Mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus with nitrogen-fixing trees: A review

By D. Forrester, Jürgen Bauhus, A. Cowie, Jerome K. Vanclay. 2006

530 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus with a nitrogen (N2) fixing species have the potential to increase productivity while maintaining soil fertility, compared to Eucalyptus monocultures. However, it is difficult to predict combinations of species and sites that will lead to these benefits. We review the processes and interactions occurring in mixed plantations, 5 and the influence of species or site attributes, to aid the selection of successful combinations of species and sites. Successful mixtures, where productivity is increased over that of monocultures, have often developed stratified canopies, such that the less shade-tolerant species overtops the more shadetolerant species. Successful mixtures also have significantly higher rates of N and P cycling than 10 Eucalyptus monocultures. It is therefore important to select N2-fixing species with readily decomposable litter and high rates of nutrient cycling, as well as high rates of N2-fixation. While the dynamics of N2-fixation in tree stands are not well understood, it appears as though eucalypts can benefit from fixed N as early as the first or second year following plantation establishment. A meta-analysis of 18 published studies revealed several trials in which mixtures were significantly 15 (P<0.001) more productive than monocultures, and no instances in which mixtures were less productive than monocultures. Regression analyses of such data were more informative than indices of relative yield, and were more informative in trials that contrasted four or more different species compositions. Thus replacement series examining compositions of 100:0, 67:33, 33:67, and 0:100 were more informative than minimalist 100:0, 50:50 and 0:100 series.

Subfields: Forestry, Nature and Landscape Conservation

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/276a852d4fbf3872e2a8993f9fa9f07bbf89e237

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Citations in the corpus

Tamm Review: On the strength of evidence when comparing ecosystem functions of mixtures with monocultures (2015, background): “Mass balance approaches have been applied in mixed-species stands when examining carbon sequestration (Forrester et al., 2006a; Epron et al., 2013).”
Impact of climate change on biodiversity and associated key ecosystem services in Africa: a systematic review (2018, background): “Studies have shown that, under similar conditions, tree plantations with two or more species may achieve higher levels of productivity than singlespecies plantations for a range of species combinations (Forrester et al. 2006, Kelty 2006; Piotto 2008).”
Allelopathic effects of Eucalyptus on native and introduced tree species (2014, unknown): “Compared with Eucalyptus monocultures, mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus with an N-fixing species have been reported to result in increased productivity, whilst maintaining soil fertility (Forrester et al., 2006).”
Mixed-species plantations of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil (2008, background): “However, other studies have shown no impact, or a depressive effect, of mixtures on eucalypt growth (Parrotta et al., 1996; Forrester et al., 2006).”
Tree species mixing can increase maximum stand density (2016, background): “However, many recently published works found that mixing 69 may increase stand productivity (Forrester et al. 2006, Piotto 2008, Zhang et al. 2012) as well 70 as stand density (Pretzsch et al. 2015b, see also Reyes-Hernandez and Comeau 2013).”
Mixed-species plantations: Prospects and challenges (2006, unknown): “In some instances, 217 acacias can compete strongly with eucalypts and may need to be cut back in some 218 instances (Forrester et al. 2006a), but as a short-lived pioneer species, may also die 219 out before competition becomes problematic (Erskine et al. 2005).”
Decomposition of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium leaves and fine roots in tropical conditions did not meet the Home Field Advantage hypothesis (2016, background): “This issue is particularly relevant for studies dealing with the introduction of legume tree species into eucalypt monocultures (Binkley et al., 2001; Forrester et al., 2006; Forrester, 2014) or inter-cropping (Corbeels et al.”
Tree species diversity and ecosystem function: Can tropical multi-species plantations generate greater productivity? (2006, background): “The facilitation hypothesis suggests that plantations which use combinations of species that improve the growing conditions (i.e. nitrogen-fixing trees) for other species may facilitate increases in overall production of a mixed stand (Binkley et al., 2003; Forrester et al., 2006).”
Contemporary forest restoration: A review emphasizing function (2014, background): “…a nurse-crop or interplanting (Chinnamani et al., 1965; Stanturf et al., 2000; Lamb et al., 2005), a faster growing species is planted first to provide both an early financial return (Forrester et al., 2006; Lamb, 2011) and favorable growing conditions for a slower growing, more valuable species.”
Tree ring wood density of Scots pine and European beech lower in mixed-species stands compared with monocultures (2017, background): “, hydraulic lift, atmospheric nitrogen fixation or frost protection, potentially leading to a facilitation (Callaway andWalker, 1997) of one or more species in mixture and can result in an overyielding (Forrester et al., 2006; Vandermeer, 1989).”
Allelopathic effects of eucalyptus and the establishment of mixed stands of eucalyptus and native species. (2009, background): “The trees have been reported to reduce diversity of understory species (DeBell et al., 1987; Turnbull, 1999; Forrester et al., 2006; Gareca et al., 2007), cause soil degradation (Turnbull, 1999) and have allelopathic effects on native species (Gareca et al.”
Balancing the environmental benefits of reforestation in agricultural regions (2015, background): “Restoring the ground layer of vegetation reduces soil erosion Francis and Thornes, 1990) and occurs after reforestation princially by the ending of cultivation and by the removal of livestock. rees should be planted at densities that provide sufficient light or the development of a ground layer…”
Overyielding in mixed forests decreases with site productivity (2015, background): “…habitat by its neighbouring species (Vandermeer 1989; e.g. when nurse species such as shrubs protect seedlings from solar radiation; Callaway 1992), or the increase in a limiting resource thanks to another species (e.g. N2-fixing species can increase available nitrogen; Forrester et al. 2006).”
Toward managing mixed-species stands: from parametrization to prescription (2017, background): “…boreal zones appear moderate in comparison to overyielding of up to 50% found in the subtropics and tropics and for atmospheric nitrogen fixing tree species (Forrester et al. 2006, 2007, Kelty 1992), they are nevertheless highly relevant because they can be obtained simply by a smart mixing design.”
Establishment of native tropical timber trees in monoculture and mixed-species plantations: Small-scale effects on tree performance and insect herbivory (2011, background): “…as a consequence of positive ecologial interactions among different timber species (complementarity, acilitation) (Erskine et al., 2006; Forrester et al., 2006; Pretzsch and chütze, 2009) and reduced negative impacts of insect herbivores nd diseases (Jactel and Brockerhoff, 2007 and…”