Performance of 11 tree species under different management treatments in restoration plantings in a tropical dry forest

Ecological restoration in tropical dry forests urgently needs to incorporate experimental evidence to increase effectiveness. The main barriers for tree establishment are adverse microenvironmental conditions and competition with exotic grasses. Therefore, management should address such barriers in order to enhance tree performance. We evaluated the effect of plastic mulching, grass removal, and no management on survival after 2 months and stem volume and canopy size after 2 years and integrated response index (IRI) in plantings of 11 native tree species with different growth rates in pastures near the tropical dry forest of Chamela, Mexico. Results revealed that: (1) initial seedling mortality was minimal in all treatments (8%) and lowest under no management (2%); (2) plastic mulching, but not grass removal, leads to increased size for most species, irrespective of their growth rank; (3) a trade‐off between initial plant survival and size after 2 years occurred due to plastic mulching; and (4) most species showed similar values of the IRI because of high survival, stem volume, or canopy cover. Grass removal decreased early survival of all species and increased stem volume only for one slow‐growing species. The use of plastic mulching increased stem volume for slow‐growing species, whereas fast‐growing species developed larger canopies with that treatment. Effects of grass removal and mulching seem to be very species‐specific and not dependent in growth rank of species, although overall mulching seems to provide better conditions for seedling performance than grass removal alone.     

Relationship between photosynthetic phosphorus‐use efficiency and foliar phosphorus fractions in tropical tree species

How plants develop adaptive strategies to efficiently use nutrients on infertile soils is an important topic in plant ecology. It has been suggested that, with decreasing phosphorus (P) availability, plants increase photosynthetic P‐use efficiency (PPUE) (i.e., the ratio of instantaneous photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate per unit foliar P). However, the mechanism to increase PPUE remains unclear. In this study, we tested whether high PPUE is explained by an optimized allocation of P in cells among P‐containing biochemical compounds (i.e., foliar P fractions). We investigated the relationships among mass‐based photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate (A_mass), PPUE, total foliar P concentration, and foliar P fractions in 10 tree species in two tropical montane rain forests with differing soil P availability (five species on sedimentary soils and five species on P‐poorer ultrabasic serpentine soils) on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. We chemically fractionated foliar P into the following four fractions: metabolic P, lipid P, nucleic acid P, and residual P. A_mass was positively correlated with the concentrations of total foliar P and of metabolic P across 10 tree species. Mean A_mass and mean concentrations of total foliar P and of each foliar P fraction were lower on the P‐poorer ultrabasic serpentine soils than on the sedimentary soils. There was a negative relationship between the proportion of metabolic P per total P and the proportion of lipid P per total P. PPUE was positively correlated with the ratio of metabolic P to lipid P. High PPUE is explained by the net effect of a relatively greater investment of P into P‐containing metabolites and a relatively lesser investment into phospholipids in addition to generally reduced concentrations of all P fractions. We conclude that plants optimize the allocation of P among foliar P fractions for maintaining their productivity and growth and for reducing demand for P as their adaptation to P‐poor soils.     

No evidence for consistent long‐term growth stimulation of 13 tropical tree species: results from tree‐ring analysis

The important role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle makes it imperative to assess changes in their carbon dynamics for accurate projections of future climate–vegetation feedbacks. Forest monitoring studies conducted over the past decades have found evidence for both increasing and decreasing growth rates of tropical forest trees. The limited duration of these studies restrained analyses to decadal scales, and it is still unclear whether growth changes occurred over longer time scales, as would be expected if CO₂‐fertilization stimulated tree growth. Furthermore, studies have so far dealt with changes in biomass gain at forest‐stand level, but insights into species‐specific growth changes – that ultimately determine community‐level responses – are lacking. Here, we analyse species‐specific growth changes on a centennial scale, using growth data from tree‐ring analysis for 13 tree species (~1300 trees), from three sites distributed across the tropics. We used an established (regional curve standardization) and a new (size‐class isolation) growth‐trend detection method and explicitly assessed the influence of biases on the trend detection. In addition, we assessed whether aggregated trends were present within and across study sites. We found evidence for decreasing growth rates over time for 8–10 species, whereas increases were noted for two species and one showed no trend. Additionally, we found evidence for weak aggregated growth decreases at the site in Thailand and when analysing all sites simultaneously. The observed growth reductions suggest deteriorating growth conditions, perhaps due to warming. However, other causes cannot be excluded, such as recovery from large‐scale disturbances or changing forest dynamics. Our findings contrast growth patterns that would be expected if elevated CO₂ would stimulate tree growth. These results suggest that commonly assumed growth increases of tropical forests may not occur, which could lead to erroneous predictions of carbon dynamics of tropical forest under climate change.     

