Research Article Open Access

Survivorship and Growth Performance of Shorea macrophylla (de Vriese) after Enrichment Planting for Reforestation Purpose at Sarawak, Malaysia

Mugunthan Perumal1, Mohd Effendi Wasli1, Ho Soo Ying1, Jonathan Lat2 and Hamsawi Sani1
  • 1 Department of Plant Science and Environmental Ecology, Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • 2 Forest Department of Sarawak, Wisma Sumber Alam, Petra Jaya, 93660 Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

Reforestation may offer one means of mitigating the processes of forest land degradation and is indispensable in an effort to conserve forest biological diversity in the tropics. Thus, a preliminary assessment was conducted in order to evaluate the survivorship and growth performance of Shorea macrophylla (de Vriese) after enrichment planting for reforestation purpose in Sarawak, Malaysia. This study was conducted at reforestation sites located at Sampadi Forest Reserve, Sarawak, Malaysia where indigenous Dipterocarp species, S. macrophylla (de Vriese) were planted by line planting system. Study sites were established at reforestation areas at different age stands; (planted in the year 1996; SM96, 1997; SM97, 1998; SM98 and 1999; SM99). The assessment on the growth performance of planted S. macrophylla was evaluated by measuring the trees total height, Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) and calculation of the percentage of survival. The findings indicated a positive tree growth in terms of growth performance and survival which clarified the efficacy of line planting technique adapted in the studied sites. Growth performance in terms of survivability; Mean Annual Increment of Height (MAIH) and Diameter (MAID) in SM96 revealed the highest growth rate as compared to SM97, SM98 and SM99. For the average tree height and diameter at breast height, the results showed that the tree height and diameter in SM96 were 11.8 m and 14.7 cm, respectively. Meanwhile, SM99 recorded the lowest average tree height and diameter reading with 8.8 m and 6.6 cm, respectively. Nonetheless, high survival percentage of S. macrophylla were depicted in this study with 89% of survival in SM96, followed by 80, 82 and 57% in SM97, SM98 and SM99, respectively. Substantial growth performance and high survival percentage of S. macrophylla implied that microclimate condition such as competition between planted and existing pioneer species of the study sites may have affected the tree growth performance of the planted S. macrophylla. Notwithstanding, further studies are essential in order to find out the plant-soil association of S. macrophylla where other environmental factors may affect the growth and survival of the planted species.

OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences
Volume 17 No. 1, 2017, 7-17

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2017.7.17

Submitted On: 10 October 2016 Published On: 16 March 2017

How to Cite: Perumal, M., Wasli, M. E., Ying, H. S., Lat, J. & Sani, H. (2017). Survivorship and Growth Performance of Shorea macrophylla (de Vriese) after Enrichment Planting for Reforestation Purpose at Sarawak, Malaysia. OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences, 17(1), 7-17. https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2017.7.17

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Keywords

  • Survival
  • Growth Performance
  • Enrichment Planting
  • Reforestation
  • Shorea macrophylla