Project Meliaceae
Plantation Management: Management
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ESTABLECIMIENTO DE PLANTACIONES DE Swietenia macrophylla King.
(Spanish)
Agropecuario
Gobierno del Estado de Tamualipas, México
http://www.tamaulipas.gob.mx/sedeem/sectores/agrop_pesca/pdfs/4_king_sur.pdf
Link verified 2 August 2004
Plantations of Swietenia macrophylla at the
Jardin Botánico Lancetilla, Honduras at different spacings, etc.
(Spanish)
http://www.lancetilla-oimt.hn/jardin_botanico/programas/investigacion_conservacion.html
http://www.lancetilla-oimt.hn/jardin_botanico/
Links verified 2 August 2004
Nelson Smith, J. H. 1942. The formation and management of mahogany
plantations at Silk Grass Forest Reserve. Caribbean Forester 3
(2):75-78
Silk Grass regeneration experience. In Belize areas of 8 to 12 acres of
cutover forest were clear-felled and two Swietenia macrophylla
seeds were sown at 10-foot centers. Maite was interplanted for
vegetation control. Where survival was poor a second sowing was not
successful because the weed vegetation had advanced too much.
With good seed the practice was successful but light shade was needed
to control the Hypsipyla. Under dense shade growth was slow and
response to later release was not satisfactory. Hardwood tree species
that come up with the maize, if their growth is only slightly more
rapid than the mahogany provide a good nurse crop. Unfortunately,
those species that most commonly come up are
not the former high forest species. Their growth is too rapid,
their
crowns are too spreading, and their shade is too dense. Their
control
in the second year is a necessity. In summary, it is not sound practice
to rely on natural regeneration for nurse species. Control of ants and
a
caterpillar Egchirites nominus is a necessity. Under
maximum
light mahoganies grow 8 to 10 feet in height in a year. Under light
shade
it is 5 to 6 feet per year. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
Marrero, J 1942. Study of grades of broadleaf mahogany planting stock.
Caribbean Forester 3(2): 79-88.
Planting stock grades. Inadequate control on procurement leads to
sowing of Swietenia macrophylla that produces stock that may
reach 6 feet in height before the end of the following planting season.
Stock 4 to 6 feet tall survived in the forest significantly better when
pruned to 4 inches. Survival of stock 2 to 3 feet in height was not
improved
significantly by pruning to 4 inches. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
Martinez-Oramas, J. 1942. Planting with tar-paper pots on difficult
sites in Puerto Rico Caribbean Forester 3(4):158-163.
Pot planting of Swietenia mahagoni. On dry sites potting of
planting stock of this species is required for satisfactory survival. .
Two propagation techniques were used: (1) produce seedlings from drills
6 inches apart, pricked out after one month and transplanted into pots,
and (2) sowing one or more seeds directly into the pots. The pots used
were stapled, bottomless tar-paper of 4 inched diameter and 6 inches
depth. After 6 to 8 months the stock is 8 to 10 inches tall. Roots
penetrate 3 to 4 inches below the pots. The pots are transported
to planting sites in boxes, by horse to distant sites. For planting the
pots are slit down one side. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
Wadsworth, F. H. 1944 The first year in the Cambalache Experimental
Forest. Caribbean Forester 6(1):34-44.
Success with Swietenia mahagoni. West Indies mahogany was
tested in a valley between limestone hills in an area with 50 inches of
rainfall annually. A planting of potted stock during dry weather
had a survival of 84% despite 6 months of drought. Direct seeding
of this species in better weather has shown much promise and a less
expensive way to reforest the site. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
Wolcott, G. W. 1945. Trees for roadside planting in Puerto Rico.
Caribbean Forester 6(3):115-129.
Swietenia mahagoni in Surinam. In the early days of urban tree
planting in Puerto Riuco nearly every tree species specifically
selected for street plantings had some objectionable feature, in most
cases of an entomological nature. The city of Paramaribo has
planted S. mahagoni along most of its streets, an almost
perfect answer to the problem of urban trees. Slowness of growth is
only a temporary disadvantage. Some of the older
trees have low branches but the younger trees have been pruned up so
that
their crowns are high above traffic. They provide open shade for
comfortable bicycle traffic. They are also a future source of
income. (Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
Wadsworth, F. H. and J. A. Gilormini, 1945. The potentialities
of forestry on Mona Island. Caribbean Forester 6(4):219-244.
