Canopy cover data from: Applied nucleation facilitates tropical forest recovery

 

Applied nucleation, mostly based upon planting tree islands, has been proposed as a cost‐effective strategy to meet ambitious global forest and landscape restoration targets.

We review results from a 15‐year study, replicated at 15 sites in southern Costa Rica, that compares applied nucleation to natural regeneration and mixed‐species tree plantations as strategies to restore tropical forest. We have collected data on planted tree survival and growth, woody vegetation recruitment and structure, seed rain, litterfall, epiphytes, birds, bats and leaf litter arthropods.

Our results indicate that applied nucleation and plantation restoration strategies are similarly effective in enhancing the recovery of most floral and faunal groups, vegetation structure and ecosystem functions, as compared to natural regeneration.

Seed dispersal and woody recruitment are higher in applied nucleation and plantation than natural regeneration treatments; canopy cover has increased substantially...

以营造树木岛为主要实施方式的应用成核法（Applied nucleation），已被提出为一种经济高效的策略，用以达成宏伟的全球森林与景观修复目标。
本研究对一项在哥斯达黎加南部15个试验点重复开展的15年研究结果进行了综述，该研究对比了应用成核法、天然更新与混种人工林三种热带森林修复策略的效果。研究团队已采集了人工种植树木的存活率与生长情况、木本植被的自然更新与群落结构、种子雨、凋落物产量、附生植物、鸟类、蝙蝠以及地表枯落物节肢动物等相关数据。
研究结果表明，相较于天然更新处理，应用成核法与人工林修复策略在促进多数动植物类群、植被结构与生态系统功能的恢复方面效果相当。
应用成核法与人工林处理的种子传播效率与木本植被自然更新率均高于天然更新处理；林冠盖度已得到显著提升……