Effect of tree species and soil properties on nutrient immobilization in the forest floor

To investigate the effect of tree species and soil properties on organic matter accumulation and associated nutrients, an area-based sampling of the forest floor was carried out in a 28 years old species trial including Norway spruce, Douglas fir, beech, and common oak at two sites, a poor and sandy soil, and a fertile loamy soil.The accumulation of C, N and P in the forest floor was significantly higher at the sandy site than at the loamy site under all species. At the loamy site, oak was characterized by lesser accumulation of C, N and P than the other species. Remarkably, the C/N-ratios showed no substantial differences, whereas the C/P-ratios were significantly higher at the sandy site for all species. pH was significantly lower at the sandy site for all species, and among the species, pH was lower in the conifer forest floors than in the broadleave forest floors. The concentration of ammonium, nitrate and phosphate in the soil solution was much higher at the loamy site under all species showing a stronger microbial activity. It is therefore hypothesized that the differences in accumulation rates were, at least partly, caused by differences in the mineralization regimes. Strong root infiltration in the forest floors at the sandy site compared to almost none at the loamy site, is probably responsible for the differences in mineralization rate due to competition between the organic matter decomposers and the tree-roots/mycorrhiza for nutrients.     

Disentangling the long‐term effects of disturbance on soil biogeochemistry in a wet tropical forest ecosystem

Climate change is increasing the intensity of severe tropical storms and cyclones (also referred to as hurricanes or typhoons), with major implications for tropical forest structure and function. These changes in disturbance regime are likely to play an important role in regulating ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient dynamics in tropical and subtropical forests. Canopy opening and debris deposition resulting from severe storms have complex and interacting effects on ecosystem biogeochemistry. Disentangling these complex effects will be critical to better understand the long‐term implications of climate change on ecosystem C and nutrient dynamics. In this study, we used a well‐replicated, long‐term (10 years) canopy and debris manipulation experiment in a wet tropical forest to determine the separate and combined effects of canopy opening and debris deposition on soil C and nutrients throughout the soil profile (1 m). Debris deposition alone resulted in higher soil C and N concentrations, both at the surface (0–10 cm) and at depth (50–80 cm). Concentrations of NaOH‐organic P also increased significantly in the debris deposition only treatment (20–90 cm depth), as did NaOH‐total P (20–50 cm depth). Canopy opening, both with and without debris deposition, significantly increased NaOH‐inorganic P concentrations from 70 to 90 cm depth. Soil iron concentrations were a strong predictor of both C and P patterns throughout the soil profile. Our results demonstrate that both surface‐ and subsoils have the potential to significantly increase C and nutrient storage a decade after the sudden deposition of disturbance‐related organic debris. Our results also show that these effects may be partially offset by rapid decomposition and decreases in litterfall associated with canopy opening. The significant effects of debris deposition on soil C and nutrient concentrations at depth (>50 cm), suggest that deep soils are more dynamic than previously believed, and can serve as sinks of C and nutrients derived from disturbance‐induced pulses of organic matter inputs.     

Bird species richness in vegetation fences and in strips of residual rain forest vegetation at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Fragmentation of the lowland tropical rain forest has resulted in loss of animal and plant species and isolation of remaining populations that puts them at risk. At Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, lowland rain forests are particularly diverse in the avian fauna they contain and while most of the forests have been fragmented by human activity, many of the fragments still harbor diverse assemblages of bird species. In these landscapes, linear strips of residual rain forest vegetation along streams as well as linear strips of vegetation fences (live fences) crossing the pastures might provide some connectivity to bird populations existed in forest fragments. We investigated bird species richness and relative abundance in one 6-km long section of live fences (LF) bordering a dirt road and in two 6-km long sections of residual forest vegetation along a river (MR) and one permanent stream (BS). We used point count procedures which resulted in the count of 2984 birds representing 133 species. At the LF site we detected 74% of the species, 72% at the BS site and 57% at the MR site. Only 38% of the species were common among sites. Neotropical migratory birds accounted for 34–41% of the species counted at all sites. While edge and open habitat birds accounted for 6–10% of the species and for 50% of the records at the three vegetation strips, about 90% of the species were forest birds. Distance to forest fragments and degree of disturbance of the vegetation seemed to negatively influence bird species presence at the BS and MR strips. Rarefaction analysis indicated that the LF strip was richer in species than the other two sites, but the occurrence of the three vegetation strips in the landscape seem to favor the presence of many more species. We discuss the value of these vegetation strips to birds as stepping stones in the fragmented landscape.     

