Evaluating seedling traits, maintenance and effective costs to support tropical forest restoration practices
October 3, 2026
- While large-scale restoration is essential, tropical forest restoration often depends on small-scale practitioners and landowners who produce, plant and maintain trees. Their collective impact on restoring forest diversity and function is substantial, making it critical to address the constraints they face through efficient, effective techniques.
- We used generalized linear mixed models to evaluate how seedling traits, weeding maintenance and a fertilizer application influenced the 5-year survival of 1796 seedlings from 11 tree species planted in Monteverde, Costa Rica.
- Estimates of annual survival increased with seedling age (time after planting) and leaf count at planting. Weeding effects varied by species, improving survival in 7 of 10 species and reducing survival in one. All species reached >80% annual survival after 2 years regardless of maintenance, and seedlings planted with ≥25 leaves showed increased survival that decreased the need for weeding.
- Weeding is costly: all effective costs per 4-year surviving seedlings were higher with weeding than without and varied by species. Costs were calculated by species, treatment and seedling leaf counts when planted (5, 10, 15, 25, 35, 45). Beyond the 2-year threshold, where mortality is highest, weeding effort and costs no longer appear justified. A single fertilizer application did not improve survival in either of the species tested.
- Practical implications. These findings support landowner restoration by giving restoration technicians accessible tools to improve seedling survival—increasing leaf counts before planting—and reducing post-planting weeding costs by targeting only species for which it benefits and limiting weeding to 2 years.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Title | Evaluating seedling traits, maintenance and effective costs to support tropical forest restoration practices |
| DOI | 10.1002/2688-8319.70313 |
| Authors | Debra A Hamilton, Timothy K Parshall, Lorenzo Vargas Berocal, Rodrigo Alvarado Méndez, Gregory R Goldsmith, Therese M. Donovan |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Ecological Solutions and Evidence |
| Index ID | 70283203 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Coop Res Unit Leetown |