Evaluation of Four Methods for Restoring a Degraded Swamp Forest

Gisele Mondoni Marconato,Claudia Mira Attanasio,Rita C S Maimoni-Rodella

doi:10.4236/ojf.2015.55043

Abstract

Swamp Forests occur in permanently wet soils, with specific ecosystem which contributes to the conservation of biodiversity and water resources. However, there are many gaps in knowledge about the restoration of these forests. The present study was conducted in a degraded wetland in the town of Mineiros do Tietê, located in the state of S?o Paulo, Brazil, in order to test the efficiency of four methods for restoring a Swamp Forest (small mound, acclimated seedling, dry season and conventional tillage), using six forest tree species typical of this type of forest: Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess., Citharexylon myrianthum Cham., Cedrela odorata L., Tapirira guianensis Aubl., Ficus insipida Willd. and Croton urucurana Baill. The least favorable methods for all plant species were: conventional and soil pit tillageindry seasons. Analyzing the plant species individually, the best results in descending order were: Croton urucurana Baill. (acclimated seedling tillage in dry season), followed by Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess. (insmall mounds), Citharexylon mirianthum Cham. (with acclimated seedlings), Ficus insipida Willd. and Tapirira guianensis Aubl. (insmall mounds). Cedrela odorata L. presented low performance in all conditions, probably because it suffered the Hypsipyla grandella Zeller. The results have been successful for the establishment of Swamp Forest restoration strategies.

Highlights

Swamp Forests are common in hydromorphic soils with permanent occurrence of superficial water
Swamp Forests are located in riparian areas which carry out an essential function on hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic processes
Four restoration methods were implemented and evaluated: 1) conventional method: the seedlings were planted in pits with dimensions of 30 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm, dug at the ground level, in the traditional way; 2) small mound method: the seedlings were planted on small mounds of soil 30 cm high by 70 cm wide; staying raised from the saturated soil surface; 3) acclimated seedling in nurseries method: the seedlings received a treatment before being planted, stayed for 43 days in an environment with gradual water saturation, and the tillage was done in pits as in the conventional model; 4) planting during the dry season

Summary

Introduction

Swamp Forests are common in hydromorphic soils with permanent occurrence of superficial water. Swamp Forests are located in riparian areas which carry out an essential function on hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic processes. They keep the hydrographic micro watershed and the aquatic ecosystem healthy and resilient (Naiman & Décamps, 1997; Agnew et al, 2006; Allan et al, 2008; Burkhard et al, 2010; Attanasio et al, 2012; Matthews, 2013)

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Conclusion