Swietenia mahagoni on Mona Island. In 1937 three small
plantings of S. mahagoni were made on Mona, an island west of Puerto
Rico.
The site is exposed and receives about 40 inches of rain per
year.
It is only about 50 miles east of the natural range of this species in
the
Dominican Republic. They were planted on a limestone plateau with
shallow
soil. They have grown slowly, attaining only 8 to 10 feet in height at
seven
years. Shoot-borer attacks have damaged the form of some of the
trees.
At this stage the prospect of sawn timber on this site is seen as
doubtful. As a later observation, on the sandy coastal plain the
tree has produced
good form and as soon as seed was produced there has appeared an
abundance
of natural regeneration. On the shallow soil of the plateau the form of
the
trees has continued poor, but the trees have even survived hurricanes.
(Abstracted by F. H. Wadsworth)
PLAN J.,VENNETIER M., 1998. Contribution des dispositifs
expérimentaux de Martinique à la sylviculture du mahogany
à grandes feuilles. Office National des Fôrets Bulletin
Technique 36:29-38.
Source: Office National des Fôrets
Abstract available
http://www.onf.fr/doc/bt/bt36.htm
Link verified 2 August 2004
Fors, A J, 1944, Notas sobre la silvicultura del cedro, Cedrela
mexicana Roem. Caribbean Forester 5(3):115-118.
Cedrela in Cuba. Isolated cedars, along roadsides or in patios and
ruins of old building grow rapidly and of good form. Young cedars need
and abundance of nutrients. If the soil is not fertile, cessation of
growth is certain. Beneath shade growth stops. Planted pure and
dense, stagnation takes place. Dominants do not form.
Cater, J. C. 1945. The silvicultura of Cedrela mexicana. Caribbean
Forester 6(3):89-113.
Cedrela in Trinidad II. Cedrela is more numerous on cultivated land
than in natural forests in the same locality. The great majority
of the
trees are found on drainage banks along roads. The outstanding
characteristic
of such sites is good drainage. In natural forests the cedars are
almost
confined to upper slopes with good drainage. Failures of
plantings
in cutover forest are due to deterioration of the soil porosity and
nutrient
level following the cessation of litter formation. Planted trees should
be
placed on mounds.
Roig y Mesa, J. 1946. Estado actual de las plantaciones de cedro,
Cedrela mexicana en la isla de Cuba. Caribbean Forester
7(1):93-102.
Cedars in Cuba II. On all of the soils of Cuba failures of cedar are
general, but there are also a few healthy trees. Even on the poorest
serpentine soils there are some healthy trees. Best sites seem to be
near dwellings, in concrete ruins, and farm woodlots. Splendid cedar
trees are found on slopes and calcareous ridges where lateral shade and
wind protection are afforded. Best plantings are on soils with a pH of
7 or more. Plantations without companion species have ended in failure.
Pests and diseases are detrimental only on poor sites.
Wadsworth, F. H. 1947 The second year in the Cambalache
Experimental Forest. Caribbean Forester 8(1):65-77.
Shade protection of S. mahagoni. S. mahagoni has been regenerated
successfully, direct seeded, on exposed limestone hills with a rainfall
of 50 inches annually. Light shade is desirable for the first
year.
Wadsworth, F. H. 1947. The development of Swietenia mahagoni Jacq.
On St. Croix. Caribbean Forester 8(2):161-164.
S. mahagoni on St. Croix. With 44 inches of rain annually on a
limestone soil a volunteer forest of S. mahagoni rose naturally in the
lee of a mahogany windbreak. Natural regeneration within the stand is
abundant. In a protected ravine trees with 2 ½ 16-foot logs were
found. In a small sample of the densest forest a timber volume of
14,000 board feet per acre developed. The averaged was less than
3,000 board feet. The age of the forest
is unknown. Distinct growth rings were found on stumps on a ridge. The
marked annual dry season suggests that the rings may be annual. Their
width is
related to their apparent former degree of suppression. A stump
of
a tree that apparently was a dominant had 55 rings and was 14 inches in
diameter. Of 8 trees in different canopy positions the average number
of
rings per radial inch was 15.5.
Wadsworth, F. H. 1947. The third year in the Cambalache Experimental
Forest. Caribbean Forester 8(3):203-212.
