J. For. Sci., 2025, 71(8):393-405 | DOI: 10.17221/47/2025-JFS

Tree growth and soil recovery in Amazonian lands degraded by coca cultivation and grazingOriginal Paper

Luis Walther Espinoza-Ambicho1, Luis Alberto Valdivia-Espinoza ORCID...2, Warren Ríos-García ORCID...2, Martin Valtera ORCID...3, Luis Alberto Valdivia-Ruiz ORCID...4, Tito Felipe González-Manrique de Lara ORCID...5, Lenka Ehrenbergerová ORCID...3
1 Department of Forest Sciences, Professional School of Forest Engineering, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, National Agrarian University of the Jungle, Huánuco, Peru
2 Department of Renewable Natural Resources Sciences, Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, National Agrarian University of the Jungle, Huánuco, Peru
3 Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
4 Civil Engineering Program, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima, Peru
5 Department of Humanities, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, National Agrarian University of the Jungle, Huánuco, Peru

Soil degradation resulting from illicit coca cultivation and unsustainable grazing practices poses a major challenge to ecosystem restoration in the Peruvian Amazon. This study evaluates the potential of fast-growing tree species to rehabilitate degraded soils while producing economically valuable timber. Monoculture plantations of Corymbia torelliana (eucalyptus), Calycophyllum spruceanum (capirona), Colubrina glandulosa (shaina), and Cedrelinga cateniformis (tornillo) were established on former coca and pasture lands in the Alto Huallaga Valley. We assessed tree growth and key soil physicochemical properties – including soil organic matter (SOM), bulk density (BD), pH, extractable phosphorus (P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) – in topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (10–40 cm) layers. Eucalyptus and tornillo showed the highest diameter growth, while tornillo plots had significantly higher SOM levels. Soil pH was strongly acidic across all plots, and subsoil P was lowest under tornillo. CEC was highest in eucalyptus and capirona plots. Our findings suggest that tree plantations, particularly with eucalyptus, capirona, and tornillo, represent a viable strategy for the sustainable use and rehabilitation of soils formerly used for coca cultivation and grazing.

Keywords: Amazon; degraded soils; fast-growing trees; Peru; reforestation; soil quality

Received: June 11, 2025; Revised: July 31, 2025; Accepted: August 4, 2025; Prepublished online: August 27, 2025; Published: August 30, 2025  Show citation

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Espinoza-Ambicho LW, Valdivia-Espinoza LA, Ríos-García W, Valtera M, Valdivia-Ruiz LA, de Lara TFG, Ehrenbergerová L. Tree growth and soil recovery in Amazonian lands degraded by coca cultivation and grazing. J. For. Sci. 2025;71(8):393-405. doi: 10.17221/47/2025-JFS.
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