Reforestation Species of the Isthmian-Atlantic Slope — Rancho Garza

Illustrated Tree Compendium

Isthmian-Atlantic Moist Forests Ecoregion

Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests Biome

About This Compendium

This compendium documents the tree species we have drawn upon in reforesting Rancho Garza, on the Caribbean-facing slope of the Rincón de la Vieja volcano in Costa Rica's Zona Norte. The site lies within the Isthmian-Atlantic Moist Forests ecoregion and the broader Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forest biome, and it is our hope that the species here hold value for reforestation across this wider region.

The trees are organized by successional guild: a continuum from short-lived, light-demanding pioneers to slow-growing, shade-tolerant climax trees. Contemporary restoration ecology increasingly treats this continuum as a gradient rather than a set of rigid boxes, and these accounts are best read in that spirit. All tree images are rendered in ink and watercolor by Malcolm Wyer.

We thank the Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE), whose forest nursery donation program has supplied the seedlings we have planted at Rancho Garza over the years, without which this work would not have been possible.

Table of Contents

Pioneer Species
a. Fast Pioneers
b. Nitrogen-Fixing Pioneers
Secondary Species
a. Early Secondary
b. Late Secondary
Climax Species
a. Climax Canopy
b. Climax Emergent
c. Understory

From Pioneers to Climax: The Shape of Succession
Tree functional groups across tropical forest succession. During the first five years, herbaceous life forms (herb, shrub, vine) establish and are replaced by short-lived pioneer trees, followed in turn by long-lived pioneers and shade-tolerant species (Finegan, 1996); the corresponding terminology of Budowski (1965) is shown in parentheses. Plotted as biomass over time, each functional group rises and declines at a characteristic point in the sequence — but rather than replacing one another in discrete steps, the guilds overlap continuously, illustrating why successional guilds are best understood as positions along a gradient rather than fixed categories.

Budowski, G. (1965). Distribution of tropical American rain forest species in the light of successional processes. Turrialba, 15(1), 40–42.

Finegan, B. (1996). Pattern and process in neotropical secondary rain forests: the first 100 years of succession. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 11(3), 119–124.

I. Pioneer Species

Pioneer species are the first colonizers of bare or disturbed ground — short-lived, fast-growing, and dependent on full sun, with seeds that require light to germinate. They do the essential first work of establishing cover and softening harsh edge conditions, but they cannot regenerate in shade and are gradually replaced as the canopy above them closes.

Fast Pioneers

Gallinazo

Schizolobium parahyba
Guarumo

Cecropia spp.
Güitite

Acnistus arborescens
Indio Desnudo

Bursera simaruba
Eucalipto

Eucalyptus spp.
Papaturro

Coccoloba caracasana
Guácimo

Guazuma ulmifolia
Balsa

Ochroma pyramidale

Nitrogen-Fixing Pioneers

Guachipelín

Diphysa americana
Guaba

Inga edulis
Guaba Machete

Inga edulis
Guajiniquil

Inga jinicuil

2. Secondary Species

Secondary species (early and late) form the bridge between pioneer cover and mature forest structure, growing more slowly and tolerating more shade than pioneers while still building toward a closed canopy. Early secondary trees remain fast and light-demanding, while late secondary species grow denser wood and greater shade tolerance as they persist into the transitional canopy.

Early Secondary

Chaperno

Lonchocarpus ferrugineus
Poponjoche

Pachira aquatica
Sotacaballo

Zygia longifolia
Laurel

Cordia alliodora
Cebo

Vochysia guatemalensis

Late Secondary

Cedro Amargo

Cedrela odorata
Cocobolo

Dalbergia retusa
Cortez Amarillo

Handroanthua ochraceus
Madroño

Calycophyllum candidissimum

3. Climax Species

Climax species are the slow-growing, shade-tolerant hardwoods that ultimately define the forest's mature structure, capable of germinating and persisting even in low light beneath an existing canopy. At Rancho Garza this single guild spans canopy, emergent, and understory positions — from towering emergents like Ceiba and Almendro amarillo down to shade-adapted understory trees like Aguacatillo and Cirrí colorado.

Climax Canopy