Cambalache growth. In the Cambalache Experimental Forest with an
annual rainfall averaging 50 inches S. mahagoni, direct-seeded on a
limestone
hill attained an average height of 36 inches in two years.
Marrero, J. 1948. Forest planting in the Caribbean National Forest,
past experience as a guide to the future. Caribbean Forester 9:85-213.
Wet sites. S. macrophylla requires
lower slopes and valleys for best growth in Puerto Rico. On
exposed ridges it makes poor growth and is more susceptible to
shoot-borer attack. On a slope a 13-year-old mixed plantation has
200 trees per acre of good
form. Stem diameters range to 9 inches. On an alluvial terrace a
mixed
plantation 7 years old had 312 well-formed trees to 6 inches in stem
diameter. Trees planted beneath coffee shade are smaller and
spindly. Some failed to develop a good crown. Sudden removal of
the shade did not correct this situation, leaving many trees
weak. Windthrow on exposed, wet sites has been
continuous. Shoot-borer is not considered serious,
although some trees have been girdled by mice. Pure planting is
not
recommended.
S. mahagoni on sites of
80 inches or more of rainfall have not been successful. The best
trees are on well drained ridges. At 8 years the average dbh was 2.4
inches and the maximum was 3.4 inches, with heights from 12 to 18
feet. A 15-year-old plantation in the wet Luquillo Mountains
produced trees to 25 feet tall but flat-topped, of poor form, and
heavily attacked by shoot-borer and leaf blight. This species
should be limited to regions of less than 60 inches of rainfall
annually.
Experience with Cedrela
odorata in the wet Luquillo Mountains was a failure. Early
survival of 60
percent fell off rapidly in the first two years. A few trees grew
well along roadsides. On one sandy slope a plantation of 8 years with
an
annual rainfall of 149 inches had attained 5 inches in dbh and 25 feet
in
height. In general it failed on both upper and lower
slopes.
In the Toro Negro forest, also very humid, Cedrela was attacked
by
the coffee borer (Apate sp.) and a defoliator (Dikraneura cedrela).
Wadsworth, F. H. 1948. Five years of forest research on the north coast
of Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester 9:373-380.
Underplanting. On the limestone hills of the north coast of
Puerto Rico (50 inches of rainfall annually) underplanting to improve
the forest composition is promising with both mahoganies. The
under planted trees should always have light directly above. The
shade should not be removed before the dry season when the forest drops
most of its leaves.
Marie, E. 1949. Notes sur les reboisementes en Swietenia macrophylla
King. Caribbean Forester 10:205-222.
Reforestation in
Martinique. S. macrophylla introduced about 1900. A
3-hectare plantation started in 1905. With the organization of the
Forest Service in 1922 this plantation had trees to 1.8 meters in girth
and 50 meters in height, and with clean
boles from 8 to 12 meters. Nursery production is from December to
April.
Spacing of stock is 10x10 cm on dry sites and 10x15 cm on wet
sites.
Germination of fresh seeds starts after 10 days. Wildings 10 to 15 cm
tall
from under the plantations also are used. The seedlings are ready
for
planting in 6 months so no transplanting is done. However, the
best
stock is after 9 months, 1 to 1.2 meters tall. Lifting should be done
when
there are no tender tips. Planting is done bare-root. Spacing is 3x3
meters
in the open and 4x4 on recently cutover land. There crops are
allowed
between the trees. After two years the cultivation ends and the
plantation
is interplanted at 2x2 meters. In 25-year-old plantation between 250
and
500 meters elevation mean stem girths are 1.95m and height is 22
meters.
Shoot-borer attacks can be controlled by allowing rapid growing trees
like
Cecropia to grow up through the plantation and provide shade. The age
of
harvest is 35 to 40 years.
Tropical Forest Experiment Station 1952 Twelfth annual report.
Caribbean Forester 13(1):12.
Cedar growth in rain forest. A 1036 plantation of Cedrela mexicana
mixed with S. mahagoni in area with a mean annual rainfall of
120
inches at an elevation of 1,500 feet in Puerto Rico. The mean dbh had
reached
5.5 inches in 11 years. In the subsequent 5 years the dominant trees
averaged 0.38 in per year.
Tropical Forest Experiment Station 1953. Thirteenth Annual Report.
Caribbean Forester 4(1):1-33.
