Thinning temporarily stimulates tree regeneration in a restored tropical forest

Oliveira, Carlos; Durigan, Giselda; Putz, Francis E.

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2021.106390

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…This slowing of succession trends, therefore, affects the role of these natural and managed forests in conserving ecological functionalities [12]. In our case, chemical thinning was useful and effective for tropical trees, creating a light gradient in the understory of restoration plantations, which can be used to hasten successional pathways, potentially increasing the biological value and capacity of providing ecosystem services in older forests [22,58].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…With increased thinning intensity, however, the recruitment and growth of pioneer species may also increase [21], and invasive or undesirable species may establish in response to elevated light levels [45]. Consequently, it is important to determine other ecological responses to chemical thinning in different intensities, considering the environmental conditions and the goals of the restoration plans in tropical forests, such as increasing the diversity of natural regeneration [21,22]. Further studies could also expand the evaluation of chemical thinning effects in other components of the community along trophic levels and time, aiming to promote biodiversity and ecosystem services, including timber production [61].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the most used silvicultural techniques in tropical forests, thinning is the selective removal of competing individuals, species, or groups at focal sites and early stages of stand development [20,21]. Thus, managing or thinning the dominant trees in a restoration site might restrict the growth of non-pioneer trees in the understory, including timber species [22]. Thinning can also allow for the inclusion of new species or productive components in the forest system, such as native timber trees, which can mitigate restoration costs through long-term production [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chemical Thinning and Fisheye Clip for Managing Light Intensity in the Understory of Forest Restoration

Barros,

Loiola,

Viani

2023

Forests

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Research highlights: Tropical forest restoration can be supported by the production of timber species in their understory. While they may appear at odds, they can be reconciled to promote environmental conservation and services. The lack of information on the management of tropical species causes a technical constraint for timber production in the understory of restoration sites, especially given the light restrictions. This issue could be amended with the development of methods to easily manage and estimate light availability, targeting management practices that balance restoration success and productivity. Materials and Methods: We conducted this study in an area within the Atlantic Forest, Brazil, where we tested the efficiency of chemical thinning to increase light availability in the understory of a five-year-old restoration planting, aiming to increase the growth rates of desirable timber species. Moreover, we tested the viability of using hemispherical photography taken with a smartphone to assess light incidence to assist restoration management practices. We calculated the percentage of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) using a ceptometer in four different thinning intensities and compared them to the smartphone measures using correlation analysis. Results: Chemical thinning increased light incidence in the understory, with potential impacts on timber species productivity. Light management through PAR and canopy opening were highly correlated overall, especially after three months of management and 60% of thinning intensity. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the potential for chemical thinning as a management practice to enhance light availability in the understory of tropical forest restoration sites. Additionally, our study highlights the value of using affordable and accessible tools like smartphones and fisheye clips for the indirect assessment of light conditions to promote natural regeneration and guide forest management and timber production in tropical forest restoration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Chemical Thinning and Fisheye Clip for Managing Light Intensity in the Understory of Forest Restoration

Barros,

Loiola,

Viani

2023

Forests

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“…This operation has been accepted when “enriching” means increasing the commercial value of standing forests for exploitation (Santos & Ferreira 2020), but enrichment to increase biodiversity has been often carried out without cutting trees (Rappaport & Montagnini 2014; Mangueira et al 2019). Cutting trees has been shown to be highly convenient for ecological restoration (Dwyer & Mason 2018), including for adaptive management of high diversity restored forests (Oliveira et al 2021). By releasing resources for the remaining individuals, mainly light (Trentini et al 2017) and water (Qiu et al 2013), thinning increases growth performance of seedlings planted in thinned forests when compared to those unmanaged (Ashton et al 1998), as we observed in our experiment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning enhances success of enrichment planting with selected tree species under a pure stand of Leucaena leucocephala

