The end of the planting season is also the time to take care of the small (and not so small) trees that are growing in our restoration sites. After planting many seedlings and seeds over the last rainy season, our field team will now focus their efforts on maintenance.
Maintenance consists of: removing invasive plants that eventually compete with our planted trees, carrying out complementary fertilization and guaranteeing that the fences and forest firebreaks (aceiros) surrounding the project areas stay functional. These activities are realized every four months, or until full canopy closure of the forest, and can take up to three years.
Have a look at some of the BJF field team carrying out maintenance
Why is it important to maintain our growing seedlings?
Maintenance is one of the 17 steps in the Black Jaguar Foundation’s Cycle of Ecological Restoration. That’s how we ensure that the seedlings planted can grow into resilient trees along the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.
One of the activities carried out during the maintenance process is managing invasive exotic grasses, to prevent competition with native tree seedlings and plants.
According to our Project Coordinator, Dimitrio Schievenin, the maintenance phase is just as important as the planting itself. “One of the biggest reasons for the failure of restoration projects throughout Brazil is precisely the lack of maintenance,” he explains.
Because of this, we closely monitor the growth of our seedlings, performing maintenance whenever necessary, and allowing biodiversity to gradually return to the areas where we operate.
