Plantation Forestry in Tropical Limestone Uplands: Environmental Constraints and Opportunities

This study addresses anthropogenic and ecological factors affecting a 50 hectare farmer-managed reforestation project in the cone karst of the central Philippine island of Bohol. Climate, soil moisture, micro-topographic features, soil fertility, management practices, and pre-plantation land use history are all related to, and assist in explaining the variability in, gmelina and mahogany survival and growth rates. Pre-plantation land use affects soil fertility and structure (affecting moisture-holding capacity), and micro-geomorphologic features such as slope angle, slope length, breaks in slope, and size and distribution of talus influenced tree growth and survival rates because of their relationship to soil erosion and deposition.