Intensive silviculture enhances biomass accumulation and tree diversity recovery in tropical forest restoration

摘要: Maximizing initial aboveground woody biomass (AGB) accumulation in order to obtain early payments for carbon stocking is essential the financial viability of reforestation programs fostered by climate mitigation efforts. Intensive silviculture, i.e., silviculture traditionally used commercial forestry maximize productivity and gains, has recently been advocated as a promising approach enhance AGB restoration plantations. However, this may hamper natural forest regeneration ecological succession due high competition between colonizing plants planted trees. We investigated impacts different silvicultural treatments applied plantations with 20 native tree species on spontaneous an experiment set up Atlantic Forest Brazil. demonstrated remarkable potential increasing three times stands (from ~25 75 Mg/ha 12th year). fertilization/weed control enhanced accumulation, while higher density proportion pioneers did not have significant effect over time. In spite costs (cost increase 13–19%), cost‐effectiveness intensive was comparable that traditional (US$50–100/Mg 3 × 2 m spacing). Contrary our expectations, we find trade‐off trees species, since both (total 12 species) 30 plantation understory. Specifically, strong association found stocks abundance richness vast majority which (90% 95% individuals) were dispersed animals. report case positive correlation Forest. Fostering establishment maintenance can, some cases, be win‐win strategy biodiversity conservation human‐modified tropical landscapes.