Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

A nascent science of reforestation with native trees is emerging in response to the challenge of reclaiming abandoned and degraded lands in the tropics. The biology of most tropical trees remains poorly known, however, which constrains their deployment in reforestation and afforestation projects. To address this knowledge deficit, I will develop systematic silvicultural analyses for native and exotic tree species that are being grown in the PRORENA project, Republic of Panama. Species' silvics will be be described relative to (a) their survival, growth and morphology under a range of environmental conditions, and (b) their effects on local ecosystem processes. Based on these parameters, groupings of species with distinctive growth, survival, and ecological characteristics will be developed to provide the basis for long term plantation trials. These trials will consist of species mixtures and monocultures that have been selected for their potential to fulfill regionally specific restoration goals. These goals include (1) achieving control of the invasive grass Sacharum spontaneum, (2) restoring fertility and soil structure to severely eroded land, and (3) modulation of hydrological regimes and runoff in the Panama Canal Watershed. My project will be the first systematic attempt to categorize neotropical trees according to their ecological effects on restoration sites. The synthesis of species responses to a range of environmental conditions, their effects on soils and local hydrology, and the use of restoration functional groups to design plantations for specific purposes represent unique contributions to tropical forestry. My project will contribute to developing Canadian research and educational links with Central America, and to the development of Canadian research capacity in tropical forestry. End users of the knowledge generated by this project include academic researchers, Panamanian government agencies (e.g. the Panama Canal Authority), small farmers, and restoration practitioners. Advanced training opportunities for Canadian and Panamanian students are an inherent part of my program.