Forest Restoration and Rehabilitation: A Comparative Analysis of Techniques
Abstract
Forest ecosystems are essential for biodiversity, climate regulation, and human well-being. However, deforestation and degradation threaten these vital resources, necessitating effective restoration and rehabilitation techniques. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of various methods is crucial for improving restoration outcomes. This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of different forest restoration and rehabilitation techniques. The objectives include evaluating their ecological effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and suitability for diverse ecological contexts. A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing peer-reviewed articles, case studies, and reports related to various restoration techniques. Key techniques examined included natural regeneration, reforestation, afforestation, and assisted natural regeneration. Data were synthesized to highlight the comparative advantages and challenges of each method. Findings indicate that natural regeneration often yields the highest ecological success, particularly in undisturbed areas. Reforestation and afforestation techniques showed varying success rates based on species selection and site conditions. Assisted natural regeneration emerged as a cost-effective approach, promoting biodiversity while minimizing intervention. This analysis concludes that no single technique is universally applicable. Effective forest restoration requires tailored approaches that consider local ecological conditions and socio-economic factors. Policymakers and practitioners should prioritize collaborative strategies that integrate multiple techniques to enhance restoration success and ecological resilience.
Full text article
References
An, J., Chang, H., Han, S. H., Khamzina, A., & Son, Y. (2020). Changes in basic soil properties and enzyme activities along an afforestation series on the dry Aral Sea Bed, Kazakhstan. Forest Science and Technology, 16(1), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/21580103.2019.1705401
Brown, I. (2020). Challenges in delivering climate change policy through land use targets for afforestation and peatland restoration. Environmental Science & Policy, 107, 36–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2020.02.013
Burke, T., Rowland, C., Whyatt, J. D., Blackburn, G. A., & Abbatt, J. (2021). Achieving national scale targets for carbon sequestration through afforestation: Geospatial assessment of feasibility and policy implications. Environmental Science & Policy, 124, 279–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.06.023
Cavalli, A., Francini, S., Cecili, G., Cocozza, C., Congedo, L., Falanga, V., Spadoni, G., Maesano, M., Munafò, M., Chirici, G., & Scarascia Mugnozza, G. (2022). Afforestation monitoring through automatic analysis of 36-years Landsat Best Available Composites. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, 15(4), 220–228. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4043-015
Chen, Y., Chen, L., Cheng, Y., Ju, W., Chen, H. Y. H., & Ruan, H. (2020). Afforestation promotes the enhancement of forest LAI and NPP in China. Forest Ecology and Management, 462, 117990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.117990
Correia Filho, W. L. F., Santiago, D. D. B., Oliveira-Júnior, J. F. D., Silva Junior, C. A. D., Oliveira, S. R. D. S., Silva, E. B. D., & Teodoro, P. E. (2021). Analysis of environmental degradation in Maceió-Alagoas, Brazil via orbital sensors: A proposal for landscape intervention based on urban afforestation. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment, 24, 100621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsase.2021.100621
Cukor, J., Vacek, Z., Vacek, S., Linda, R., & Podrázský, V. (2022). Biomass productivity, forest stability, carbon balance, and soil transformation of agricultural land afforestation: A case study of suitability of native tree species in the submontane zone in Czechia. CATENA, 210, 105893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105893
Ding, Z., Zheng, H., Li, H., Yu, P., Man, W., Liu, M., Tang, X., & Liu, Y. (2021). Afforestation-driven increases in terrestrial gross primary productivity are partly offset by urban expansion in Southwest China. Ecological Indicators, 127, 107641. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107641
Doelman, J. C., Stehfest, E., Van Vuuren, D. P., Tabeau, A., Hof, A. F., Braakhekke, M. C., Gernaat, D. E. H. J., Van Den Berg, M., Van Zeist, W., Daioglou, V., Van Meijl, H., & Lucas, P. L. (2020). Afforestation for climate change mitigation: Potentials, risks and trade?offs. Global Change Biology, 26(3), 1576–1591. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14887
Duffy, C., O’Donoghue, C., Ryan, M., Styles, D., & Spillane, C. (2020). Afforestation: Replacing livestock emissions with carbon sequestration. Journal of Environmental Management, 264, 110523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110523
Fradette, O., Marty, C., Faubert, P., Dessureault, P.-L., Paré, M., Bouchard, S., & Villeneuve, C. (2021). Additional carbon sequestration potential of abandoned agricultural land afforestation in the boreal zone: A modelling approach. Forest Ecology and Management, 499, 119565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119565
Ge, F., Xu, M., Li, B., Gong, C., & Zhang, J. (2023). Afforestation reduced the deep profile soil water sustainability on the semiarid Loess Plateau. Forest Ecology and Management, 544, 121240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121240
Gómez-González, S., Ochoa-Hueso, R., & Pausas, J. G. (2020). Afforestation falls short as a biodiversity strategy. Science, 368(6498), 1439–1439. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abd3064
Guo, J., Wang, B., Wang, G., Wu, Y., & Cao, F. (2020). Afforestation and agroforestry enhance soil nutrient status and carbon sequestration capacity in eastern China. Land Degradation & Development, 31(3), 392–403. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3457