Natural forest regeneration and ecological restoration in human‐modified tropical landscapes

In human‐modified tropical landscapes (HMLs) the conservation of biodiversity, functions and services of forest ecosystems depends on persistence of old growth forest remnants, forest regeneration in abandoned agricultural fields, and restoration of degraded lands. Understanding the impacts of agricultural land uses (ALUs) on forest regeneration is critical for biodiversity conservation in HMLs. Here, we develop a conceptual framework that considers the availability of propagules and the environment prevailing after field abandonment as two major determinants of forest regeneration in HMLs. The framework proposes that regeneration potential decreases with size, duration and severity of agricultural disturbance, reducing propagule availability and creating ill‐suited environmental conditions for regeneration. We used studies from Southern Mexico to assess this framework. First, we identify regeneration bottlenecks that trees face during transit from seed to follow‐up life stages, using demographic analysis of dominant pioneer species in recently abandoned fields. Then, we explore effects of ALUs on forest regeneration at the field and landscape scales, addressing major legacies. Finally, we integrate agricultural disturbance with landscape composition to predict attributes of successful second growth forests in HMLs, and provide indicators useful to select tree native species for active restoration. An indicator of disturbance inflicted by ALUs, based on farmers’ information, predicted better regeneration potential than measurements of soil and microclimate conditions at time of abandonment. Cover of cattle pastures in the landscape was a stronger indicator of forest regenerating attributes than cover of old growth forest remnants. To conclude, we offer recommendations to promote forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation in HMLs.     

Growth and phenotypic plasticity of two tropical tree species under low light availability

两种热带树种在弱光条件下的生长和表型可塑性 根据耐荫性筛选热带雨林树种,对于在次生林富集区域中更有效地管理具有经济意义的本土树种非常重要。本研究旨在确定全株的光补偿点,比较弱光条件下Cariniana legalis和Gallesia integrifolia 幼苗生长和碳分配有关的表型可塑性。实验所用幼苗在5种光合有效辐射条件下(0.02、1.1、2.3、4.5 和5.9 mol photons m⁻² day⁻¹)培养77天,设置3个重复,并分析了生长和碳分配变量指标。结果显示,在 1.1 mol photons m⁻² day⁻¹ 条件下,C. legalis 的生长速率高于G. integrifolia,而在5.9 mol photons m⁻² day⁻¹ 条件下,C. legalis的生长速率低于G. integrifolia。不同物种间的光补偿点差异显著。根据耐阴分类标准对这两种热带树种进行分类,我们的研究结果表明,C. legalis相对较低的光补偿点和表型可塑性与生长速率有关,比G. integrifolia具有更强的耐荫性。从实际的角度来看,我们证明了两种树种之间生长和光合有效辐射变化的不同关系可以成为在森林丰富工程中比较和选择种植树种的可行工具     

生长环境光强对两种热带雨林树种幼苗光合作用的影响

以西双版纳热带雨林中演替后期种绒毛番龙眼和先锋树种山黄麻为材料 ,于雾凉季测定了不同光强下生长的 2种树苗叶片最大净光合速率 (Pmax)、叶绿素荧光参数以及光合色素含量和比叶重 (L MA) ,探讨了不同生态习性热带雨林树种幼苗对光强的适应及光保护机制。发现在一定光强范围内随生长环境光强的增加 ,2种树苗 L MA、荧光的非化学猝灭 (N PQ)、类胡萝卜素(Car)含量、Car与叶绿素 (Chl)之比升高 ,光饱和点和光补偿点也有随生长环境光强的增大而升高的趋势 ,Chl含量降低 ,2种树苗均能通过形态和生理特性的变化适应不同的光强环境。相同的生长光强下 ,绒毛番龙眼光抑制明显比山黄麻重 ,山黄麻适应强光的能力强。随生长环境光强的增加 ,山黄麻 N PQ增加不显著 ,热耗散较少 ,相同光强下其 Pmax显著高于绒毛番龙眼。绒毛番龙眼则相反 ,其热耗散随生长环境光强的升高显著增多 ,但 Pmax差异不显著。表明先锋种山黄麻主要通过提高 Pmax利用光能防止光合机构光破坏 ,而演替后期种绒毛番龙眼却较大程度通过增强非光化学猝灭来耗散过量光能。上午人为降低光强度对先锋种山黄麻影响不大 ,但可以明显缓解绒毛番龙眼的光抑制 ,表明上午一定程度的遮光 (如有雾 )可减缓绒毛番龙眼光抑制     

