Tropical Native Species Reforestation Information Clearinghouse (TRIC)

Resource Details

An evaluation of farmers' experiences planting native trees in rural Panama: implications for reforestation with native species in agricultural landscapes

Garen, E.J., Saltonstall, K., Slusser, J.L., Mathias, S., Ashton, M.S. & Hall, J.S. 2009, "An evaluation of farmers' experiences planting native trees in rural Panama: implications for reforestation with native species in agricultural landscapes", Agroforestry Systems, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 219-236.

Contact Info

Corresponding Author: eva.garen@yale.edu, HallJe@si.edu

Affiliations

• Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa, Ancón Republic of Panama
• United States Peace Corps, Panamá American Embassy Edif. 104, 1er piso, Ciudad del Saber Clayton Republic of Panama
• Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies 360 Prospect Street New Haven CT 06511 USA

Link(s)

Agroforestry Systems

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Species Info

• Pachira quinata
• Cedrela odorata
• Tabaebuia rosea
• Samanea saman
• Cordia alliodora
• Swietenia macrophylla
• Anacardium excelsium

Description

• Farmers were able to particpate in PRORENA supported reforestation projects in two regions of Panama.
• The Rio Hato region is poorer, with less education, and smaller landholdings than the Los Santos Region which had cattle grazing as an important land-use.
• Unlike what was expected many farmers with small landholdings were excited about tree planting and want to plant again.
• Also, the reasons for engaging in planting were primarily environmental - concern for the current soil, water, and climate situations and the belief that trees would mitigate those problems.
• These findings go against the commonly held ideas that only farmers with large landholdings and with the goals of timber production want to engage in reforestation.

Related Publications and Projects

• Bastien-Henri, S., Park, A., Ashton, M. & Messier, C. 2010, "Biomass distribution among tropical tree species grown under differing regional climates", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 260, no. 3, pp. 403-410.
• Craven, D., Braden, D., Ashton, M.S., Berlyn, G.P., Wishnie, M. & Dent, D. 2007, "Between and within-site comparisons of structural and physiological characteristics and foliar nutrient content of 14 tree species at a wet, fertile site and a dry, infertile site in Panama", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 238, no. 1-3, pp. 335-346.
• Craven, D., Hall, J. & Verjans, J. 2009, "Impacts of Herbicide Application and Mechanical Cleanings on Growth and Mortality of Two Timber Species in Saccharum spontaneum Grasslands of the Panama Canal Watershed", Restoration Ecology, vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 751-761.
• Griscom, H.P., Ashton, P.M.S. & Berlyn, G.P. 2005, "Seedling survival and growth of native tree species in pastures: Implications for dry tropical forest rehabilitation in central Panama", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 218, no. 1-3, pp. 306-318.
• Griscom, H.P., Connelly, A.B., Ashton, M.S., Wishnie, M.H, & Deago, J. 2011, "The Structure and Composition of a Tropical Dry Forest Landscape After Land Clearance; Azuero Peninsula, Panama" Journal of Sustainable Forestry, vol. 30, no. 8, pp. 756-774.
• Park, A., van Breugel, M., Ashton, M.S., Wishnie, M., Mariscal, E., Deago, J., Ibarra, D., Cedeno, N., & Hall, J.S. 2010, "Local and regional environmental variation influences the growth of tropical trees in selection trials in the Republic of Panama", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 260, no. 1, pp. 12-21.
• Proyecto de Reforestación con Especies Nativas (PRORENA)/Native Species Reforestation Project
• Wishnie, M.H., Dent, D.H., Mariscal, E., Deago, J., Cedeño, N., Ibarra, D., Condit, R. & Ashton, P.M.S. 2007, "Initial performance and reforestation potential of 24 tropical tree species planted across a precipitation gradient in the Republic of Panama", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 243, no. 1, pp. 39-49.

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