Key tree species boost Amazon forest restoration, new study shows

A study in Global Change Biology found that just 15 to 25 tree species account for nearly half the trees and half the carbon stored across 102 regenerating forest plots in Brazil's Pará state. Researchers say identifying these hyperdominant species, including the embaúba and tatapiririca, could guide restoration efforts as Brazil aims to restore 12 million hectares of forest by 2030. More than 140,000 square kilometers of Amazon land is already regrowing naturally on former cattle pasture.

Scientists caution that fast-growing pioneer trees, which dominate early regrowth, die off after 15 to 20 years and must be replaced by sturdier successor species or the forest's recovery can stall. Researchers elsewhere have tested drone-based seed dispersal on degraded land in Bahia, finding it cheaper and more effective on slopes than manual planting, though bare seeds outperformed cassava-starch encapsulated ones. Experts note that 'secondary forest' can describe wildly different levels of degradation, complicating comparisons between restoration sites.

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