Mahogany underplanting. In 1950 about 40 acres of the west side of the
Luquillo Moiuntains, Puerto Rico (120 “ of rain annually) was
underplanted
with S. macrophylla. The overstory was thinned and the trees were
planted 15 to 20 feet apart beneath openings. After 18 months the trees
averaged 5 feet in height. No sign of shoot borer. Weeding
was
hardly needed. Thinnings were begun at 10 to 13 years.. Dominant
trees
were hardly stimulated.
Tropical Forest Experiment Station 1954. Fourteenth Annual Report.
Caribbean Forester 15(1):1-13.
Mahogany growth. Direct seeding of S. macrophylla on a site in
Puerto Rico with 120 inches of rainfall annually gave a survival of
near;ly 100
percent.. After 8 months than in adjacent plantings. Dominant and
codominant
trees in a protected gully average 8 inches dbh and 20 to 30 feet in
height
after 15 years. S. mahagoni in a region of 70 to 80 inches of rainfall
annually to 6 inches dbh in 16 years..
Tropical Forest Research Center, 1955. Fifteenth Annual Report.
Caribbean Forester 16(1/2):1-11.
Mahogany plantation progress. An 18-year-old plantation of S. mahagoni
on a limestone hill subject to 60 inches of rainfall annually has grown
steadily, with dominant and codominant trees averaging 6.1 inches in
dbh. On St. Croix, with 45 inches of rainfall the growth of naturally
regenerated trees of S. mahagoni (age unknown) average 3.9-4.4 inches
dbh.
Marrero, J. 1950. Reforestation of degraded lands in Puerto Rico.
Caribbean Forester 11(1):3-24.
S. mahagoni on degraded sites. Some 3,000 acres were planted with S.
mahagoni in Puerto Rico. Well adapted to serpentine and limestone
soils with 40 to 60 inches of rainfall annually. Fails above 80
inches. Natural regeneration abundant to a few hundred feet out from
seed trees. Germination of fresh seed to 80 percent. Starts in 2-3
weeks. Some 3,200 seeds to the pound.. 100 pounds of fruits make 10
pounds of seeds. Fifty percent germination after 6 months at ambient
temperature. Seeds sown 3 inches apart in rows 6
inches apart. Ready for lifting in about 6 months. Shade is desirable
at the
time of germination to 3 months thereafter and then gradual
exposure to full sunlight. In dry periods of full sunlight place leaf
mulch on the soil. Bare-root planting produces poor survival. The best
practice is to pot
seedling one month before planting. Well adapted to planting under a
light
shelterwood. Reduces shoot borer and trees look more healthy. Direct
seeding
has been successful where there are 60 inches of rainfall annually. The
shoot
borer problem is serious only on poor sites where the trees look
unhealthy.
Repeated shoot borer attacks deform the trees.
Tropical Forest Experiment Station, Tenth annual report. Caribbean
Forester 11(2);59-104.
S. mahagoni at Guajataca. A plantation of S. mahagoni in the bottom of
a limestone sinkhole with 80 inches of rainfall annually, now 12 years
old, has an average dbh of 4.2 inches and a basal area of 68 square
feet per acre. A canopy has formed and the trees are thrifty.
Tropical Forest Experiment Station, 1950. Tenth annual report.
Caribbean Forester 11(2):59-104.
S. macrophylla thinning. In a rainfall belt of 140 inches
per year, S. macrophylla spaced 6x6 feet, at 11 years attained 100 to
115 square feet of basal area per acre., 850 trees, and a mean dbh of
4.8 inches. Thinning was needed and reduced the basal area to about 80
square feet per acre. Another plantation, spaced 8x8 feet, had a mean
dbh of 5.4 inches and a basal area of 81 square feet per acre, and was
considered not yet in need of thinning.
Marrero, J. 1950. Results of forest planting in the Insular Forests of
Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester 11(3):107-147.
Meliaceae in State Forests. S. macrophylla has proven unadapted
to soils exhausted by cultivation. The shoot borer attack is severe on
poor sites.