A trait‐based trade‐off between growth and mortality: evidence from 15 tropical tree species using size‐specific relative growth rates

A life‐history trade‐off between low mortality in the dark and rapid growth in the light is one of the most widely accepted mechanisms underlying plant ecological strategies in tropical forests. Differences in plant functional traits are thought to underlie these distinct ecological strategies; however, very few studies have shown relationships between functional traits and demographic rates within a functional group. We present 8 years of growth and mortality data from saplings of 15 species of Dipterocarpaceae planted into logged‐over forest in Malaysian Borneo, and the relationships between these demographic rates and four key functional traits: wood density, specific leaf area (SLA), seed mass, and leaf C:N ratio. Species‐specific differences in growth rates were separated from seedling size effects by fitting nonlinear mixed‐effects models, to repeated measurements taken on individuals at multiple time points. Mortality data were analyzed using binary logistic regressions in a mixed‐effects models framework. Growth increased and mortality decreased with increasing light availability. Species differed in both their growth and mortality rates, yet there was little evidence for a statistical interaction between species and light for either response. There was a positive relationship between growth rate and the predicted probability of mortality regardless of light environment, suggesting that this relationship may be driven by a general trade‐off between traits that maximize growth and traits that minimize mortality, rather than through differential species responses to light. Our results indicate that wood density is an important trait that indicates both the ability of species to grow and resistance to mortality, but no other trait was correlated with either growth or mortality. Therefore, the growth mortality trade‐off among species of dipterocarp appears to be general in being independent of species crossovers in performance in different light environments.     

Late-stage canopy tree species with extremely low δ13C and high stomatal sensitivity to seasonal soil drought in the tropical rainforest of French Guiana

We assessed the daily time‐courses of CO₂ assimilation rate (A), leaf transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance for water vapour (g_s), leaf water potential ( Ψ _w) and tree transpiration in a wet and a dry season for three late‐stage canopy rainforest tree species in French Guiana differing in leaf carbon isotope composition ( δ ¹³C). The lower sunlit leaf δ ¹³C values found in Virola surinamensis ( ? 29·9‰) and in Diplotropis purpurea ( ? 30·9‰), two light‐demanding species, as compared to Eperua falcata ( ? 28·6‰), a shade‐semi‐tolerant species, were clearly associated with higher maximum g_s values of sunlit leaves in the two former species. These two species were also characterized by a high sensitivity of g_s, sap flow density (Ju) and canopy conductance (g_c) to seasonal soil drought, allowing maintenance of high midday Ψ _w values in the dry season. The data for Diplotropis provided an original picture of increasing midday Ψ _w with increasing soil drought. In Virola, stomata were extremely sensitive to seasonal soil drought, leading to a dramatic decrease in leaf and tree transpiration in the dry season, whereas midday Ψ _w remained close to ? 0·3 MPa. The mechanisms underlying such an extremely high sensitivity of stomata to soil drought remain unknown. In Eperua, g_s of sunlit leaves was non‐responsive to seasonal drought, whereas Ju and g_c were lower in the dry season. This suggests a higher stomatal sensitivity to seasonal drought in shaded leaves than in sunlit ones in this species.     

