk management and increased productivity when compared to monocultures (del Rio and Sterba 2009;Potvin and Dutilleul 2009;Amoroso and Turnblom 2006;Forrester et al 2004). Despite mounting interest in mixed species plantations over the last decade , trials of mixtures of native timber species in Brazil (Yamada andGholz 2002), Costa Rica (Montagnini et al 2003), Thailand (Elliott et al 2003), Australia Vanclay 2006a) and China (Jian-min et al 2003) have failed to produce plantation models for adoption by landholders or commercial timber growers on a large scale. Framework native species with the best potential for inclusion in mixtures have been identified for most regions Elliott et al 2003;Jian-min et al 2003;Yamada and Gholz 2002) but a lack of successful operational scale demonstrations coupled with adequate financial analysis has impeded the adoption of mixed species systems in industrial plantations (Nichols et al 2006).…”

Tree species diversity and utilities in a contracting lowland hillside rainforest fragment in Central Vietnam

“…In Vietnam, Thailand and other tropical countries various species of Lithocarpus, Castanopsis, Syzygium, Artocarpus, Ficus, Cinnamomum, Horsfieldia, Garuga, Canarium and Garcinia have, however, been used for more or less successful direct seeding of degraded forests (Woods and Elliott 2004;Cole et al 2011;Tunjai 2012) and/or as framework trees for forest restoration (Blakesley et al 2002;Elliott et al 2003;Khopai and Elliot 2003;FSIV 2003;Acharya and Kafle 2009). Various species of these and other genera (some with capacity to coppice; Table 3) were most probably also promoted in HPC-forest by villagers during initiatives to upgrade and 'enrich' local logged-out forests, whereby species selection/promotion was a mixture of practical ecological considerations (what can grow readily under specific conditions?)…”