Selection of Native Tree Species for Subtropical Forest Restoration in Southwest China

Abstract

The use of native species in forest restoration has been increasingly recognized as an effective means of restoring ecosystem functions and biodiversity to degraded areas across the world. However, successful selection of species adapted to local conditions requires specific knowledge which is often lacking, especially in developing countries. In order to scale up forest restoration, experimental data on the responses of native species to propagation and restoration treatments across a range of local conditions are required. In this study, the restoration potential of 34 native tree species was evaluated based on nursery research and field planting experiments at a highly degraded site in a subtropical area of southwest China. We examined species performance in terms of germination rates as well as survival rates and growth over 2 years after planting. Of the 34 species examined, 25 had a germination percentage greater than 50%. Survivorship ranged from 0 to 97% across species and was greater than 50% for 20 species. Mean monthly growth increments varied between species. Pioneer species performed well, and 14 mid- and late-successional species performed reasonably well to very well in this study. However, the remaining 16 mid- and late-successional species performed poorly. These results indicate that carefully selected mid- and late-successional species can be effectively incorporated into mixed species plantings. This data can be used to inform restoration planning, helping to identify suitable species and so enhance the biodiversity and resilience of restored forests.

Investigation of tropical coastal forest regeneration after farming and livestock grazing exclusion

“…The variation in plant density recorded in this study area shows that forests subjected to different disturbances regenerate differently as supported by Wekesa et al (2015). ADS had more seedlings and saplings than in CFS, indicating that disturbances have some beneficial effects as found by others (Hessenmöller et al 2013;Kalaba et al 2013;Wekesa et al 2015 andLu et al 2017), though at small spatial scales (Duah-gyamfi et al 2014). Also, habitats modified by farming might also promote regeneration and are measurable after some years of human activities exclusion (Navroodi 2015).…”

The Composition of Nitrogen-Fixing Microorganisms Correlates With Soil Nitrogen Content During Reforestation: A Comparison Between Legume and Non-legume Plantations

“…The dominance of Rhizobiales in PM may relate to the low quality of organic C resources owing to recalcitrant litter (Zhang et al, 2008; Kirschbaum, 2013; Wang et al, 2018). Planting some dominant native species during the initial forest restoration may be helpful in the functional and structural recovery of degraded forest ecosystems (Lu et al, 2017). In this study, the NP was dominated by versatile diazotrophic groups, such as Paraburkholderia , Candidatus Koribacter , and Desulfospira , which could help the plant resist diseases (Rahman et al, 2018), and tolerate soil acidification and infertility (Kai et al, 1997) during the early stages of restoration.…”

Forest landscape restoration: state of play

“…For example, connectivity projects in Australia and New Zealand attempt to connect forest fragments and rely on local support to implement the programme with public and private funding. Major afforestation projects in China may have increased forest cover (data in some cases are unreliable), but in the past have used non-native species and may have removed local farmers without providing them with alternatives [ 141 , 260 , 267 , 268 ], although there is increasing emphasis on using native species [ 269 – 271 ]. Other landscape approaches, such as the Great Green Wall in Africa, eventually may be part of BC commitments of some of the countries, but so far these have not been solidified.…”