Adaptation and Mitigation in Tropical Tree Plantations

Tropical tree plantations are rapidly expanding to meet the growing demand for wood and nonwood forest products. Current research-combining ecophysiology, genetics and functional genomics-aims to enhance the climate change mitigation role of these plantations and their adaptation. The positive effect of the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration on photosynthesis could boost biomass production, but the higher water and nutrient needs will have to be fulfilled to ensure the sustainability of this positive effect. Multispecies plantations benefitting from positive interactions between species could help maintain production in tropical tree plantations against a background of increasing biotic and abiotic stress.