Guo, Y., Abdalla, M., Espenberg, M., Hastings, A., Hallett, P., & Smith, P. (2021). A systematic analysis and review of the impacts of afforestation on soil quality indicators as modified by climate zone, forest type and age. Science of The Total Environment, 757, 143824. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143824
Huang, Z., Cui, Z., Liu, Y., & Wu, G. (2021). Carbon accumulation by Pinus sylvestris forest plantations after different periods of afforestation in a semiarid sandy ecosystem. Land Degradation & Development, 32(6), 2094–2104. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3858
Jung, S., Chau, T. V., Kim, M., & Na, W.-B. (2022). Artificial Seaweed Reefs That Support the Establishment of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Beds and Facilitate Ocean Macroalgal Afforestation: A Review. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 10(9), 1184. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10091184
Kong, W., Wei, X., Wu, Y., Shao, M., Zhang, Q., Sadowsky, M. J., Ishii, S., Reich, P. B., Wei, G., Jiao, S., Qiu, L., & Liu, L. (2022). Afforestation can lower microbial diversity and functionality in deep soil layers in a semiarid region. Global Change Biology, 28(20), 6086–6101. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16334
Lan, J., Long, Q., Huang, M., Jiang, Y., & Hu, N. (2022). Afforestation-induced large macroaggregate formation promotes soil organic carbon accumulation in degraded karst area. Forest Ecology and Management, 505, 119884. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119884
Liang, H., Xue, Y., Li, Z., Gao, G., & Liu, G. (2022). Afforestation may accelerate the depletion of deep soil moisture on the Loess Plateau: Evidence from a meta?analysis. Land Degradation & Development, 33(18), 3829–3840. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.4426
Mohan, M., Rue, H. A., Bajaj, S., Galgamuwa, G. A. P., Adrah, E., Aghai, M. M., Broadbent, E. N., Khadamkar, O., Sasmito, S. D., Roise, J., Doaemo, W., & Cardil, A. (2021). Afforestation, reforestation and new challenges from COVID-19: Thirty-three recommendations to support civil society organizations (CSOs). Journal of Environmental Management, 287, 112277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112277
Ren, C., Zhang, X., Zhang, S., Wang, J., Xu, M., Guo, Y., Wang, J., Han, X., Zhao, F., Yang, G., & Doughty, R. (2021). Altered microbial CAZyme families indicated dead biomass decomposition following afforestation. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 160, 108362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108362
Rink, D., & Schmidt, C. (2021). Afforestation of Urban Brownfields as a Nature-Based Solution. Experiences from a Project in Leipzig (Germany). Land, 10(9), 893. https://doi.org/10.3390/land10090893
Škerlep, M., Steiner, E., Axelsson, A., & Kritzberg, E. S. (2020). Afforestation driving long?term surface water browning. Global Change Biology, 26(3), 1390–1399. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14891
Song, X., Shi, S., Lu, S., Ren, R., He, C., Meng, P., Zhang, J., Yin, C., & Zhang, X. (2021). Changes in soil chemical properties following afforestation of cropland with Robinia pseudoacacia in the southeastern Loess Plateau of China. Forest Ecology and Management, 487, 118993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.118993
Tau Strand, L., Fjellstad, W., Jackson-Blake, L., & De Wit, H. A. (2021). Afforestation of a pasture in Norway did not result in higher soil carbon, 50 years after planting. Landscape and Urban Planning, 207, 104007. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.104007
Valente, M. L., Reichert, J. M., Cavalcante, R. B. L., Minella, J. P. G., Evrard, O., & Srinivasan, R. (2021). Afforestation of degraded grasslands reduces sediment transport and may contribute to streamflow regulation in small catchments in the short-run. CATENA, 204, 105371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105371
Wang, J., Zhao, W., Wang, G., & Pereira, P. (2022). Afforestation changes the trade-off between soil moisture and plant species diversity in different vegetation zones on the Loess Plateau. CATENA, 219, 106583. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106583
Wang, Z., Peng, D., Xu, D., Zhang, X., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Assessing the water footprint of afforestation in Inner Mongolia, China. Journal of Arid Environments, 182, 104257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104257
Yu, P., Li, Y., Liu, S., Liu, J., Ding, Z., Ma, M., & Tang, X. (2022). Afforestation influences soil organic carbon and its fractions associated with aggregates in a karst region of Southwest China. Science of The Total Environment, 814, 152710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.152710
Yue, X., Zhang, T., & Shao, C. (2021). Afforestation increases ecosystem productivity and carbon storage in China during the 2000s. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 296, 108227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108227
Zhao, Y., Li, M., Deng, J., & Wang, B. (2021). Afforestation affects soil seed banks by altering soil properties and understory plants on the eastern Loess Plateau, China. Ecological Indicators, 126, 107670. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107670
Zhi, R., Deng, J., Xu, Y., Xu, M., Zhang, S., Han, X., Yang, G., & Ren, C. (2023). Altered microbial P cycling genes drive P availability in soil after afforestation. Journal of Environmental Management, 328, 116998. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116998
Zhong, Z., Li, W., Lu, X., Gu, Y., Wu, S., Shen, Z., Han, X., Yang, G., & Ren, C. (2020). Adaptive pathways of soil microorganisms to stoichiometric imbalances regulate microbial respiration following afforestation in the Loess Plateau, China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 151, 108048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.108048
Authors
Copyright (c) 2024 Pong Krit, Napat Chai, Ton Kiat

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.