A Guide to Important Forestry Tree Species Native to the Atlantic Slope of Costa Rica
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1999 A guide to important forestry tree species native to the Atlantic Slope of Costa Rica Brian Daly The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Daly, Brian, "A guide to important forestry tree species native to the Atlantic Slope of Costa Rica" (1999). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 6838. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/6838 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY Tlie University ofIVIONTANA Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ** Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature ** Yes, I grant permission No, I do not grant permission Author's Signature \ Date___________ /o |M Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's explicit consent. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A GUIDE TO IMPORTANT FORESTRY TREE SPECIES NATIVE TO THE ATLANTIC SLOPE OF COSTA RICA. By Brian Daly M.S. The University of Montana, 1999 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Science The University of Montana 1999 approved by Dean, Graduate School \ - Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: EP37639 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI* Dissartatiofi F^jbllshing UMI EP37639 Published by ProOuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProOuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProOuestiz: ProOuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Daly, Brian F. M.S., October 1999 Forestry A Guide to Inportant Native Tree Species of the Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica Director: Stephen S. Siebert ST ^ The world’s tropical lands confront increasing human demand and are being degraded and converted at unprecedented rates. Expanding human settlements, intensified mechanization, timber harvests and desire for more agricultural and pastureland contribute to the conversion. Unsustainable land use practices frequently result in loss of productivity and subsequent land abandonment. In fact, the area of degraded tropical land is now comparable to the amount of forested tropical land. Anthropogenic disturbances, particularly fire and altered edaphic conditions, retard the natural regenerative processes m many areas. Recent research has identified practical, cost-effective methods to establish native, species-rich forests on formerly degraded sites. Tree plantations managed as “foster canopies” or “foster ecosystems” have successfully restored indigenous tree species in a wide variety of environments, including even highly degraded mining sites. The primary constraint to increased use of foster ecosystems is the lack of information available on native tree species. This document provides basic information for important native tree species of the Atlantic zone of Costa Rica. The tree species included are either locally important, ecologically significant or very scarce throughout their range and in most cases all three. For each species I provide information regarding diagnostic field characteristics, seed production and germination, potential use and value, and basic ecology. The information was gathered through village nursery trials conducted in La Alegria, Costa Rica and a thorough review of related English and Spanish literature. It is hoped that this guide will assist in the identification and greater use of these valuable but over-looked indigenous tree species in reforestation efforts. 11 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREFACE During the process of creating this guide it was necessary to collect and germinate hundreds of native tree seeds. The 4“*, 5* and 6* graders from the towns of La Alegria, El Cruce and San Isidro de Pâscua germinated all of the seeds, cared for them in the nurseries and then planted every one of them. In addition to the seedlings they grew, the Escuela de Agricuhura de la Region Tropical Humeda (EARTH) donated 1,500 seedHngs between the three schools. The total number of native trees planted by the students in their hometowns was just over 3,000. Ill Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title.....................................................................................................................................1 Abstract.............................................................................................................................. ü Preface...................................................................................................................... ü i Table of Contents............................................................................................................... iv Introduction........................................................................................................................1 Tropical Land Conversion.............................................................................................. 1 Role of Native Tree Species...............................................................................................3 Tropical Forest Ecosystem Restoration Strategies............................................................5 Evaluation of Approaches..................................................................................................8 Objectives........................................................................................................................... 15 Site Description.................................................................................................................. 16 Methods.............................................................................................................................. 18 Species Descriptions Bursera simaruba...................................................................................................24 Corida alliodora.................................................................................................... 26 Caryocar costaricense........................................................................................... 25 Diptreyx panamemis..............................................................................................27 Ultra crepitans....................................................................................................... 28 Lecythis ampla................................................................... .................................... 29 Minquartia guianensis...........................................................................................30 Ormisia velutina.....................................................................................................31 Prioria copiafera................................................................................................... 33 Pithocellobium idiopodum.....................................................................................32 Pterocarpus officinalis.......................................................................................... 34 Terminalia oblonga................................................................................................35 Zanthozylum mayanum.........................................................................................36 Conclusion.......................................................................................................................... 39 References...........................................................................................................................41 iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 Introduction Humans are placing previously unsurpassed and accelerating demands on the world’s natural resources and tropical forest degradation is proceeding at unprecedented rates. Complex fectors including population growth, domestic politics and laws, and local and international socioeconomic conditions have resulted in widespread tropical forest degradation and are difficult to manage (Lugo 1992). During the