The Silvicultural Basis For Agroforestry Systems / Edition 1

by Florencia Montagnini, Mark S Ashton

Overview

During the Green Revolution in many developing countries, agroforestry systems tended to reflect modern agricultural systems by their intensive use of fertilizers, pesticides, and site modifications to fit the desired crop. Since the 1980's, agroforestry has learned from traditional indigenous systems to work more closely with the fertility of marginal lands through the use of less intensive cultivation and fallow periods.
True to its title, this volume provides a silvicultural framework for thinking about the design and practice of agroforestry systems. Unlike many general agroforestry books, The Silvicultural Basis for Agroforestry Systems emphasizes research and thoughts from a forestry perspective rather than an agricultural one. Many of the examples used in this reference are based on the ecological theory of forests that concern the competition for resources of plant-plant and plant-animal mixtures. This guide also uses the knowledge gained about the temporal and spatial dynamic and productivity of forests as the basis for silvicultural applications in agroforestry systems.
The Silvicultural Basis for Agroforestry Systems contains three parts:

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849322068
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/20/1999
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Florencia Montagnini, Mark S Ashton

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION: A Philosophical Approach to Silviculture in Agroforestry. PART I: UNDERSTANDING PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS: A BASIS FOR SILVICULTURE IN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS: Light, Moisture and Nutrient Use by Plants. Nitrogen-Fixing Leguminous Trees and Shrubs: A Basic Resource of Agroforestry. Ecological Theory of Diversity and Its Application to Mixed-Species Plantations. Some Applications of Multi-Trophic Level Ecological Theory to Agroforestry Systems . PART II: PATTERN AND PROCESS OF FORESTS AS TEMPLATES FOR SILVICULTURAL APPLICATIONS IN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS: Water Use and Climatic Relationships in Agroforestry. Nutrient Cycling and Nutrient Use Efficiency in Agroforestry Systems. Nitrogen-Fixation in Traditional and Modern Agroforestry Systems. Species Interactions, Stand Structure, and Productivity in Agroforestry Systems. Agroforestry Systems As Successional Analogs to Native Forests. PART III: PUTTING THE SILVICULTURAL FRAMEWORK TOGETHER FOR AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS: Site Classification and the Management of Landscape Pattern in Agroforestry Systems. Defining Silvicultural Systems Within Agroforestry. Index

Editorial Reviews

Unlike many general agroforestry texts, this one sees the forest for the trees, emphasizing research and insights from the perspective of applied forest ecology (aka: silviculture) rather than agriculture. It also promotes working with rather than against natural processes, particularly in regard to marginal lands. A dozen chapters with an authorship mainly from the Yale U. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies collate information on plant-environment interactions, forest pattern and process (shown in diagrams) as templates for silvicultural applications, and the silvicultural framework for agroforestry systems. Ashton directs the Tropical Resources Institute at Yale, and Montagnini heads the Department of Silviculture and Forest Conservation at CATIE, Costa Rica. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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