Efecto de Heliconia y helechos en la regeneración de árboles comerciales (en colaboración con Bram Houben)

Investigador: Griette van der Heide, tesis de maestría (MSc thesis, Forest and Nature Conservation)
Institución: Universidad de Wageningen, Holanda
Sitio de trabajo: La Chonta
Fecha: October 2004 –presente 

In the sustainable tropical forestry the selective logging systems rely on the natural regeneration to produce the next crop of timber. These systems seek to maintain commercial productivity of logged forest by minimizing damage to residual trees and by conserving the natural regeneration potential of the forest. In natural regeneration systems it is assumed that the regeneration will occur naturally, beginning with an acceptable production of seedlings and some of these will eventually become harvestable adult trees (Jansen 2003). In the long-term silvicultural research project (LTSRP) installed by IBIF in Bolivia, the problem raised that the commercial tree species could not regenerate under certain conditions. Three species in the understory create the big problems concerning regeneration of the commercial tree species. Dense understories of ferns, Heliconia sp. or Styrax tessmanni are expected to influence the environment in such a way that it is unsuitable for the regeneration of the commercial tree species. 

Based on the previous problem description the general objective of this study is to gain knowledge about the influence of the dense understories of Heliconia sp., Styrax tessmannii or ferns on the regeneration of the commercial tree species, with as central research question: How do Heliconia sp., Styrax tessmannii or ferns effects seedling survival, seedling growth and seedling herbivory?

To answer this central research question we have split it up into several smaller questions, which will provide the final answer to this question.

• What is the effect of Heliconia sp., Styrax tessmannii or fern on light availability, leaf litter and soil humidity and temperature?
• Does the occurrence of Heliconia sp., Styrax tessmannii or fern affect the density, the composition and growth of the tree seedlings?
• Is there a difference in herbivory between plots with and without a dense understory of Heliconia sp., Styrax tessmannii and fern?