Testing applied nucleation as a strategy to facilitate tropical forest recovery

• Published in: The Journal of applied ecology Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 88 - 96
• Main Authors: Zahawi, Rakan A., Holl, Karen D., Cole, Rebecca J., Reid, J. Leighton
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing 01.02.2013; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: active restoration; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Costa Rica; Economics; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Forest cover; Forest ecology; Forest regeneration; forest succession; Forestry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; Islands; Nonnative species; Nucleation; passive restoration; Plantations; Planting; Restoration; seedling establishment; seedling recruitment; Seedlings; Species; tree islands; tree patches; tree plantations; Trees; Tropical forests; Central America; America; Costa Rica; passive restoration; Tropical zone; seedling establishment; Tropical forest; Plant emergence; Island; Vegetation succession; Costa Rica; forest succession; tree patches; active restoration; Population recruitment; Tree; Strategy; Ecological recovery; seedling recruitment; tree islands; tree plantations

1. Active forest restoration typically involves planting trees over large areas; this practice is costly, however, and establishing homogeneous plantations may favour the recruitment of a particular suite of species and strongly influence the successional trajectory. An alternative approach is to pl...