Vanesa Martinez-Fernandez
Patrick B. Shafroth
Anna A. Sher
Annie L. Henry
Virginia Garofano-Gomez
Dov Corenblit
Eduardo Gonzalez
2018
<p><span>Human activities on floodplains have severely disrupted the regeneration of foundation riparian shrub and tree species of the </span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> </span>family (</span><i>Populus</i><span><span> </span>and<span> </span></span><i>Salix</i><span><span> </span>spp.) throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Restoration ecologists initially tackled this problem from a terrestrial perspective that emphasized planting. More recently, floodplain restoration activities have embraced an aquatic perspective, inspired by the expanding practice of managing river flows to improve river health (environmental flows)<span>. However, riparian<span> </span></span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> </span>species occupy floodplain and riparian areas, which lie at the interface of<span> </span></span><i>both </i>terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems along watercourses<span><span><span>. Thus, their regeneration depends on a complex interaction of hydrologic and<span> geomorphic processes</span><span> </span>that have shaped key life-cycle requirements for<span> seedling establishment</span></span></span>. Ultimately, restoration needs to integrate these concepts to succeed. However, while regeneration of<span> </span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> </span>is now reasonably well-understood, the literature reporting restoration actions on<span> </span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> </span>regeneration is sparse, and a specific theoretical framework is still missing. Here, we have reviewed 105 peer-reviewed published experiences in restoration of<span> </span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> </span>forests, including 91 projects in 10 world regions, to construct a decision tree to inform restoration planning through explicit links between the well-studied biophysical requirements of<span> </span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span>regeneration and 17 specific restoration actions, the most popular being planting (in 55% of the projects), land contouring (30%), removal of competing vegetation (30%),<span> site selection </span>(26%), and irrigation (24%). We also identified research gaps related to<span> </span></span><i>Salicaceae</i><span><span> forest restoration</span><span> </span>and discuss alternative, innovative and feasible approaches that incorporate the human component.</span></p>
application/pdf
10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.04.069
en
Elsevier
Regeneration of Salicaceae riparian forests in the Northern Hemisphere: A new framework and management tool
article