An evaluation of direct seeding for reforestation of degraded lands in central São Paulo state, Brazil

As part of a larger study evaluating several silvicultural techniques for restoring tropical moist forests on abandoned agricultural lands in southeastern Brazil, direct seeding with five early-successional Atlantic forest species was tested at three degraded sites, characterized by different soil t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forest ecology and management 2001-10, Vol.152 (1), p.169-181
Main Authors: Engel, Vera Lex, Parrotta, John A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration
Forest management. Stand types and stand dynamics. Silvicultural treatments. Tending of stands. Natural regeneration
Forest restoration
Forestry
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Native species
Natural regeneration
Seedling growth
Stand types and stand dynamics. Silvicultural treatments. Tending of stands. Natural regeneration
Tropics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As part of a larger study evaluating several silvicultural techniques for restoring tropical moist forests on abandoned agricultural lands in southeastern Brazil, direct seeding with five early-successional Atlantic forest species was tested at three degraded sites, characterized by different soil types and land-use histories, within the Environmental Protection Area at Botucatu, SP. The species used in this study were Chorisia speciosa, Croton floribundus, Enterolobium contorstisiliquum, Mimosa scabrella, and Schizolobium parahyba. Scarified seeds of each of these species were sown in prepared seed spots in replicated, 0.25 ha mixed-species plots at an initial espacement of 1 m×1 m at each site. Of the five species planted, only two, Enterolobium and Schizolobium, showed good seed germination, seedling survival, and early growth rates, averaging 4.1–4.6 cm stem diameter and 1.5–1.7 m height growth during the first 2 years after sowing. These two species constituted 88–100% of the total stand density, which ranged from 1050 to 1790 stems ha −1 at 2 years. Despite the poor performance of the other species tested, we observed that the natural regeneration of native forest species originating from remnant forests in the general vicinity of our study sites was significantly greater within the direct-seeded plots than in unplanted control plots that were protected from fire and other disturbances.
ISSN:0378-1127
1872-7042
DOI:10.1016/S0378-1127(00)00600-9