Evaluation of Forest Restoration in a Degraded Permanent Preservation Area in Santa Catarina State, Brazil

This study evaluated the process of restoration in a degraded Permanent Preservation Area (PPA) in the municipality of Pouso Redondo, Santa Catarina state, six years after the initial plantation of trees and isolation of the area. Tree species were surveyed and increment of richness by natural establishment was quantified. Syndromes of propagule dispersion and regeneration guilds were determined. A total of 918 individuals from 73 species were found; 48 (65.8%) of them were species naturally established in the area. 71.2% of the species were classified as zoochoric (71.2%), and 54.8% as light demanding for climax. After six years, the restoration process was characterized by a trend of richness increment and replacement of initial by late successional species, indicating the relevance of the natural regeneration mechanism.