GUIDELINES FOR FOREST PLANTATION …

1 CIDA Contract No. 504/15808 Tecsult CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Jamaica: Trees for Tomorrow Project Phase II GUIDELINES FOR FOREST PLANTATION ESTABLISHMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN JAMAICA prepared by: Roland Camirand Trees for Tomorrow Project September 2002 TECSULT INTERNATIONAL 4700, Boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel Qu bec, Qu bec Canada G1P 2J9 Page i Tecsult Table of Contents What is a FOREST PLANTATION .. 1 Why plant FOREST trees .. 2 Where to plant FOREST trees .. 4 Available Appropriate climate ..4 Appropriate soils ..7 PLANTATION success/failure ..10 Which tree species to plant .. 10 Matching species and uses ..10 Matching species and climate ..11 Matching species and soils ..11 How to establish FOREST PLANTATION .. 12 Lay-out ..12 Site preparation ..14 Planting technique ..16 How to manage FOREST 18 Maintenance.

2 19 Pruning ..20 Thinning ..21 Fertilisation ..23 Insects and diseases ..24 Harvesting and starting the next FOREST Felling Regeneration system ..25 27 Appendix I: Characteristics of Jamaican soil types .. 29 Appendix II: Recommended species for reforestation and their 37 Appendix III: Holdridge life zones for recommended species for reforestation .. 39 Appendix IV: Soil characteristics of recommended species for reforestation .. 41 Appendix V: Planting and regeneration methods for the recommended species for reforestation .. 43 Appendix VI: Visual symptoms ofmacronutrient deficiencies for pines, eucalyptus and teak .. 45 Appendix VII: insect and disease threats to FOREST PLANTATION 47 List of Figures Figure 1. Map of zoning of Jamaica according to the Holdridge life zones 6 Figure 2. Frequently used types of tree spacing .. 14 Figure 3. Method to plant a tree 17 Figure 4.

3 Correct position of the seedling and seedling roots in planting hole .. 17 Figure 5. Method to prune a tree .. 21 Page ii Tecsult List of Tables Table 1. Sequence of FOREST PLANTATION decisions and 1 Table 2. End-products and FOREST PLANTATION systems and methods .. 2 Table 3. Ecologic effects of FOREST PLANTATION activities .. 3 Table 4. Potential available land areas for FOREST PLANTATION in Jamaica .. 5 Table 5. General GUIDELINES for FOREST land use allocation .. 7 Table 6. Assessment procedure for soil texture .. 8 Table 7. Assessment procedure for soil 9 Table 8. Definition of soil acidity (pH) 9 Table 9. Criteria for species selection by FOREST PLANTATION systems .. 10 Table 10. GUIDELINES for FOREST PLANTATION 13 Table 11. Calculation of number of seedlings according to spacing type .. 13 Table 12. GUIDELINES for preparation of planting site .. 15 Table 13. GUIDELINES for planting technique.

4 17 Table 14. Development stages and silvicultural operations in even-aged FOREST 18 Table 15. GUIDELINES for maintenance of FOREST PLANTATION .. 19 Table 16. GUIDELINES for pruning of FOREST PLANTATION .. 20 Table 17. Number of trees to leave in thinning 22 Table 18. Selection of trees to remove in thinning 23 Table 19. Main insects and diseases found in Jamaican FOREST plantations .. 24 Table 20. Suitability of felling systems under different constraints on PLANTATION management .. 25 Table 21. General rules for a sustainable harvesting of FOREST plantations .. 25 Table 22. GUIDELINES for the selection of FOREST regeneration 26 Page 1 Tecsult WHAT IS A FOREST PLANTATION A FOREST PLANTATION is defined as a FOREST crop or stand raised artificially, either by sowing or planting (Ford-Robertson 1971 in Evans 1992). In the literature, afforestation , reforestation or forestation are used to distinguish new planted forests.