On wet red clay soils the trees make poor growth and may be blown
over,
S mahagoni has failed in the wet central mountains. It grows best with
annual
rainfall between. Average annual dbh growth in Guajataca (80 inches of
rain)
was 0.40 inch; in Susua, (50 inches) 0.3 inch, in Maricao,(100 inches)
0.18
inch, and in Guanica (30 inches), 0.32 inch. On Mona Island, with 40
inches
of rail annually, a 7-year-old plantation averaged 4 inches dbh and 15
feet
in height. Direct seeding failed at Guanica (30 inches) and succeeded
in
Cambalache (50 inches). Of Cedrela odorata plantings of more than
300,000
trees in Maricao, Carite, and Rio Abajo all failed. No clear
explanation
was found.
Tropical Forest Research Center, 1956. Fifteenth Annual Report.
Caribbean Forester 17(1/2): 1-11.
Hurricane effects in Puerto Rico. Hurricane Connie, 135 miles north of
the forest, with winds at the forest of 60 miles per hour, caused
serious windthrow in plantations of Swietenia macrophylla on wet clay
soil in a rainfall zone of 150 inches per year. Prior to the
storm it was apparent that many of the trees were not windfirm. At the
time of the hurricane the trees were 17 years old, and averaged 10
inches dbh. The effects were observed only on
west slopes and the trees were felled northward. Mahogany was
more susceptible
than associated natural forest species. As many as 80 percent of the
mahoganies
were windthrown over a large area. Even beneath trees not blown over,
mahoganies
were uprooted. The root systems of the uprooted trees were small and
superficial.
Tropical Forest Research Center. Fifteenth Annual Report. Caribbean
Forester 17(1/2): 1-11.
S. macrophylla natural regeneration. Natural regeneration of S.
macrophylla appeared beneath a 27-year-old plantation in a wet forest
area. It had previously been thinned to 105 square feet per acre.
Fruits were observed for the first time a year after the thinning. The
seedling crop ranged up to 14,300 per acre. Some were in their second
year.
Tropical Forest Research Center Fifteenth Annual Report. Caribbean
Forester 17(1/2):1-11.
S. macrophylla on sandy soil. On sandy soil in the wet Luquillo
Mountains of Puerto Rico, S. macrophylla 24 years old ranged from 12 to
21 inches dbh. These trees survived the hurricane. They
have good form and buttressed roots.
1956 Fifteenth Annual Report. Caribbean Forester 17(1/2):1-11.
S.mahagoni survival. Three-month survival of S. mahagoni
on St Croix (40 inches annual rainfall) indicated that with favorable
weather bare-root stock can be used. Survival of potted stock was 98%
and of bare-root stock from 52 to 86%. The bare-root stock was of
three types: transplanted 90 days before lifting, root-pruned 60 days
before lifting, and cut back to
2 inches. Tropical Forest Research Center.
Tropical Forest Research Center 1958. The status of forestry and forest
research in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Caribbean
Forester
19(1/2) :1-24.
Plantation growth. S. macrophylla in a rainfall belt of 90-120 inches
per year was left unthinned for 20 years, and then thinned to about 100
square feet per acre of basal area.. Six years later the basal area had
arisen to 153 square feet. Dbh at 27 years averaged 14 inches with a
maximum of 18 inches.
Another plantation on the same site but more open because of initial
mortality
had a mean dbh of 18 inches and a maximum of 24 inches.
Wadsworth, F. H. and G. H. Englerth. 1959. Effects of the 1956
hurricane on forests in Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester
20(1/2):38-51.Windthrow. S. macrophylla is susceptible and S. mahagoni
is resistant.
Institute of Tropical Forestry Annual report for 1962. 1963. Caribbean
Forester 24(1):1-12.
Early plantation growth. After 32-40 months on clay soil S. macrophylla
mean height was 7.1 feet, maximum, 8.2 feet. S. mahagoni mean was 6.1
feet
and maximum 7.9 feet. Institute of Tropical Forestry Annual report for
1962. 1963. Caribbean Forester 24(1):1-12.
Institute of Tropical Forestry, 1991-1992. Annual letter: 4-5. Rio
Piedras,
Puerto Rico.Plantation development in Puerto Rico. In humid mountain
sites
in Puerto Rico the following comparative data were collected for Khaya
nyasica (KN) and Swietenia macrophylla (SM):
Age Stems/ha Understory
Yrs >4cm dbh. species
KN
27
47,900
27
SM
26
24,200
29
Litter mass (Mg/ha)
and
nutrients (Kg/ha)
Mass
N
P K
Ca
Mg
KN (27) 14.7 126
3.7
23
104
25
SM(26) 12.0
140
4.1 34
201
35