Performance of Klinki (Araucaria hunsteinii K.

Schuman) in the Humid Tropics of Costa Rica

Ricardo O. Russo C. Buford Briscoe

Document Delivery Service: 1-800-342-9678. E-mail address: <getinfo@ haworthpressinc.com> Website: <http://www.HaworthPress.com> 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.]

ABSTRACT. Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schuman (Syn. A. klinki Lauterbach), locally known as Klinki, is a tropical conifer from Papua New Guinea, which was introduced to Costa Rica in 1966 by the Tropical Agriculture Research and Training Center (CATIE). Due to its capacity for carbon sequestration and long-term storage, and wood production, EARTH University, located in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica, established two research plots with the species in October 1993 to monitor its growth in the humid tropical lowland conditions. Results show that the species performs well under such soil and climate conditions. It seems probable that Klinki may be considered as a promising species for commercial timber production and for long-term carbon sequestration in the tropics. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth

KEYWORDS. Araucaria hunsteinii, Klinki, carbon sequestration, Costa Rica, humid tropics, EARTH, tree plantation
Ricardo O. Russo is Professor of Forestry at EARTH University, Costa Rica. C. Buford Briscoe is Senior Research Scientist and Consulting Forester, La Suiza, Turrialba, Costa Rica. Address correspondence to: Ricardo O. Russo, EARTH University, Apartado 4442-1000, San Jos, Costa Rica (E-mail: r-russo@earth.ac.cr). EARTH University is a private, non-profit international University contributing to the sustainable development of the humid tropics. Its Academic Program is oriented toward the education of professionals in agricultural sciences and natural resources with positive ethical and human values, environmental and social awareness, and entrepreneurial mentality. EARTH campus is located on a 3300-hectare farm in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica.

2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

Journal of Sustainable Forestry, Vol. 14(4) 2002

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JOURNAL OF SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY

INTRODUCTION Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schuman (Syn. A. klinki Lauterbach) is a tropical conifer from Papua New Guinea. It occurs naturally from 550 to about 2100 meters (Gray, 1973), and in rainfall areas from 1400 mm in Numeng to 4500 mm per year in Pai-Wa (Enright, 1976). It is a gap regenerating species dependent on high light intensity and cannot regenerate beneath a closed canopy (Enright, 1982). Natural stands do not occur in the lowlands; however, it grows well when planted at sea level. This species was introduced to Costa Rica in 1966 by the Tropical Agriculture Research and Training Center (CATIE), Turrialba, and has grown very well at CATIE campus and other nearby sites, 600 meters above sea level, 2600 mm/year rainfall, 22C mean annual temperature. It has also been planted recently (within the last five years) from sea level to 1500 meters above sea level and is doing well. The wood is moderately light and uniform, somewhat smooth in texture. The grain is typically straight, and it has high strength properties (long fiber) and easy-bleaching capacity that makes it a candidate for improving recycled paper. The timber is easy to work. It is a good structural timber and quite suitable for several uses including building construction, furniture, poles, and carpentry (Briscoe, 1995). Basic specific gravity (ovendry weight/green volume) equals 0.42. Other uses include: interior joinery, boxes, flooring, veneer and plywood, light construction, furniture components, patterns, pulp and paper (Chudnoff, 1984). Based on the species capacity for carbon sequestration, long-term storage, and wood production, the Klinki Forestry Project (an initiative of Reforest The Tropics, Inc.) for Costa Rica was granted approval by the Secretariat of the US Initiative of Joint Implementation (USIJI) on November 30, 1995 (Harris, 1995). The project goal is to convert pastures and marginal land to commercial tree plantation by promoting the planting of 6,000 ha of private farms with a mixture of selected fastgrowing native tree species in a matrix, with Klinki tree (Araucaria hunsteinii) as a major component. This project also expects to involve hundreds of private landowners and the financing for the project is intended to come from individuals and organizations in the United States in exchange for the compensation of their greenhouse gas emissions. The environmental benefits of the project in terms of greenhouse gas mitigation are estimated at 2 million metric tonnes of carbon sequestered over the projects lifetime. In addition to reducing atmospheric carbon, the project promotes the de-

