Rapid land-use change in the tropics causes dramatic losses in biodiversity and associated functions. In Sumatra, Indonesia, lowland rainforest has mainly been transformed by smallholders into oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) monocultures, interspersed with jungle rubber (rubber agroforests) and a few forest remnants. In two regions of the Jambi province, we conducte...

Prunus spinosa is a highly esteemed shrub in forest and landscape plantings. Shrubs with larger organs occur often and are considered either as large fruited forms of P. spinosa or as P. x fruticans, involving a hybridization process with the ancient cultivated P. insititia (crop-to-wild gene flow). As climate change may augment hybridization processes in the future, a hybrid origin is importan...

Measurements of species richness and species abundance can have important implications for regulations and conservation. This study investigated species richness and abundance of butterflies in the family Nymphalidae at undisturbed, and disturbed habitats in Tirimbina Biological Reserve and Nogal Private Reserve, Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. Traps baited with rotten banana were placed in the canopy a...

Given that the cutting pressure on natural forests in Indonesia must now be reduced, it is vital that the forest industries adjust accordingly and shift their resource base from natural forests to plantations. This study is presented in an attempt to help develop a tree plantation strategy for Indonesia and so facilitate this industrial transformation. Focusing in particular on the issues surro...

(Species richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in forests with Araucaria in Southern Brazil). This study aimed to characterize species richness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in three distinct forests with Araucaria angustifolia (native forest, reforestation with A. angustifolia and plantation with Pinus taeda) in the “Floresta Nacional de São Francisco de Paula”, State of Rio Grande ...

The Southeast Asian region is experiencing some of the world’s highest rates of deforestation and forest degradation, the principle drivers of which are agricultural expansion and wood extraction in combination with an increased incidence of fire. Recent changes in fire regimes in Southeast Asia are indicative of increased human-causd forest disturbance, but El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) ...

Using a spatially explicit forest management model called OPTIONS simulation analyses are conducted to investigate the impact of intensive management practices, rotation age, and harvest level on long-term wood production, harvest opportunities, and resource sustainability. The initial forest inventory is compiled from datasets of the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory Analysis Unit, various ...