Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Tropical Forest Recovery in an Agricultural Landscape

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Reforestation of tropical landscapes that were cleared of trees is a goal that has important implications for conservation biology, for developing diverse local economies, and for carbon sequestration and climate change. A novel approach of planting tree islands as source points for restoration of tropical forest is being tested with a large-scale and long-term experiment built around 15 ~1 ha plots spread across 100 square km in Costa Rica. The relative importance to forest recovery of local factors (restoration strategy, tree cover) versus the nature of the landscape (nearby forest cover) is also being tested. Treatments, established from 2004-2006, include tree islands of three sizes that were either planted with trees or left to be colonized through natural dispersal. Results to date have provided key insights into patterns of bird foraging, seed rain, seed germination, and seedling growth. This award will maintain an experimental infrastructure that has attracted numerous project collaborators and support ongoing and new monitoring of vegetation, seed dispersal, bats, and birds in restored and reference forests. Results of this study will inform tropical forest restoration efforts, which are critical to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services, such as hydrological cycling and carbon sequestration. Additional broader impacts will include training of US and Latin American graduate and undergraduate students, as well as Costa Ricans of all educational levels. Results will be disseminated in English and Spanish to general and scientific audiences, through educational institutions, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.