Tropical forest
Research Description
For nearly three decades, I have studied factors limiting recovery and strategies to restore tropical forests in former agricultural lands in the the neotropics. My own field work is in Costa Rica, but I have advised students and/or have collaborations studying tropical forest restoration in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and other countries in Latin America. For the past 20 years, Dr. Zak Zahawi (Charles Darwin Foundation) and I have studied applied nucleation (planting islands or patches of trees as a tropical forest restoration strategy); you can find more information on this project, publications, and data here. I also collaborate extensively with Dr. Pedro Brancalion at the University of São Paulo on research in the Brazilian Atlantic forest and more broadly on issues of improving tropical forest restoration and tree growing campaigns. Below are examples of my research in a range of tropical systems.
General Audience Publications
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2022. Which of the plethora of tree growing projects to support? One Earth
Wilson, S. J., N. S. Alexandre, K. D. Holl, J. L. Reid, R. A. Zahawi, D. Celentano, S. D. Sprenkle-Hyppolite, and L. K. Werden. 2021. Applied nucleation guide for tropical forests. Conservation International.
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2020. How can we improve tree planting outcomes. This blog provides a summary of our 2020 Journal of Applied Ecology paper on how to improve tree growing outcomes.
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2020. Tree planting is not a simple solution. Science, 368, 580-581.
Holl, K.D. 2017. Restoring tropical forest from the bottom up. Science 355:455-456.
Holl, K.D. & Reid, J.L. 2020. Do we really need to plant a trillion trees? Trees islands are an ecologically and economically sound strategy for tropical forest recovery. The blog discusses our Journal Applied Ecology paper which summarizes 15 years of results from our long-term experiment in Costa Rica.
Holl, K.D. 2013 Restoring Tropical Forest. This short article published in "Nature Education Knowledge" an open source educational journal provides an introduction to tropical forest restoration for classes and a general audience. Click here for translations En Español. Em Português.
Holl, K.D. (2012) Tropical forest restoration. Restoration Ecology (eds J. Van Andel & J. Aronson), pp. 103-114. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA.
When and Where to Actively Restore Ecosystems? This short summary by Karen Holl and Mitch Aide suggests some criteria for determining how to allocate limited conservation resources most effectively in a restoration context. En Español. Em Português.
Selected Scientific Publications
Kulikowski, A. J., R. A. Zahawi, L. K. Werden, K. Zhu, and K. D. Holl. 2023. Restoration interventions mediate tropical tree recruitment dynamics over time. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 378:20210077.
Werden, L. K., S. Zarges, K. D. Holl, C. L. Oliver, F. Oviedo-Brenes, J. A. Rosales, and R. A. Zahawi. 2022. Assisted restoration interventions drive functional recovery of tropical wet forest tree communities. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 5.
Holl, K. D., et al. 2020. Applied nucleation facilitates tropical forest recovery: Lessons learned from a 15-year study. Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 2316-2328.
Brancalion, P.H.S., Amazonas, N.T., Chazdon, R.L., van Melis, J., Rodrigues, R.R., Silva, C.C., . . . Holl, K.D. 2020. Exotic eucalypts: From demonized trees to allies of tropical forest restoration? Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 55-66.
Calle, A. & K. D. Holl (2019) Riparian forest recovery following a decade of cattle exclusion in the Colombian Andes. Forest Ecology and Management 452, 117563.
Holl, K. D., J. L. Reid, F. Oviedo-Brenes, A. J. Kulikowski, and R. A. Zahawi. 2018. Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery. Applied Vegetation Science 21:669-677.
Holl, K. D. 2017. Research directions in tropical forest restoration. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 102:237-250.
Holl, K. D., J. L. Reid, J. M. Chaves-Fallas, F. Oviedo-Brenes & R. A. Zahawi. 2017. Local tropical forest restoration strategies affect tree recruitment more strongly than does landscape forest cover. Journal of Applied Ecology 54:1091-1099.
Holl, K. D., V. M. Stout, J. L. Reid & R. A. Zahawi. 2013. Testing heterogeneity-diversity relationships in tropical forest restoration. Oecologia 173:569–578.
Reid, J. L. & K. D. Holl. 2013. Arrival ≠ Survival. Restoration Ecology 21:153-155.
Holl, K.D., Aide, T.M., 2011. When and where to actively restore ecosystems? Forest Ecology and Management 261: 1588-1563.
Bonilla-Moheno, M. and K. D. Holl. 2010. Direct seeding to restore tropical mature-forest species in areas of slash-and-burn agriculture. Restoration Ecology 18(S2):438-445.
Vieira, D. L. M., K. D. Holl, and F. M. Peneireiro. 2009. Agro-successional restoration as a strategy to facilitate tropical forest recovery. Restoration Ecology: 17: 451–459.
Holl, K. D. 2002. Effect of shrubs on tree seedling establishment in abandoned tropical pasture. Journal of Ecology 90:179-187.
Holl, K. D., M. E. Loik, E. H. V. Lin, and I. A. Samuels. 2000. Restoration of tropical rain forest in abandoned pastures in Costa Rica: overcoming barriers to dispersal and establishment. Restoration Ecology 8:339-349.
Holl, K. D. 1999. Factors limiting tropical moist forest regeneration in agricultural land: seed rain, seed germination, microclimate and soil. Biotropica 31:229-242.
