Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology: Management and Ecology

Forestry professors used to remind students that, whereas physicians bury their mistakes, foresters die before theirs are noticed. But good institutions live longer than the scientists who contribute to building them, and the half-century of work of the USDA Forest Service's Institute of Tropical Forestry (ITF) is in plain view: an unprecedented corpus of accomplishments that would instill pride in any organization. There is scarcely anyone interested in current issues of tropical forestry who would not benefit from a refresher course in ITF's findings: its early collaboration with farmers to establish plantations, its successes in what we now call social forestry, its continuous improvement of nursery practices, its screening trials of native species, its development of wood-processing technologies appropriate for developing countries, its thorough analysis of tropical forest function, and its holistic approach toward conservation of endangered species. Fortunately, ITF has a long history of information exchange through teaching; like many others, I got my own start in tropical forest ecology fromjust such a course in Puerto Rico. And long before politicians recognized the global importance of tropical forestry, the ITF staff served actively as ambassadors of the discipline, visiting tropical coun­ tries everywhere to learn and, when invited to do so, to help solve local problems. It is a general principle of biogeography that species' turnover rates on islands are higher than those on continents. Inevitably, the same is true of scientists assigned to work on islands. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Tropical Forests: Their Future and Our Future....Pages 3-17 The Status of Tropical Forests....Pages 18-32 A Forest Research Institution in the West Indies: The First 50 Years....Pages 33-56 Front Matter....Pages 57-57 Ecosystem-Level Properties of the Luquillo Exerpimental Forest with Emphasis on the Tabonuco Forest....Pages 59-108 The Colorado and Dwarf Forests of Puerto Rico’s Luquillo Mountains....Pages 109-141 Structure, Succession, and Soil Chemistry of Palm Forests in the Luquillo Experimental Forest....Pages 142-177 The Dry Forests of Puerto Rico’s South Coast....Pages 178-209 Forest Plantations in Puerto Rico....Pages 210-223 A Review of the Population Dynamics of Selected Tree Species in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico....Pages 224-257 Recovery of a Tropical Forest after Gamma Irradiation: A 23-Year Chronicle....Pages 258-285 Front Matter....Pages 287-287 Physiological Ecology of Trees and Application to Forest Management....Pages 289-307 Mineral Nutrition and Soil Fertility in Tropical Rain Forests....Pages 308-330 Wildlife in Managed Tropical Forests: A Neotropical Perspective....Pages 331-342 Tropical Forest Systems and the Human Economy....Pages 343-393 Front Matter....Pages 395-395 Perspectives in Tropical Rain Forest Research....Pages 397-407 Tropical Forestry as if People Mattered....Pages 408-422 Toward a Global Research Strategy on the Ecology of Natural Tropical Forests to Meet Conservation and Management Needs....Pages 423-437 Back Matter....Pages 439-465 Tropical forests are widely recognized as the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystems on earth and include many of the world's most endangered habitats and organisms. Biodiverse, economically crucial, and ecologically irreplaceable, tropical forests have captured the attention of scientists, policy makers, and all thoughtful citizens. However, tropical forests remain poorly understood. Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology addresses the need for a synthesis of information on both the ecological and socioeconomic aspects of human use of tropical forest ecosystems. The book was prepared to recognize the distinguished tradition of research at the USDA Forest Service Institute of Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico. Its seventeen chapters were prepared by leading tropical ecologists and are divided into four sections: The Problem and Background; Long-term Ecological Research in Puerto Rico; Research Areas that Require Increased Focus in the Tropics; and Direction for Future Research in Tropical Forests. Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology will be a lasting resource for ecologists, tropical biologists, foresters, natural resource specialists, and policymakers with an interest in the tropics. Tropical forests are widely recognized as the most species-rich terrestrial ecosystems on earth, and include many of the world's most endangered habitats and organisms. Biodiverse, economically crucial, and ecologically irreplaceable - tropical forests have captured the attention of scientists, policy makers, and all thoughtful citizens. Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology addresses the need for a synthesis of information on both the ecological and the socioeconomic aspects of human use of tropical forest ecosystems. This book will be a resource for ecologists, tropical biologists, foresters, natural resource specialists, and policymakers with an interest in the tropics.