土壤干旱对黄土高原4个乡土树种生长及干物质分配的影响

研究了不同土壤水分条件对黄土高原4个乡土树种幼苗生长及干物质分配的影响.结果表明,中度干旱(50%～55%θf)下虎榛子(Ostryopsis davidiana Decne.)和白刺花(Sophora viciifolin Hance)的生物量比适宜水分下(70%～75%θf)增加20.23%和3.93%,而大叶细裂槭(Acer stenolobum Rehd.var.megalophyllum Fang et Wu)和辽东栎(Quercus liaotungensis Koidz.)生物量分别降低13.59%和35.25%;重度干旱(40%～45%θf)对幼苗生长均有明显抑制作用.白刺花地上部与地下部的生长受水分胁迫影响较小,较其他树种具有更强的耐旱性;干旱对辽东栎地上部生长的影响较地下部大,重度干旱下其生长明显受抑制.随干旱程度加剧幼苗的根冠比增大,在重度干旱下大叶细裂槭根冠比达2以上.虎榛子整体生长速度较慢,对干旱的适应可能更多表现在生理上的耐旱.     

Distribution of humic compounds in mounds of some soil-feeding termite species of tropical rainforests: its influence on soil structure stability

Summary A comparison was made of some physicochemical characteristics of epigeous termitaries (nest walls and surrounding horizons) of four species of soil-feeding termites living in tropical rainforests. Our aim was to determine whether these species affect the different compounds involved in the structural stability of soil in a similar manner.Our data support the general finding that the structural stability of soil is correlated with organic matter, cations and the relative proportion of mineral elements. Of these parameters, the content of organic matter is the most significant factor effecting the stability of termite building materials. Analysis of humic compound distribution revealed that fulvic and humic acids, owing to their electrochemical properties, are highly involved. Also, the organic matter in termitaries is more polymerized than that of humiferous control horizons, leading to FA/HA ratios close to 1.The stability of nest walls and topsoils differs between the species. Generally, the speciesNoditermes lamanianus, Thoracotermes macrothorax andCubitermes fungifaber build nests that are enriched with organic matter and exchangeable cations, resulting in high structural stability. In contrast, materials worked byCrenetermes albotarsalis are not enriched with organic matter or cations and do not differ in stability from the control soils.It is concluded that any generalization on the overall influence of soil-feeding termites on soil fertility might be misleading. Only species which enrich their materials with organic matter, especially stabilised humic acids, contribute to soil conservation and hence fertility. Once the termitary is dead, its organic matter is again available to the soil ecosystem.     

Development of microsatellite markers for Dryobalanops aromatica (Dipterocarpaceae), a tropical emergent tree in Southeast Asia

Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed in Dryobalanops aromatica, an emergent tree in tropical rain forests in Southeast Asia, using an enriched library method. For the assessment of microsatellite variation, 36 individuals from a natural population were analysed. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 16, with observed heterozygosity of 0.056–0.833 and expected heterozygosity of 0.054–0.882. These microsatellite markers will be useful for studies of population genetics, reproductive ecology and regeneration dynamics of D. aromatica.     

五指山常见热带树种的丛枝菌根真菌多样性

采用野外调查的方法,分析了五指山不同海拔高度7个科10种常见热带树种形成丛枝菌根(Arbuscular Mycorrhizal,AM)的状况及其根际土壤中AM真菌的多样性。结果表明,所调查的10种热带常见树种都能形成AM共生体,其菌根侵染率随寄主植物的不同,从21.8%～90.5%变化不等,同时,在10种常见植物的根系中也都观察到了AM真菌的典型结构——丛枝和泡囊。从10种植物的根际土壤中共分离到36种AM真菌,隶属于Acaulospora,Glomus,Gigaspora和Scutellospora4个属,其中,Glomus属的真菌是该地区的优势类群,其出现频度和相对多度分别为84%和56%。在所调查的10种热带常见树种中,Swietenia macrophylla根际AM真菌的孢子最丰富,密度高达7.32;Machilus namu根际的AM真菌种类则最为丰富,多样性指数达到1.6548。通过对不同海拔高度Swietenia macrophylla根际AM真菌分布的分析表明,海拔高度显著影响着AM真菌的分布,Gigaspora属的真菌随海拔高度的增加显著升高,Scutellospora属的真菌则显著降低。     

