We plant fewer trees – and restore more forest
- silvia810
- Feb 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 16
In January last year, we joyfully shared a blog post about our spring planting campaign: more than 100 young trees, thirteen different species, carefully planted and attentively cared for in the weeks that followed. A lot of manual work, a lot of carrying water, a lot of close observation.
This planting was an important step. At the same time, the experiences we gained through it raised a question that has not let go of us since:
Is “planting trees” really the best way to bring back the original forest?
Because our goal is not simply “reforestation” in the conventional sense. Our goal is a living, species-rich forest that is stable from within – and that truly fits this region and the Yvytyrusu protected area.
Why we brought in an expert
To ensure that we are not acting on intuition alone, but on a solid scientific foundation, we engaged the biologist Raúl Rivarola as an external advisor in autumn 2025.
Raúl, a native Paraguayan, holds international Master’s degrees in tropical forestry and sustainable forest management (University of Copenhagen and Dresden University of Technology) and has been working for many years on the natural restoration of native forests in Paraguay.
He visited our property in Takuarita, analysed the on-site conditions, and recommended a strategy for how we can most effectively support the native forest in the Yvytyrusu protected area over the long term.
Reforestation and restoration are not the same
In his report, Raúl makes a key distinction that became very important for us:
Reforestation generally means planting trees, often with the aim of later producing usable timber or shaping landscapes. In many projects, the focus is on forestry species, ornamental trees, or fruit-bearing species.
Ecological restoration means something different: supporting the forest system so that it can once again become what originally grew here, with its own dynamics, its diversity, and its inner stability.
Raúl therefore recommends a change in approach for Panambi – not as a minor adjustment, but as a conceptual shift in strategy.
Why “simply planting” is not the best strategy here
From a technical perspective, planting trees in order to restore an original forest makes sense primarily when a region has an insufficient natural seed stock, or when this seed stock has been completely lost.
In the Yvytyrusu protected area, however, the situation is different.
Raúl describes the entire region as an area that still has a very good seed stock, both in terms of quantity and quality. This is because remnants of native forests still exist and produce seeds every year, and because animals, wind, and water act as natural seed dispersers.
And this is exactly where an aspect comes in that many people tend to underestimate:
The amount and diversity of plant species that can emerge from this natural seed stock far exceeds what a conventional tree-planting project can achieve in terms of biodiversity.
There is another factor that particularly convinced us:
Young trees that emerge through natural regeneration carry the local genetic imprint. They have adapted to the conditions of this place over long periods of time. This is often not the case with nursery-grown seedlings, and in addition, the selection of only a few parent trees in the nursery can lead to reduced genetic diversity.
Ecological Succession: how the forest truly returns
The natural way in which a forest recovers after a disturbance is called ecological succession. When land is no longer used for agriculture and domestic animals are excluded, the forest begins to return – through natural regeneration, step by step.
The phases of succession
At the beginning, pioneer species appear. They grow quickly, often produce flowers and fruits already in the first or second year, and improve site conditions by increasing shade, moisture, and biomass.
At the same time, they are usually short-lived, meaning their life expectancy is relatively low.
Picture 1 shows Hu'i moneha, fumo bravo (Solanum granuloso-leprosum). It is one of the key pioneer species in the region. It is a native small tree that grows fast, reaching 5 m in 2 years. Hu'i moneha starts to flowering and fruiting in the first year of its life. It is a plant that produces flowers and fruits throughout the year, and because of that it is very beneficial to native bees, birds and fruit-eating bats, and all of them are very important for the local biodiversity.
The pioneer species create the conditions for the species that follow next: the secondary species
The duration of a secondary forest can vary greatly and, in some cases, be very long. For this reason, a distinction is made between early- and late-secondary tree species. In tropical and subtropical regions, many of the early-secondary species that appear shortly after the pioneer species, belong to the legume family (Fabaceae). These species have root systems with nodules that host bacteria capable of making nitrogen from the air available to the soil. In this way, they act like a natural fertilisation process and sustainably improve soil conditions.
Picture 2 shows Amba'y (Cecropia pachystachya). It is a typical early secondary species in the Yvytyrusu region. With enough humidity, it is the fastest-growing native tree in the region. It is a dioecious plant, meaning that it produces a male plant and a female plant. Female amba'y plants produce sweet fruits all-year round, which are very attractive to toucans, parrots, fruit-eating bats and other native seed dispersals.
Over time, species with much higher ecological requirements begin to appear:
Species characteristic of a mature forest, which is defined by stability and high biodiversity. These species usually grow slowly and are sensitive to disturbance. This is why they are often absent from forest edges, where wind and sunlight have a stronger impact.
In the Yvytyrusu forest, there are many species of small native fruit trees in the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae) that are very important for fruit-eating birds and bats. Most of them are slow-growing late-secondary and climax plants that need old-growth forest.
One example that was found in the forest conserved in the Panambi owned land is the yvaporoity (Plinia rivularis), shown in picture 3. It's sweet and black fruits are ready in the second half of the spring season. These small trees that bloom and fruit under the shadow of bigger ones, are very important for local biodiversity.
This sequence shows that a forest is not simply a collection of trees. A forest is a complex system, and its restoration and conservation are a process.
Our new focus: Assisted Natural Regeneration
Raúl’s central recommendation for Panambi is therefore Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR). This does not mean “doing nothing.” On the contrary, especially in the first years, it requires targeted and consistent work.
Raúl highlights, among other measures:
• exclusion of agricultural use and protection from domestic animals
• removal of non-native and invasive species
• control of highly competitive grasses and climbing plants, particularly in the early stages
This guided approach is typically most intensive over a period of two to five years, depending on the dynamics of the forest as it develops.
A key element we love: birds and bats as “forest helpers
One section of the report particularly inspired us, because it shows how intelligently natural processes work:
For the first phase of ANR, Raúl recommends deliberately using pioneer species that produce fruit very early. These fruits are attractive to fruit-eating and omnivorous birds as well as to bats.
These animals travel long distances and carry seeds from other forest areas with them. In this way, species that are typical of the inner forest also find their way onto our land, species that humans could hardly “plant” in a targeted way.
In other words, if we create the right conditions, the forest itself helps through its natural allies.
In a climate like the one found in Paraguay, a secondary native forest can regenerate itself within 15 to 20 years.
And what does this mean for our planting activity?
Yes, at first glance this may seem like a contradiction to our previous blog post.
We will continue to plant trees. But we will do so differently.
Not as a primary strategy, but in a targeted way, for example to enrich forest remnants that have become ecologically impoverished due to edge effects and past land use.
Raúl recommends beginning such targeted enrichment primarily once a secondary forest has already developed, often after around ten to fifteen years, depending on local dynamics.
This is an important shift in perspective: Away from the approach of “we create forest.” Towards the approach: we help the forest return.
Why this is exactly right for Panambi
This path makes sense not only from a scientific perspective. It also reflects what Panambi stands for:
• respect for natural processes
• biodiversity instead of monoculture
• long-term stability instead of quick symbolic actions
In the coming months, we will show more concretely how we are implementing ANR on our land and what becomes visibly different as a result, step by step, at the forest’s natural pace.
Cordially
Silvia for The Panambi Team
Comments