Forest recovery by direct seeding on the southern edge of the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Broad‐scale parameters are crucial for the restoration of forest to align with the United Nations resolutions for the “Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.” Direct seeding is a moderately priced, active method with potential use in forest recovery. This study evaluated the recovery of woody vegetation from 23 restored forests (RF) located on the southern edge of the Brazilian Amazon, a region known as the “Arc of Deforestation”. We ask: (1) What are the differences in abundance, species richness, and alpha diversity between seeded and regenerated species in RF? (2) How does the structure, floristic composition, species richness, and alpha diversity of RF compare with adjacent primary forests (PF)? After 12 years of intervention, our results reveal that RFs exhibited lower species richness, alpha diversity, aboveground biomass (AGB), basal area, and dissimilar floristic composition when compared to PFs. Recovery in PFs reached 40% for AGB, 55% for basal area, 24% for alpha diversity, and 60% for species richness. These findings indicate ongoing recovery of evaluated parameters, highlighting the success of the seeding method in restoring degraded riparian forests. We also observed similar species richness between seeded and regenerated species in RFs, yet absolute density, AGB, and alpha diversity were higher in seeded species. The notable presence of non‐seeded species in our plots provides evidence that direct seeding fosters spontaneous regeneration from the regional species pool. Our findings suggest that direct seeding is a viable option for restoring forest structure and diversity in areas with limited or no potential for passive regeneration.