Chapter 5
Assisted Natural Regeneration

5.4 Summary

Assisted natural regeneration techniques can be applied to many land uses.

Fire protection is a requirement for agroforestry, reforestation or ANR in Imperata grasslands. Communities motivated by land tenure or other factors can implement ANR with fire protection alone if there is sufficient natural regeneration (see the Kalahan case study, Section 3.5). ANR can therefore be a very low-input approach to reforestation within the abilities of local communities.

Pressing Imperata grass (Section 3.3.1) is a technique that can be used in agroforestry and tree plantations as well as ANR, to help control Imperata between rows and beside fuelbreaks.

Natural regeneration can be incorporated into agroforestry and conventional reforestation. Wildlings and larger shrubs and trees already present may be retained because they have timber or other values, because they provide organic material in fallows, or because they can help form fuelbreaks as they compete with Imperata.

Enrichment planting combined with ANR can develop a multi-species forest plantation, or can lead to a multistory agroforestry system (Section 4.8) as shade-tolerant crop species are established underneath pioneer species that are used as nurse trees.

Imperata grasslands, agricultural and agroforest crops, plantations, and native forest species each have their place in the landscape. Flexibility and open communications will help as local communities interact with the governments of larger watersheds and nations to make wise decisions about how to use land, labor, cash and other resources to achieve the greatest good for all.