ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION INDICATORS IN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS IN THE ATLANTIC FOREST

Abstract

The Agroforestry Systems (SAF) are forms of land use and land occupation in which woody plants are managed in association with herbaceous and agricultural ones. They present the possibility to recover degraded areas, as comprehended in legislation. Thus, the monitoring and assessment of areas recovered with Agroforestry Systems are extremely important, seeking to evaluate if their environmental functions can be equivalent to areas recovered only with native species. Thereby, the objective of this study was to evaluate, through forest restoration indicators, the recovery of ecosystem functions in SAF implanted in Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo State. The sample design was randomized by 3 installments (15 x 15 m each) randomly allocated in a SAF area and other 3 installments in a reforestation area with native species only (RN), both five years old, in the same watershed. The indicators were crown diameter, forest litter stock, height and diameter above the base of the individual trees, temperature, and humidity. The assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance were verified through the Waste Analysis, with subsequent analysis using the nonparametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Statistical analyzes were performed using the R software (R Delopment Core Team, 2012) with a significance level of 5% (α = 0.05). It is concluded that the recovery area only with native species presents better development of vertical structure, with greater canopy closure. For soil indicators there were no differences. SAF, run by natural succession, can be presented as an alternative to the recovery of degraded areas, because they are more similar to the structure of native forests.