Diameter growth models and performance of 100 tropical tree species in silvicultural trials in Brazil

Projects of reforestation for sustainable production of tropical timber and for nature-based solutions must be based on reliable growth models. However, there is still a big gap in knowledge about the growth in diameter for native and exotic tropical timber species. Here, we used diameter growth data from 100 tropical tree species in silvicultural experiments established from the late 1970s to the early 1990s in the Vale Natural Reserve in the north of Espírito Santo state, Brazil. Plantations were periodically measured, usually over 20–30 years, which allowed us to produce growth models for all species and recommend those that can help boost silviculture in Brazil. We also used the data to test a large set of tree species against the same set of models, to assess model’s performance. Among 71 native species studied, 31 % showed slow growth (MAI < 0.70 cm/yr), 40 % medium growth (0.70≤ MAI < 0.97 cm/yr) and 29 % high growth (MAI ≥ 0.97 cm/yr), while 47 % of the 29 exotic species showed high growth rates. Based on our analysis, we recommend the use of Korf, Levakovik II, Hossfeld IV, and Levakovic III models for growth studies, because they showed a better fit for most species or because they were plausible competitor models. Even though many species have shown a great performance for silvicultural projects, more experimental trials must be established in different site and management conditions, to fully explore the silvicultural potential of these tropical timber species.