土壤细菌呼吸对西双版纳热带森林恢复的响应

揭示不同恢复阶段热带森林土壤细菌呼吸季节变化及其主控因素,对于探明土壤细菌呼吸对热带森林恢复的响应机制具有重要的科学意义。以西双版纳不同恢复阶段热带森林(白背桐群落、崖豆藤群落和高檐蒲桃群落)为研究对象,运用真菌呼吸抑制法及高通量宏基因组测序技术分别测定土壤细菌呼吸速率和细菌多样性,并采用回归分析及结构方程模型揭示热带森林恢复过程中土壤细菌多样性、pH、土壤碳氮组分变化对土壤细菌呼吸速率的影响特征。结果表明：1)不同恢复阶段热带森林土壤细菌呼吸速率表现为：高檐蒲桃群落((1.51±0.62)CO₂ mg g^-1 h^-1)显著高于崖豆藤群落((1.16±0.56)CO₂ mg g^-1 h^-1)和白背桐群落((0.82±0.60)CO₂ mg g^-1 h^-1)(P<0.05)。2)不同恢复阶段土壤细菌呼吸速率呈显著的单峰型季节变化(P<0.05),最大值均出现在9月：高檐蒲桃群落((...     

青藏高原东缘不同树种人工林对土壤酶活性及养分的影响

为评价不同树种人工林对土壤酶及养分的影响,选择立地条件和营林方式相同的4种人工林(连香树[CJ]、油松[PT]、落叶松[LK]和华山松[PA])为研究对象,以落叶灌丛(QC)为对照,比较不同树种人工林地土壤酶活性和土壤养分的变化。结果显示:(1)造林降低了土壤酸性磷酸酶、脱氢酶、β-葡萄糖苷酶和过氧化氢酶活性,但人工造林后土壤脲酶活性增加;(2)造林也明显影响了土壤养分,与对照林地相比,除CJ人工林土壤中磷(P)略高外,造林地土壤有机碳(TOC)、氮(N)、水可提取有机碳(WEOC)和氮(WEON)、铵态氮(NH+4-N)和硝态氮(NO-3-N)均降低;(3)不同的人工林树种之间土壤养分及酶活性也存在一定的差异性,CJ和LK人工林土壤C、N、P及相关酶活性明显不同于PT和PA人工林;(4)土壤酶与养分变化有一定的相关性,除转化酶和多酚氧化酶反应较迟钝外,其它酶对环境反应较敏感。综合分析表明,在川西地区选择高密度单一树种造林并没有改善土壤养分和酶活性,在该地区选择落叶或阔叶树种造林可使土壤肥力恢复。     

Carbon stocks in above‐ground biomass of monoculture plantations,mixed species plantations and environmental restoration plantings in north‐east Australia

Summary The emergence of carbon markets has provided a potential source of funding for reforestation projects. However, there is concern amongst ecologists that these markets will promote the establishment of monoculture plantations rather than more diverse restoration plantings, on the assumption that fast‐growing monocultures are likely to store more carbon than restoration plantings. We examined the validity of this assumption for three predominantly rainforest plantation types established in the moist tropical uplands of north‐east Australia: monoculture plantations of native rainforest conifers (n = 5, mean age 13 years); mixed species plantations of rainforest cabinet timber species, rainforest conifers and eucalypts (n = 5, mean age 13 years); and, environmental restoration plantings comprised mostly of a diverse range of rainforest trees (n = 10, mean age 14 years). We found that restoration plantings stored significantly more carbon in above‐ground biomass than monoculture plantations of native conifers (on average, 106 t vs 62 t carbon per ha); and tended to store more carbon than mixed species timber plantations which were intermediate in value (86 t carbon per ha). Carbon stocks were higher in restoration plantings than in monoculture and mixed species plantations for three reasons. First, and most importantly, restoration plantings were more densely stocked than monoculture and mixed species plantations. Second, there were more large diameter trees in restoration plantings than monoculture plantations. Third, the trees used in restoration plantings had a higher average wood density than the conifers used in monoculture plantations. While, on average, wood density was higher in mixed species plantations than restoration plantings, the much higher stocking rate of restoration plantings meant they stored more carbon than mixed species plantations. We conclude that restoration plantings in the moist tropics of north‐east Australia can accumulate relatively high amounts of carbon within two decades of establishment. Comparison with reference rainforest sites suggests that restoration plantings could maintain their high stocking rates (and therefore high biomass) as they develop in future decades. However, because restoration plantings are currently much more expensive to establish than monoculture plantations, restoration plantings are unlikely to be favoured by carbon markets. Novel reforestation techniques and designs are required if restoration plantings are to both provide habitat for rainforest biota and store carbon in biomass at a cost comparable to monoculture plantations.