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velopment of carbon sequestration as a new crop for farmers in the tropics (Barres, 1997). Based on this general framework a trial was established to increase the knowledge of the growth of Klinki in lowland humid tropic conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experimental site description at EARTH University: EARTH University is located in Gucimo, province of Limn, in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica (10 12 North 87 37 West). Mean annual rainfall is about 3,500 mm. Temperatures vary from 21C to slightly more than 30C, with an annual mean of 26C. Elevation of the plots is 30 m above sea level for plot 1 and 25 m for plot 2, altitudes taken with a electronic altimeter (Suunto Pretel Altiplus Model A-2). Soil is alluvial clay-loam, with a pH of 5.0. It was a pastureland for around 20 years. Plot 1 has better drainage than plot 2, which during the most rainy months (October through December) shows water saturation below 40 cm depth. Soil characteristics of plot 1 at three different depths are presented in Table 1. Propagation material: Seedlings of Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schuman, 18 month old, were planted in two plots of 25 trees each in October 1993, spaced 6 6 meters between trees. Weed control at plot sites was a major problem and expense in the first year. Measurements of total height (h), basal diameter, diameter at breast height (d) were done at 6, 12, 25, 36, 48, and 57 months. Basal branches were pruned at 32 months, up to 1.3-1.4 m from the ground.
TABLE 1. Soil characteristics of plot 1 at EARTH University, Gucimo, Costa Rica.
Depth O.M. cm % 0-20 20-40 40-60 8.0 3.3 1.0 pH 5.6 5.4 5.6 Ca Mg K P Sand meq/100 g soil meq/100 g soil meq/100 g soil ppm % 5.5 3.5 2.2 3.8 2.0 1.2 0.9 0.4 0.3 3.8 2.4 1.4 39.0 23.0 11.3 Silt % 27.2 23.9 15.5 Clay % 33.5 52.8 39.9

Samples taken by Geraldine Lee (Yale University) and C.B. Briscoe, July 1996, were analyzed by the CATIE Soil Laboratory.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Growth in total height and diameter at breast height, at 12, 25, 36, 48 and 57 months are presented in Table 1. Significant differences occurred between plots after the second year. These differences are probably due to soil characteristics. No pest- or disease-related injury was observed so far, but three trees in plot 1 and one in plot 2 fell down during heavy rainfalls with high winds, at 42 to 44 months after planting. They were replanted. Two of them on plot 1 and the one on plot 2 survived. At six months no significant differences were measured between the two plots. At twelve months significant differences between the plots were observed only for the diameter at the base of the trees (not presented in the Table). At 25 months, mean heights and diameters were statistically significantly greater in plot 1 with better drainage, than those of the poorly drained plot 2. Such statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) for both variables between the plots were also observed in all the following measurements at 36, 48 and 57 months (Table 2). Increasing differences between the plots were observed up to 48 months for height, and up to 57 months for diameter. However, differences in mean annual increment for both variables showed a peak between the plots at 36 months (Table 3). This was, perhaps, attributed to the high rainfall causing high soil water level in plot 2 during a part of the second to the third year. Results of basal area and calculated volume per hectTABLE 2. Growth of Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinki) up to 57 months after planting in EARTH University, Gucimo, Costa Rica.
12 months Total Height, h (m) Plot 1 Plot 2 Difference Plot 1 Plot 2 Difference 2.0 (0.3) a * 1.8 (0.4) a 0.2 1.4 (0.3) a 1.3 (0.4) a 0.1 3.0 (0.4) a 2.6 (0.5) b 0.4 3.2 (0.8) a 2.5 (0.9) b 0.7 4.9 (0.7) a 4.2 (0.8) b 0.7 6.8 (1.5) a 5.4 (1.5) b 1.4 6.9 (0.7) a 6.0 (0.6) b 0.9 10.9 (2.7) a 9.1 (2.2) b 1.8 7.7 (0.7) a 6.9 (1.0) b 0.8 13.7 (2.3) a 11.7 (2.4) b 2.0 25 months 36 months 48 months 57 month

Diameter at Breast Height, d (cm)

Means are followed by the standard deviation within parenthesis. * Means with the same letter in a column are not statistically different by the t-test (P < 0.05).

