Affiliations 

  • 1 UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QB, UK
  • 2 Department of Geography, University of Exeter, Laver Building, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QE, UK
  • 3 Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, Forest Research Institute, University of Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, 4556, Queensland, Australia
  • 4 Asian School of Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
  • 5 Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, JCMB, The King's Buildings, Peter Guthrie Tait Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FD, UK
  • 6 Permian Global Research Limited, Savoy Hill House, 7-10 Savoy Hill, London WC2R 0BU, UK
  • 7 Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå 907 36, Sweden
  • 8 Research Centre for Ecology and Ethnobiology, National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN), Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor KM. 46, Cibinong, Bogor, West Java 16911, Indonesia
  • 9 Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Block S3 #05-01 16 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117558, Singapore
  • 10 School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, UK
  • 11 Environmental Science Research Centre, Science Faculty and Forest Restoration Research Unit, Biology Department, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, 50200, Thailand
  • 12 PT Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia, Jl. Dadali No. 32, Bogor 16161, Indonesia
  • 13 Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 88400, Malaysia
  • 14 Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
  • 15 Department of Biology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK
  • 16 Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, Umeå 907 36, Sweden
  • 17 Nature Conservation Foundation, 1311, 'Amritha', 12th Main, Vijayanagar 1st Stage, Mysuru, Karnataka 570 017, India
  • 18 Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
  • 19 Forever Sabah, Jalan Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 88300, Malaysia
  • 20 Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-28933 Móstoles, Madrid, 28933, Spain
  • 21 South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, Danum Valley Field Centre, PO Box 60282, Lahad Datu, Sabah 91112, Malaysia
  • 22 Conservation & Environmental Management Division, Yayasan Sabah Group, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 88817, Malaysia
  • 23 J.F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, Göttingen 37073, Germany
  • 24 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
  • 25 Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Jalan CIFOR, Bogor 16115, Indonesia
  • 26 School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, Scotland AB24 3UU, UK
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 2023 Jan 02;378(1867):20210090.
PMID: 36373930 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0090

Abstract

Current policy is driving renewed impetus to restore forests to return ecological function, protect species, sequester carbon and secure livelihoods. Here we assess the contribution of tree planting to ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asia; we synthesize evidence on mortality and growth of planted trees at 176 sites and assess structural and biodiversity recovery of co-located actively restored and naturally regenerating forest plots. Mean mortality of planted trees was 18% 1 year after planting, increasing to 44% after 5 years. Mortality varied strongly by site and was typically ca 20% higher in open areas than degraded forest, with height at planting positively affecting survival. Size-standardized growth rates were negatively related to species-level wood density in degraded forest and plantations enrichment settings. Based on community-level data from 11 landscapes, active restoration resulted in faster accumulation of tree basal area and structural properties were closer to old-growth reference sites, relative to natural regeneration, but tree species richness did not differ. High variability in outcomes across sites indicates that planting for restoration is potentially rewarding but risky and context-dependent. Restoration projects must prepare for and manage commonly occurring challenges and align with efforts to protect and reconnect remaining forest areas. The abstract of this article is available in Bahasa Indonesia in the electronic supplementary material. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.