Assessment on the Suitability of Planting Non-Native Peatlands Species Falcataria moluccana (Miq.) Barneby & Grimes in Rewetted Peatlands

Hani Sitti Nuroniah, Hesti Lestari Tata, Mawazin, Endri Martini and Sonya Dewi
Additional contact information
Hani Sitti Nuroniah: Forest Research and Development Center, Silviculture Research Group, Jalan Gunung Batu 5, Bogor 16118, Indonesia
Hesti Lestari Tata: Forest Research and Development Center, Silviculture Research Group, Jalan Gunung Batu 5, Bogor 16118, Indonesia
Mawazin: Forest Research and Development Center, Silviculture Research Group, Jalan Gunung Batu 5, Bogor 16118, Indonesia
Endri Martini: World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Indonesia, Jalan CIFOR, Situgede, Sindangbarang Jero, Bogor 16115, Indonesia
Sonya Dewi: World Agroforestry (ICRAF) Indonesia, Jalan CIFOR, Situgede, Sindangbarang Jero, Bogor 16115, Indonesia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Sengon ( Falcataria moluccana ), a fast-growing timber tree that naturally grows on mineral soils, is currently promoted in peatlands. This study aimed to (1) experimentally test the response of sengon seedlings in waterlogged conditions in the nursery; (2) describe and analyze the biophysical condition of a sengon plantation and its growth; (3) describe sengon farm practices on peatlands; and (4) identify key actor’s perception on planting sengon on peatlands. This study combined an experiment in nursery, field measurements, and key-informant interviews. The nursery experiment showed that peat soil affected seedling’s growth: survival rates decreased by 25–33% after 3 months of inundation. Sengon growth at age 1–5-years-old in peat soil was slower than that on mineral soils. Sengon growth in peatland was influenced by peat depth and peat maturity. Sengon plantation in Central Kalimantan was driven by market availability and industrial wood demand. Fourty-three percent of respondents thought sengon does not grow well in peat soils, but 57% of respondents thought that additional soil treatment will enhance site suitability. Based on key-informants’ experience, 64% disagree with sengon development in peatlands. Our study provides evidence that sengon is predominantly not suitable to be planted on peatlands. Therefore, cautions need to be taken when planting sengon on peatland areas.

Keywords: sengon; species suitability; peat; rewetted (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7015/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7015/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7015-:d:579701

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().