ForestInnov (Ivory Coast)

ForestInnov is a 25 ha (49 * 0.5 ha) experiment set up in 2019 in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Sixteen local species are tested in monoculture and over a gradient of functional diversity (2, 4, 8, 16 species mixture).

Aerial view of the 25ha experiment before the plantation

Design

The experiment consists of 49 plots of 0.5 ha. The plantation density is 3.5m * 3.5m, so that 441 are planted per plot.

Site characteristics

	ForestInnov (Forêt Classée de la Téné)
Country	Ivory Coast
Biome	tropical
Latitude	6.52
Longitude	-5.38
Soil type	Luvisols (FAO)
Former land use	Plantations of Gmelina
Altitude	202 m
Design	stem-wise randomisation
Plot shape	square
Plot size (m^2)	5000 m²
Plant distance (m)	3.5
Number of trees planted	21609
Planting date	2016
Diversity variables	species richness functional diversity
Diversity gradient	1, 2, 4, 8, 16 species
Size species pool	16
Species pool	Antiaris africana Ceiba pentandra Celtis zenkeri Entandrophragma angolense Eribroma oblongum Gambeya africana Guibourtia ehie Khaya anthotheca Mansonia altissima Milicia excelsa Nesogordonia papaverifera Piptadeniastrum africanum Pycnanthus angolensis Ricinodendron heudelotii Terminalia ivorensis Triplochiton scleroxylon
Contact person	Bruno Herault Fabrice Tieoule
Email	bruno.herault@cirad.fr tieoulefabrice@gmail.com

Research

The main goals of this experimental site are the following:

Set up a tree diversity experiment in West Africa
Test mixture of indigeneous species that could be used by the National Forest Service for reforestation program
Demonstrate the economic feasability of an innovative technical itinerary where local farmers are associated to cultivate the field during the first years

Extra information

For extra information you can send an e-mail to the contact persons or explore the publications that utilized data from this experiment.

Research papers

Depauw L, De Lombaerde E, Dhiedt E, Blondeel H, Abdala-Roberts L, Auge H, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Chu C, Damtew A, Eisenhauer N, V. Fagundes M, Ganade G, Gendreau-Berthiaume B, Godbold D, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hajek P, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Liu X, Mereu S, Messier C, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Parker WC, Paterno, GB, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Rewald B, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Sousa-Silva R, Weih M, Clara Zemp D, Verheyen K, Baeten L 2024 Enhancing Tree Performance Through Species Mixing: Review of a Quarter-Century of TreeDivNet Experiments Reveals Research Gaps and Practical Insights. Current Forestry Reports - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-023-00208-y
FAO 2023 Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests. Unasylva (254)74: 2031/1. Rome. https://doi. org/10.4060/cc8584en
Messier C, Bauhus J, Sousa-Silva R, Auge H, Baeten L, Barsoum N, Bruelheide H, Caldwell B, Cavender-Bares J, Dhiedt E, Eisenhauer N, Ganade G, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hall JS, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Mereu S, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Verheyen K, Weih M, Wollni M, Zemp DC 2021 For the sake of resilience and multifunctionality, let’s diversify planted forests! Conservation Letters e12829 - https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12829