Intensive silvicultural practices enhance the performance of forest species in restoration plantations

Establishing native forest tree species in degraded areas is a considerable challenge for forestry. Adverse ecological filters can compromise the sustainability of ecosystems undergoing restoration. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to verify the effects of three silvicultural practices on the allocation of aboveground biomass, nutrient content, and control of invasive plants in a mixed plantation of native forest species in the extreme south of the Atlantic Forest Biome. The experiment was conducted in an area belonging to the Quarta Colônia State Park. It was conducted in a randomized block design with four replications. The treatments consisted of three silvicultural practices (intensive silviculture, conventional silviculture, and low-input silviculture). At 36 months after planting, assessments of the biomass allocation of tree species, weed biomass, and nutrient content in the leaf tissue were conducted. The greater input of nutrients and the use of glyphosate to control weeds in the initial periods after planting led to higher biomass values for all the species studied. However, the use of silvicultural practices with low intervention levels has increased the number of invasive plants. We also verified that native forest species had higher levels of nutrients, that is, mainly N and K, in plots managed with intensive silviculture compared with other silvicultural practices.