Recovery process of a mountain forest after shifting cultivation in Northwestern Vietnam

The recovery process of fallow stands in the mountainous region of Northwestern Vietnam was studied, based on a chronosequence of 1–26-year-old secondary forests after intensive shifting cultivation. The number of species present in a 26-year-old secondary forest attained 49% of the 72 species present in an old-growth forest. Total stem density decreased gradually from 172,500 ha−1 in a 3-year-old forest to 24,600 ha−1 in the 26-year-old stand, but stem density of larger trees (diameter at breast height (D) ≥ 5 cm) increased from 60 ha−1 in a 7-year-old to 960 ha−1 in the 26-year-old forests, which was similar to that of an old-growth forest. Annual biomass increment of the 26-year-old stand was 4.2 Mg ha−1 year−1. A saturation curve was fitted to biomass accumulation in secondary forests. After an estimated time of 60 years, a secondary forest can achieve 80% of the biomass of old-growth forests (240 Mg ha−1). Species diversity expressed by Shannon Index shows that it takes 60 years for a secondary forest in fallow to achieve a plant species diversity similar to that of old-growth forests.