Regeneration of an Atlantic forest formation in the understorey of a Eucalyptus grandis plantation in south-eastern Brazil

Abstract

This note aims to provide data indicating the great potential of Eucalyptus plantations for the recuperation of degraded native tropical forests in Brazil. Cultivation of fast-growing Eucalyptus for charcoal, paper or wood production started in Brazil at the beginning of this century and by 1966 400,000 ha were covered with species of this genus. Rapid industrialization in the early 1970s favoured the expansion of this area to 1,052,000 ha in 1973, the world's largest area covered with Eucalyptus plantations at that time (Lima 1987). Current estimates are of nearly 3,900,000 ha (Instituto de Pesquisas Florestais IPEF, pers. comm.). In order to establish these artificial plantations, however, many native forests were cut, mostly in the cerrado and lower-montane Atlantic forest. The widespread substitution of natural heterogeneous forests by introduced forest monocultures produced some dramatic environmental consequences, as witnessed by the frequent problems that the Eucalyptus planters had with pests and diseases (Berti Filho & Fraga 1987, Zanuincio & Lima 1975). It has now become a priority to restore areas of native vegetation amidst Eucalyptus plantations with the joint aims of protecting water sources, sheltering local fauna, and providing alternative resources for pests and a breeding ground for their predators. To provide background data we carried out a survey in 1988 of regeneration of native trees in the understorey of a Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden plantation. The site was at CAF (Santa Barbara Agro-forestry Company), a charcoal