Oliveira

Melo²,

Durigan

2023

Restoration Ecology

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Increasing the biodiversity of Leucaena leucocephala (hereafter leucaena) stands without losing the benefits provided by the forest structure is a challenge for adaptive management. Here, we report the survival and growth (height, stem, and canopy diameter) of five Atlantic Forest tree species planted underneath a pure stand of the exotic leucaena, which was broadcast sown 35 years before in a 0.6 ha area. Two treatments were compared: thinning (cutting all leucaena trees in 4‐m wide rows, where seedlings were planted) and control (seedlings planted under leucaena canopy), with four replicates each (20 seedlings per plot, four per species, 2‐m spaced). The five species selected were long‐lived emergent trees from seasonal forests, with broad canopy, evergreen, and shade‐tolerant. These traits were expected to allow their survival and growth, and, later on, to shade out the leucaena trees. Seven years after planting, survival was high for all species (around 80%), not differing between treatments or species. On average, stem diameter, height, and crown diameter were, respectively, 69, 44, and 36% higher in thinned than in control plots. Response to thinning differed between species in growth, with Gallesia integrifolia and Luehea divaricata standing out. Our results demonstrate that the species used for enrichment planting, selected by their suitable functional traits, can successfully survive under leucaena stands. Reducing competition by thinning, however, is crucial to enhance their growth. Despite the benefits from thinning, enrichment success strongly depends, therefore, on the abilities of the species selected to face the ecological filters acting on the target ecosystem.

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“…The morphological and chemical traits of fine roots are essential functional traits that mediate carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems [3,4]. Forest thinning is an effective management practice used to enhance forest productivity and functionality primarily through optimizing stand structure, understory environment, and soil conditions [5][6][7]. The changes in fine root traits after thinning are key points for forest thinning to regulate forest productivity and carbon sequestration capacity [8,9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Fine Root Morphological and Chemical Traits among Branch Orders to Forest Thinning in Pinus massoniana Plantations

Zhao,

Sun,

Wang

et al. 2024

Forests

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Fine roots play an essential role in biogeochemical cycling in forest ecosystems; however, little is known about the response of fine root morphology and chemistry in different root orders to forest management activities such as forest thinning. We investigated the fine root morphological and chemical traits in different root orders of Pinus massoniana under different thinning intensities, namely no thinning, low-intensity thinning (LIT), middle-intensity thinning (MIT), and high-intensity thinning (HIT) (0%, 25%, 45%, and 65% of individual trees eliminated, respectively). We found that forest thinning increased the root diameter (RD) of absorptive roots and decreased that of transport roots, while the trend for the specific root length (SRL) was the opposite. LIT and MIT could increase specific surface area (SSA), especially the SSA of absorptive roots in the MIT treatment. The root tissue density (RTD) of all root sequences in the LIT treatment decreased but increased in the HIT treatment. For the fine root chemical traits, thinning increased the root carbon concentration (RCC) of absorptive roots. The root nitrogen concentration (RNC) and root phosphorus concentration (RPC) of first- to fourth-order roots increased in the LIT and MIT treatments after thinning. Meanwhile, thinning increased root lignin, cellulose, and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations. Soil temperature, nitrate, and microbial biomass carbon were factors affecting variations in fine root morphology and chemistry. Forest thinning was likely to shift the absorptive roots’ foraging strategy into a resource-conserving one. Thinning increased fine root chemical traits in most root orders. These findings contributed to our ability to predict how belowground ecological processes are mediated by fine roots under forest management activities.

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Thinning temporarily stimulates tree regeneration in a restored tropical forest

Cited by 13 publications

References 69 publications

Chemical Thinning and Fisheye Clip for Managing Light Intensity in the Understory of Forest Restoration

Chemical Thinning and Fisheye Clip for Managing Light Intensity in the Understory of Forest Restoration

Thinning enhances success of enrichment planting with selected tree species under a pure stand of Leucaena leucocephala

Responses of Fine Root Morphological and Chemical Traits among Branch Orders to Forest Thinning in Pinus massoniana Plantations

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