Biodiversity–productivity relationships in small-scale mixed-species plantations using native species in Leyte province, Philippines

Nguyen, Huong; Herbohn, John; Firn, Jennifer; Lamb, David

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2012.02.022

Cited by 49 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Shade intolerant species were initially planted to facilitate the survival of shade tolerate apex species, at an estimated density of 5000 trees per hectare (Nguyen et al . ). Rainforestation plantations were established at 28 locations over a period of 6 years and were approximately 1 ha in size.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Next‐generation tropical forests: reforestation type affects recruitment of species and functional diversity in a human‐dominated landscape

Wills

Herbohn

Moreno

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary In tropical countries where little natural forest remains, such as the Philippines, small‐holder monocultures and mixed‐species plantations potentially provide conservation values by providing habitat for local fauna and recruiting diverse understorey species. However, little information exists as to whether monocultures offer a framework to kick‐start understorey species recruitment and how this compares to mixtures. In this study, species and trait diversity were measured within the understories of three different forest types on the Island of Leyte, Philippines: mixed‐species forests (known as ‘Rainforestation Farming’), Swietenia macrophylla monocultures and regenerating selectively logged forests. All plants less than 2 m in height were identified, and dispersal type, fruit type, seed and fruit size were extracted from literature and online data bases. We found that overall seedling richness and diversity were lower within the monoculture forests compared with the regenerating selectively logged forests, with the Rainforestation forests showing intermediate seedling diversity, including trait diversity. Monoculture understories had a higher proportion of large fruited domesticated species that are likely dispersed by people and significantly lower wind‐dispersed native seedlings than the other forest types. Higher understorey diversity was generally negatively correlated with soil nutrients and positively correlated with increased leaf area index, that is more canopy cover. Our results confirm that mixed‐species plantations and regenerating selectively logged forests recruit higher species diversity, but we also found evidence that monocultures can recruit diverse species in the understorey. However, monoculture understories were depauperate of native wind‐dispersed traits that are often important emergent species in tropical rain forests. Synthesis and applications. Overall, our results show that just having trees in a cleared landscape provides conservation value, but if monocultures are used as less costly and technically simpler solutions for initiating recruitment, then wind‐dispersed native species (e.g. species from the Dipterocarpaceae family) in addition to other limited functional traits (e.g. large‐seeded species) should be planted to enhance long‐term survival of ecologically significant native tree populations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Next‐generation tropical forests: reforestation type affects recruitment of species and functional diversity in a human‐dominated landscape

Wills

Herbohn

Moreno

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…Ngyuen et al 2012); • factors affecting the success of indigenous species under varying environmental conditions, including microsite conditions; • identification of complementary, facilitatory and competing species when grown within mixed plantations; • how to best design highly diverse mixtures of indigenous species to provide production, support livelihoods and generate biodiversity benefits (see Gregorio et al 2012 for how initial observations have been used to design further field trials); • improved silvicultural techniques and management regimes for rainforestation sites to provide long-term benefits (Ngyuen et al 2012); and • the potential to use traits to create a predictive tool of how different species are likely to perform prior to plantation establishment.…”

Section: Motivations For Collecting Inventory Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ten of the 28 sites were rejected others: had been partially burnt or cleared for other agricultural Fig. 1 Location of sites included in the inventory of smallholder woodlots, reforestation sites and rainforestation sites activities; were substantially affected by harvesting; did not have access approval from the land owners; or had few trees greater than 5 cm DBH (Ngyuen et al 2012). …”

Section: Rainforestation Sites (Mixed Species Plantings)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Inventory Procedures for Smallholder and Community Woodlots in the Philippines: Methods, Initial Findings and Insights

Herbohn

Vanclay

Ngyuen

et al. 2013

Small-scale Forestry

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This paper details the processes and challenges involved in collecting inventory data from smallholder and community woodlots on Leyte Island, Philippines. Over the period from 2005 through to 2012, 253 woodlots at 170 sites were sampled as part of a large multidisciplinary project, resulting in a substantial timber inventory database. The inventory was undertaken to provide information for three separate but interrelated studies, namely (1) tree growth, performance and timber availability from private smallholder woodlots on Leyte Island; (2) tree growth and performance of mixedspecies plantings of native species; and (3) the assessment of reforestation outcomes from various forms of reforestation. A common procedure for establishing plots within each site was developed and applied in each study, although the basis of site selection varied. A two-stage probability proportion to size sampling framework was developed to select smallholder woodlots for inclusion in the inventory. In contrast, community-based forestry woodlots were selected using stratified random sampling. Challenges encountered in undertaking the inventory were mostly associated with the need to consult widely 123Small-scale Forestry DOI 10.1007/s11842-013-9242-6 before the commencement of the inventory and problems in identifying woodlots for inclusion. Most smallholder woodlots were only capable of producing merchantable volumes of less than 44 % of the site potential due to a lack of appropriate silviculture. There was a clear bimodal distribution of proportion that the woodlots comprised of the total smallholding area. This bimodality reflects two major motivations for smallholders to establish woodlots, namely timber production and to secure land tenure.

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“…The Rainforestation Farming plantations in the Philippines present an ideal opportunity to explore basic questions concerning forest dynamics, optimal planting densities and human-use patterns of tropical polycultures [15][16][17][18][19]. We hypothesise that these mixed species plantations could balance the ecological attributes of species with landholder preferences in the Philippines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correction: Designing Mixed Species Tree Plantations for the Tropics: Balancing Ecological Attributes of Species with Landholder Preferences in the Philippines

2014

PLoS ONE

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A mixed species reforestation program known as the Rainforestation Farming system was undertaken in the Philippines to develop forms of farm forestry more suitable for smallholders than the simple monocultural plantations commonly used then. In this study, we describe the subsequent changes in stand structure and floristic composition of these plantations in order to learn from the experience and develop improved prescriptions for reforestation systems likely to be attractive to smallholders. We investigated stands aged from 6 to 11 years old on three successive occasions over a 6 year period. We found the number of species originally present in the plots as trees .5 cm dbh decreased from an initial total of 76 species to 65 species at the end of study period. But, at the same time, some new species reached the size class threshold and were recruited into the canopy layer. There was a substantial decline in tree density from an estimated stocking of about 5000 trees per ha at the time of planting to 1380 trees per ha at the time of the first measurement; the density declined by a further 4.9% per year. Changes in composition and stand structure were indicated by a marked shift in the Importance Value Index of species. Over six years, shade-intolerant species became less important and the native shade-tolerant species (often Dipterocarps) increased in importance. Based on how the Rainforestation Farming plantations developed in these early years, we suggest that mixed-species plantations elsewhere in the humid tropics should be around 1000 trees per ha or less, that the proportion of fast growing (and hence early maturing) trees should be about 30-40% of this initial density and that any fruit tree component should only be planted on the plantation margin where more light and space are available for crowns to develop.

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Biodiversity–productivity relationships in small-scale mixed-species plantations using native species in Leyte province, Philippines

Cited by 49 publications

References 55 publications

Next‐generation tropical forests: reforestation type affects recruitment of species and functional diversity in a human‐dominated landscape

Next‐generation tropical forests: reforestation type affects recruitment of species and functional diversity in a human‐dominated landscape

Inventory Procedures for Smallholder and Community Woodlots in the Philippines: Methods, Initial Findings and Insights

Correction: Designing Mixed Species Tree Plantations for the Tropics: Balancing Ecological Attributes of Species with Landholder Preferences in the Philippines

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