Paul J. A. Kessler, editor, Secondary Forest Trees of Kalimantan, Indonesia. A Manual to 300 Selected Species.Paul J. A. Kessler, editor, Secondary Forest Trees of Kalimantan, Indonesia. A Manual to 300 Selected Species. Leiden: Tropenbos--Kalimantan Series 3, 2000, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 90-5113-044-9, 404 pp. Secondary Forest Trees of Kalimantan is the third volume of the Tropenbos Kalimantan series. It is essentially a tool for identifying secondary forest tree species found throughout Kalimantan, and, as stated in the introduction, the production of this manual was considered an urgent necessity in response to the rapid rate of deforestation deforestation Process of clearing forests. Rates of deforestation are particularly high in the tropics, where the poor quality of the soil has led to the practice of routine clear-cutting to make new soil available for agricultural use. on the island. As a result, large tracts of species-poor secondary forests now abound in areas formerly dominated by biodiverse mixed lowland forest. Because of the circumstances of the writing of the manual (with main authors working on checklists for South and East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian: Kalimantan Timur abbrv. Kaltim) is Indonesian province on the east of Borneo island. The resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda (the capital and a center for timber product) and Balikpapan (a petroleum center with oil ), the selection of species has a bias towards those found on the eastern half of the island. The selection of species includes all widespread and dominant trees, but is somewhat subjective--why choose 300 species, and not, say, 250 or 332? As with other Tropenbos manuals, the bulk of the book consists of descriptions of the species, and nicely produced line drawings. The descriptions follow a standard format: species scientific name, scientific name synonyms, literature, vernacular ver·nac·u·lar n. 1. The standard native language of a country or locality. 2. a. The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language. See Synonyms at dialect. b. names, botanical bo·tan·i·cal also bo·tan·ic adj. 1. Of or relating to plants or plant life. 2. Of or relating to the science of botany. n. description, habitat and ecology, distribution, uses and notes. However, vernacular names have been kept to a minimum, and synonyms and uses are not exhaustively listed. In spite of the heading "Identification Keys" (part 1.3), there is no general key to the families and genera genera, in taxonomy: see classification. of secondary tree species. Instead, the authors have provided a table with so-called "spot characters" listing characteristics that help identify a particular plant in the field. These are typically based on field characteristics and are therefore a boon to those working in the field. However, using spot characters to identify a species of a genus genus, in taxonomy: see classification. genus Biological classification. It ranks below family and above species, consisting of structurally or phylogenetically (see with which the observer is unfamiliar may be time-consuming, as the lists do not lead one from A to B. The introduction also provides an illustrated glossary of botanical terms. If one knows the family, though, the manual does provide a detailed key to the genera of each family, and to the species within each genus, and this provides an easier path for plant identification. These keys do not include secondary forest species and genera only, but also list genera of primary forest species for many of the families treated. This approach does not seem very consistent though. For large families such as Euphorbiaceae and Rubiaceae it is understandable that this has not been done, as this would require expanding the book significantly in size. However, the section on the genus Gluta (Anacardiaceae) mentions that there are fourteen species in Kalimantan, but provides a key to only two species (Glum glum adj. glum·mer, glum·mest 1. Moody and melancholy; dejected. 2. Gloomy; dismal. n. 1. renghas and G. wallichii), both of which are described and illustrated. For the genus Artocarpus (Moraceae) the key lists nine species of the 25 recorded for Kalimantan, of which four (Artocarpus anisophyllus, A. nitidus, A. odoratissimus, A. rigidus) are described in the manual. The manual is a highly useful one, however, as the authors have not been too rigid in limiting its scope. Common shrubs and treelets such as Piper aduncum and Melastoma spp. have been included, as have a significant number of introduced exotics, such as P. aduncum, Muntingia calabura Noun 1. Muntingia calabura - a fast-growing tropical American evergreen having white flowers and white fleshy edible fruit; bark yields a silky fiber used in cordage and wood is valuable for staves calabur tree, calabura, Jamaican cherry, silk wood, silkwood , Lantana camara Lantana camara, also known as Spanish Flag, is native to tropical regions in Central and South America.[1][2][3] Spanish Flag has been introduced into other parts of the world as an ornamental plant, it is considered an invasive , and Acacia mangium It would have been nice to see some analysis of secondary forest tree species--which are the most common species, genera and families? What are the characteristics of secondary forest species? What is the normal niche of these species in primary forests, do they normally occupy gaps? Which of the exotics--if any--are proving to be invasive? Do foresters or conservation area managers need to control secondary species (other than exotics) in any way in order to restore disturbed forests? (Wim Giesen, ARCADIS Euroconsult, PO Box 441, 6800 AK Arnhem, The Netherlands, w.giesen@arcadis.nl) |
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