Abstract
The rehabilitation of degraded tropical rainforest was studied in the Chikus Forest Reserve, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. Growth performance and soil fertility status were assessed for two indigenous dipterocarp species, Shorea leprosula and S. parvifolia planted under a secondary forest in 1994 and under an abandoned Acacia mangium plantation in 1992 with a multi-storied plantation technique. The assessment was conducted with a special reference to two indices; soil fertility index (SFI) and soil evaluation factor (SEF), which are commonly used for soil fertility assessment in relation to the succession of secondary forests in humid tropical regions. The results showed that among various inter-spacing planting, moderate planting spacing of 20 m in the secondary forest and 15 m in A. mangium plantation resulted in most favorable growth of both species. The significant correlation between SFI and growth performance suggested that the applicability of the SFI as an index for estimating soil fertility and site quality for rehabilitation of degraded forestland with a multi-storied plantation technique. However, any correlation was not found with the SEF. It is concluded that, the soil fertility status evaluated by the SFI can play an important role for determining the growth of planted dipterocarp snecies.