5 The term afforestation is used in describing forests established artificially on land that previously did not carry FOREST for at least 50 years (Evans 1992, Pancel 1993a). For example, when man establishes a new FOREST on grassland or sand dunes, such afforestation is clearly artificial and can be termed a PLANTATION (Evans 1992). Reforestation is used when forests are established artificially on land which has carried FOREST within the previous 50 years, involving the replacement of the previous crop by an essentially different one (Evans 1992, Pancel 1993a). Sometimes, the term forestation is used for both afforestation and reforestation (Pancel 1993a, Wadsworth 1997). Other terms used to characterise tree planting within existing forests are interplanting or underplanting . Trees are planted in existing forests either for enrichment (interplanting), which is the filling in of natural gaps in FOREST regeneration, or as underplanting , the planting of young trees or the sowing of tree seeds, usually spaced systematically under most or all of an existing FOREST (Ford-Robertson 1971 in Wadsworth 1997).

6 Based on the form of enrichment or the distribution of trees within the FOREST , the inter/underplanting methods are called gap planting , line planting and group planting . In general, forestry PLANTATION establishment is broadly divided into three management phases: seed collection and handling; nursery practices and PLANTATION establishment; and management. This manual includes GUIDELINES related to the entire range of planting activities from species selection for the site to tree felling. The initial PLANTATION establishment phase is divided into the following activities: species selection, site preparation and planting operation. The PLANTATION management phase include silvicultural activities as follows: protection, tending (weeding and fertilising), pruning, thinning, felling and regeneration/replanting. The sequence of these activities is shown Table 1.

7 Table 1. Sequence of FOREST PLANTATION decisions and operations Usual silvicultural operation Main decisions Product Obtain seeds Species? Provenance? Not applicable Produce planting stock Season? Containers? Size? Seedlings Transplants Site preparation Intensity? Not applicable Planting Spacing? Fertiliser Young trees Tending Frequency? Methods? Saplings Low pruning Need? Partial? Small poles Thinning Timing? Intensity? Large poles High pruning Need? Height? Large poles Felling When? Mature trees Regeneration/Replanting Changes in species or culture? Second crop Source: Evans 1992, Wadsworth 1997. Page 2 Tecsult WHY PLANT FOREST TREES The Forestry Department s five-year national reforestation plan states that the 5-year target for government and private reforestation is 4750 hectares over the 26 watershed management units (WMU).

8 This represents an average of 183 hectares per WMU for the 5-year period or 37 ha/year/WMU. Planting on private land is proposed to account for approximately 80 percent of the total or 30 ha/year/WMU (Forestry Department 2000). The direct benefits of FOREST plantations on the value of the land are FOREST products such as sawtimber, fuelwood, charcoal, poles, food products, fodder for livestock, medicinal products and shade for agricultural crops. The objectives and desired end products of the FOREST PLANTATION will influence selection and application of establishment and management activities. PLANTATION activities and financial investment will vary depending on the objectives and the type of PLANTATION to be established (Table 2): large-scale industrial FOREST PLANTATION (industrial forestry) large-scale non-industrial FOREST PLANTATION (environmental forestry) small-scale village/community FOREST PLANTATION (social forestry) and agroforestry systems Table 2.

9 End-products and FOREST PLANTATION systems and methods End products PLANTATION systems Planting methods Timber Large-scale industrial PLANTATION Small-scale community PLANTATION Block planting Block planting, Enrichment planting Fuelwood / charcoal Large-scale industrial PLANTATION Small-scale community PLANTATION Block planting/Coppice Block planting/Coppice Posts / boundary Agroforestry system Trees planted individually or in line Food Agroforestry system Trees planted individually or in line Fodder Agroforestry system Trees planted individually or in line Medicinal products Agroforestry system Trees planted individually or in line Shade Agroforestry system Trees planted individually or in line Land reclamation Large/small-scale non-industrial PLANTATION Block planting/Nitrogen fixing species Aesthetics/Biodiversity Large/small-scale non-industrial PLANTATION Enrichment planting The block planting method is a full planting used where there is no existing FOREST .

10 Enrichment planting (line conversion planting, gap planting, underplanting) is a method to improve an existing secondary FOREST . The last planting method called trees planted individually or in line includes trees planted in pastures, boundary planting, live fences and line planting between agriculture crops (taungya or intercropping). From an ecological point of view, the reconstruction of a vegetation cover through FOREST PLANTATION restores the productivity of the land in terms of reduction of air pollution, regulation of water quality and regime, control of potential soil erosion, improvement of soil fertility and creation of habitat for wildlife (Table 3). The socio-economic effects are enhancement of the beauty of the landscape, creation of an environment beneficial to the health and increase in the value of the land. Page 3 Tecsult Table 3.