Now that the rainy season has started, it is the perfect time to plant trees in Panama and the region. We offer smart, science-based advice for choosing the perfect trees for your site and helping them to grow.

This guide by Jefferson Hall, staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Mark Ashton, professor of forestry ecology at Yale University, presents detailed information on planting native trees in Panama. Native tree species provide materials and services surpassing those provided by some of the non-native species traditionally used in reforestation such as teak, eucalyptus and Caribbean pine. They are better adapted to grow in poor soils, to resist diseases and to survive extreme drought conditions and flooding.

Based on scientific information from joint experiments of the Smithsonian and Yale University, this book is intended to guide people implementing reforestation and restoration projects with information about how to design native species plantations and is the best example of Intelligent Reforestation—science-based reforestation—practices available in the country.

After more than a decade of collecting seeds and investigating what is required for them to grow and prosper, the Smithsonian Institute published this guide to the propagation of 120 species of native trees of Panama and the Neotropics. The first chapter addresses tree biodiversity, deforestation, how to propagate tropical species, types of forest nurseries, and how they are designed, installed and maintained and how to produce seedlings. The second chapter provides information about the 120 native tree species, including photos, taxonomic information, common names, seed collection tips, nursery management and uses for each species.

This report synthesizes the results of the conference "Watershed management for the provision of environmental services in modified Neotropical landscapes" and includes research and recent practices related to the management of the region's watersheds. It presents an action plan to improve the watershed management and offers case studies selected to illustrate by example where progress is being made.