Abstract (en):
One way to counteract climate change is to plant forests with high carbon storage capacity. In this study we report the results of a reforestation project in savannas of the Tomogrande Reserve, in Vichada Department, Colombia. We restricted fire in six one-hectare plots: in two seasonally inundated and two highland savannas we planted seedlings of trees found in the Orinoco Basin and nearby gallery forests and in two of them we did not plant seedlings (control plots). Out of 200 seedlings planted in well-drained savannas, only 17 % survived after two and a half years (33 % came from nearby forest and 12 % from other areas). None of the 182 seedlings planted in flooded savannas survived at the end of the study. The main mortality cause in well-drained savannas was wilting. We concluded that in addition to the control of fire, seedling establishment of forest trees in savannas is highly affected by climatic and light conditions and for this reason the trees with highest potential for restoration are the ones already found at the site in the same ecological conditions (e.g. forest edge).
Abstract (es):
Una forma de contrarrestar el cambio climático es la generación de bosques con alta capacidad de almacenamiento de carbono. En este trabajo se reportan los resultados de una iniciativa de reforestación de bosque en sabanas de la rserva Tomogrande. Se crearon barreras contra el fuego en seis áreas: dos inundables y dos no inundables, para sembrar plántulas de bosques de la Orinoquia, y manteniendo dos más como control sin adición de plántulas. De 200 plántulas sembradas en sabanas no inundables, únicamente el 17 % de ellas sobrevivieron por más de dos años (33 % para las especies de bosques aledaños y 12 % para las de otros lugares de la Orinoquia). Ninguna de las 182 plántulas trasplantadas a zonas inundables sobrevivió por más de dos años. La principal causa de mortalidad en sabanas bien drenadas fue el marchitamiento. Se concluye que a pesar de que la ausencia de fuego puede ayudar al establecimiento de árboles, las condiciones climáticas y lumínicas de la sabana disminuyen las probabilidades de que las plantas de bosque se establezcan y las que logran mayor probabilidad de supervivencia son las especies que viven en los bosques de galería aledaños (especialmente en bordes de bosque).
Keywords:
Barreras de establecimiento, Bosques de galería en Colombia, Sabanas inundables, Supervivencia de plántulas (es)
Flooded savannas, Gallery forests in Colombia, Plant establishment barriers, Plant survival (en)
Flooded savannas, Gallery forests in Colombia, Plant establishment barriers, Plant survival (en)
How to Cite
Stevenson, P. R., Ramírez, M. A., Casas, L. F., & Henao-Díaz, F. (2017). Afforestation of savanna forests of the Colombian altillanura: relevance of the environmental conditions for the establishment of seedlings. Biota Colombiana, 18(1 Sup), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.21068/c2017.v18s01a06
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