Amazon Forest Restoration Hinges on Just 15-25 Dominant Tree Species

A new study in Global Change Biology reveals that just 15 to 25 tree species are responsible for nearly half of the trees and carbon stocks in regrowing Amazon forests.

Researchers from Pará's Emílio Goeldi Museum analyzed 102 plots under natural regeneration in four municipalities and found that these hyperdominant species, including embaúba (Cecropia palmata) and tatapiririca (Tapirira guianensis), accounted for nearly half of the trees present and half of the plots' carbon stocks.

The study suggests that understanding these forest dynamics can help Brazil meet its international pledge to restore 12 million hectares (30 million acres) of forest by 2030. Beto Mesquita, a forest engineer and director of sustainable landscapes at Conservation International, notes that while pioneer species grow quickly, forests need a robust succession of stronger trees to avoid ecological decline over time.