Data from: Species wood density and the location of planted seedlings drive early-stage seedling survival during tropical forest restoration

1.The success of restoration projects is known to vary widely, with
outcomes relating to numerous biotic and abiotic factors. Though many
studies have examined the factors associated with long-term restoration
success, few have examined which factors impact the establishment of
restoration plantings. 2.In Australia's Wet Tropics, we used a large
replicated restoration experiment to assess seedling survival for 24
native rainforest species commonly used in local restoration efforts. The
experiment allowed for a rigorous assessment of the effects of species
functional traits, planting conditions and landscape and local scale
biotic and abiotic factors on seedling survival. This study reports on
seedling survival between three different time periods of 0 – 4, 4 – 9 and
9 – 31 months post planting. 3.The probability of seedling survival was
influenced by multiple factors, varying in importance over time. Across
the whole study period, seedlings with high wood density and which were
planted closer to intact forest consistently displayed the highest
probabilities of survival. Transient factors affecting seedling survival
across the three time periods included plot aspect (0 – 4 months only),
the identity of the planter and slope (4 – 9 and 9 – 31 months). Overall,
species survival did not differ between the low (6 species) and high (24
species) diversity treatments, but was significantly lower in monocultures
of Flindersia brayleyana by the end of the study. 4.We demonstrate that
early-stage seedling survival depends on species wood density and planting
location. Our results support the use of species with more conservative
growth strategies when limited funds are available for follow-up
plantings. Specifically, high wood density species had significantly
higher survival than lower wood density, early successional species
typically used in rainforest restoration plantings. 5.Synthesis and
applications. Our study highlights the importance of wood density and
landscape structure to the initial survival of rainforest plantings.
Factors influencing seedling survival shifted over time, but most
importantly, our results highlight that, when planting into abandoned
pastures, it may be preferable to select species with higher wood
densities to maximize survival during the crucial early stages of
establishment and growth.