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are, based on a density of 278 trees/ha, and a coefficient of form equal to 0.6 are given in Table 4. These preliminary results, up to the fifth year, showed that growth of Araucaria hunsteinii in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica were higher than those reported by CATIE, Turrialba (600 m above sea level). On that site, 9-year old trees reached 10.3 m in height and 10 year-old trees reached 18 cm in diameter at breast height (CATIE, 1979). If mean annual increments conform to calculations, it is estimated that in a cycle of forty years, in well-drained soil conditions, trees at EARTH should reach a diameter of 58 cm and a height of 32 meters. Thinning the current number of trees from 278 trees/ha down to 71 trees/ha, the aerial timber volume projected will reach 360 m3/ha, with the expectation to cumulatively sequester 8.3 metric tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year over 40 years.
TABLE 3. Mean annual increments in height and diameter of Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinki) up to 57 months after planting in EARTH University, Gucimo, Costa Rica.
12 months Plot 1 Plot 2 Difference Plot 1 Plot 2 Difference 2.00 1.80 0.20 1.40 1.30 0.10 25 months 1.44 1.25 0.19 1.54 1.20 0.34 36 months 1.63 1.40 0.23 2.27 1.80 0.47 48 months 1.73 1.50 0.20 2.73 2.28 0.45 57 month 1.62 1.45 0.17 2.88 2.46 0.42

Mean Annual Increment in Total Height, MAI h (m)

Mean Annual Increment in Diameter at Breast Height, MAI d (cm)

TABLE 4. Basal area and calculated volume per hectare of Araucaria hunsteinii (Klinki), at 48 and 57 months in EARTH University, Gucimo, Costa Rica.
Basal Area m2/ha 48 months Plot 1 Plot 2
N = 278 trees per hectare

Calculated Volume m3/ha 48 months 10.7 6.5 57 months 19.0 12.47 4.11 2.99

57 months

2.59 1.81

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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS Klinki growth was clearly superior and increasingly so under the soil conditions of the upper plot versus those of the lower plot. Our interpretation is that the species does not grow as well in poorly drained soils as in well drained. The variations (expressed by the coefficient of variation) detected within the plots were higher in the poor drained soil: 13.4% and 21.5% for height and diameter, respectively, in plot 1, and 18.5% for height and 26.8% for diameter in plot 2. The species grows well in the lowland condition of the Atlantic humid tropics, and it has been observed that every tree in the trial has a straight cylindrical bole. Based on the limited amount of work done in the humid tropics, it seems probable that klinki may be considered as a promising species for commercial timber production and for a long-term carbon sequestration in the tropics. Furthermore, if mixed with native species in plantings, it will allow enhancement of site biodiversity and system stability. REFERENCES
Barres, H. 1997. Carbon sequestration in mixed species tree plantings on farms in Costa Rica. The Klinki Forestry Projects for Costa Rica. Mystic, Connecticut. 118 p. Briscoe, C.B. 1995. Klinki: Araucaria hunsteinii K. Schuman Extension Materials. Centro Agrcola Cantonal de Turrialba, Costa Rica. 3 p. (mimeograph). CATIE, 1979. Gua de campo de los ensayos forestales del CATIE en Turrialba. CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica. 378 p. Chudnoff, M. 1984. Tropical Timbers of the World. Agriculture Handbook #607. Madison, WI. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory. 464 p. Enright, N.J. 1976. Araucaria forests of the Wau Bulolo Area. Research School of Pacific Studies, A.N.U., Camberra. 8 p. (mimeograph). Enright, N.J. 1982. The ecology of Araucaria species in New Guinea. II. Pattern in the distribution of young and mature individuals and light requirements of seedlings. Australian Journal of Ecology 7 (1): 39-48. Gray, G. 1973. Distribution of Klinki in Papua New Guinea. Research Bulletin 1. Department of Forests, Papua New Guinea. 56 p. Harris, B. 1995. U.S. Approves Carbon Sequestering Projects. The Tico Times (San Jos, Costa Rica), December 29, 1995. Vol. I, No. 32.