Background:

Dry Forest can be recovered with restoration plantings. Selection of tree species for restoration plantings depends on its successful performance under the adverse conditions of degraded areas.

Hypotheses:

Early-successional legume species have higher survival in degraded areas.

Studied species:

Twelve native tree species from the dry forest.

Study site and dates:

Pastures excluded from cattle ranching activities in Quilamula, Tlaquiltenango, Morelos, Mexico for 28 months, from July 2017 to October 2019.

Methods:

Experimental plantings of 12 tree species (N= 1,080 juveniles). Survival was registered in October 2017, June and October 2018, and in October 2019.

Results:

Early-successional tree species showed higher survival (27 %) than late- successional species (20 %). Legumes showed higher survival (25 %) than non-legumes (22 %). Early non-legume species and late-successional legumes had similar and higher survival (> 30 %) than early-successional legume species (< 18 %).

Conclusions:

To ensure the success of restoration plantings and accelerate the recovery of the forest, it is suggested to plant a mix of early-successional species (i.e., Dodonaea viscosa Jacq. and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit) and as many late-successional legumes and non-legumes species as possible.