Soil properties after forest rehabilitation by planting teak and mahogany in Java, Indonesia

Abstract

We studied how rehabilitation of forests in Indonesia by planting teak, Tectona grandis (L.f.), and mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla (King), was associated with soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total potassium. We also analyzed how soil properties and the environment (i.e. soil order, altitude, stand age) were associated with succession and compared rehabilitated stands with native forests. We found higher pH in teak compared to mahogany stands. The soil pH was lowest in the oldest stands (>70 years). Herb density was positively related to pH and to phosphorus, while density of seedlings and woody plants was positively related to nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Tree and herb species richness and tree density were positively associated with Oxisols, but negatively related to the proportion of native herbs. Species richness of herbs and density of seedlings decreased with time since rehabilitation, whereas species richness of woody plants increased. The proportion of native herbs and seedlings increased with stand age. We found few differences in soils between the planted stands and native forest. Our results demonstrated that successional vegetation of rehabilitated forests may play an important role in maintaining soil properties associated with soil order.