For nearly three decades, I have studied factors limiting recovery and strategies to restore tropical forests in former agricultural lands in the the neotropics. My own field work is in Costa Rica, but I have advised students and/or have collaborations studying tropical forest restoration in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Brazil, and other countries in Latin America. For the past 20 years, Dr. Zak Zahawi (Charles Darwin Foundation) and I have studied applied nucleation (planting islands or patches of trees as a tropical forest restoration strategy); you can find more information on this project, publications, and data here. I also collaborate extensively with Dr. Pedro Brancalion at the University of São Paulo on research in the Brazilian Atlantic forest and more broadly on issues of improving tropical forest restoration and tree growing campaigns. Below are examples of my research in a range of tropical systems.
General Audience Publications
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2022. Which of the plethora of tree growing projects to support? One Earth
Wilson, S. J., N. S. Alexandre, K. D. Holl, J. L. Reid, R. A. Zahawi, D. Celentano, S. D. Sprenkle-Hyppolite, and L. K. Werden. 2021. Applied nucleation guide for tropical forests. Conservation International.
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2020. How can we improve tree planting outcomes. This blog provides a summary of our 2020 Journal of Applied Ecology paper on how to improve tree growing outcomes.
Holl, K.D. & Brancalion, P.H.S. 2020. Tree planting is not a simple solution. Science, 368, 580-581.
Holl, K.D. 2017. Restoring tropical forest from the bottom up. Science 355:455-456.
Holl, K.D. & Reid, J.L. 2020. Do we really need to plant a trillion trees? Trees islands are an ecologically and economically sound strategy for tropical forest recovery. The blog discusses our Journal Applied Ecology paper which summarizes 15 years of results from our long-term experiment in Costa Rica.
Holl, K.D. 2013 Restoring Tropical Forest. This short article published in "Nature Education Knowledge" an open source educational journal provides an introduction to tropical forest restoration for classes and a general audience. Click here for translations En Español. Em Português.
Holl, K.D. (2012) Tropical forest restoration. Restoration Ecology (eds J. Van Andel & J. Aronson), pp. 103-114. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA.
When and Where to Actively Restore Ecosystems? This short summary by Karen Holl and Mitch Aide suggests some criteria for determining how to allocate limited conservation resources most effectively in a restoration context. En Español. Em Português.
Selected Scientific Publications
Kulikowski, A. J., R. A. Zahawi, L. K. Werden, K. Zhu, and K. D. Holl. 2023. Restoration interventions mediate tropical tree recruitment dynamics over time. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 378:20210077.
Werden, L. K., S. Zarges, K. D. Holl, C. L. Oliver, F. Oviedo-Brenes, J. A. Rosales, and R. A. Zahawi. 2022. Assisted restoration interventions drive functional recovery of tropical wet forest tree communities. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 5.
Holl, K. D., et al. 2020. Applied nucleation facilitates tropical forest recovery: Lessons learned from a 15-year study. Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 2316-2328.
Brancalion, P.H.S., Amazonas, N.T., Chazdon, R.L., van Melis, J., Rodrigues, R.R., Silva, C.C., . . . Holl, K.D. 2020. Exotic eucalypts: From demonized trees to allies of tropical forest restoration? Journal of Applied Ecology 57, 55-66.
Calle, A. & K. D. Holl (2019) Riparian forest recovery following a decade of cattle exclusion in the Colombian Andes. Forest Ecology and Management 452, 117563.
Holl, K. D., J. L. Reid, F. Oviedo-Brenes, A. J. Kulikowski, and R. A. Zahawi. 2018. Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery. Applied Vegetation Science 21:669-677.
Holl, K. D. 2017. Research directions in tropical forest restoration. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 102:237-250.
Holl, K. D., J. L. Reid, J. M. Chaves-Fallas, F. Oviedo-Brenes & R. A. Zahawi. 2017. Local tropical forest restoration strategies affect tree recruitment more strongly than does landscape forest cover. Journal of Applied Ecology 54:1091-1099.
Holl, K. D., V. M. Stout, J. L. Reid & R. A. Zahawi. 2013. Testing heterogeneity-diversity relationships in tropical forest restoration. Oecologia 173:569–578.
Reid, J. L. & K. D. Holl. 2013. Arrival ≠ Survival. Restoration Ecology 21:153-155.
Holl, K.D., Aide, T.M., 2011. When and where to actively restore ecosystems? Forest Ecology and Management 261: 1588-1563.
Bonilla-Moheno, M. and K. D. Holl. 2010. Direct seeding to restore tropical mature-forest species in areas of slash-and-burn agriculture. Restoration Ecology 18(S2):438-445.
Vieira, D. L. M., K. D. Holl, and F. M. Peneireiro. 2009. Agro-successional restoration as a strategy to facilitate tropical forest recovery. Restoration Ecology: 17: 451–459.
Holl, K. D. 2002. Effect of shrubs on tree seedling establishment in abandoned tropical pasture. Journal of Ecology 90:179-187.
Holl, K. D., M. E. Loik, E. H. V. Lin, and I. A. Samuels. 2000. Restoration of tropical rain forest in abandoned pastures in Costa Rica: overcoming barriers to dispersal and establishment. Restoration Ecology 8:339-349.
Holl, K. D. 1999. Factors limiting tropical moist forest regeneration in agricultural land: seed rain, seed germination, microclimate and soil. Biotropica 31:229-242.