Millions of hectares of tropical forests have been converted to agricultura
l land and abandoned, so it is important that we understand the process of
forest recovery and comprehend how pathways are modified by different types
of disturbances in different geographic regions. In a 4-year case study, w
e quantified the pattern of forest recovery following clearing and 3 years
of cultivation of a moist-evergreen forest in Uganda. Long-term observation
(746 hours) of frugivore visitation to the regenerating area demonstrated
that birds were frequent visitors (5.8 birds/hour), whereas large mammalian
frugivores rarely used the area. Frugivore visitation rates facilitated se
edling recruitment that averaged 0.51 seedlings/m(2) from 22 tree species b
y the end of the study. Recruitment included species with large seeds, desp
ite the fact that seed-eating rodents were almost twice as abundant in the
regenerating are than in mature forest. By the end of the study, however, o
nly 20 trees were greater than or equal to 0.5 m tall, and no trees were gr
eater than or equal to 2 m tall. This slow recruitment reflected high seedl
ing mortality and dominance of the area by elephant grass (Pennisetum purpu
reum) and the herb Acanthus pubescens. After 4 years, trees greater than or
equal to 0.5 m tall attained a biomass of only 8.92 kg/ha, whereas the bio
mass of P. purpureum and A. pubescens had reached 35,500 kg/ha and 18,100 k
g/ha respectively. We provide an initial assessment of two programs designe
d to enhance restoration of abandoned agricultural lands: planting of cutti
ngs to act as dispersal foci and sowing of seeds. Our results showed that d
ensity of seedlings growing in the management plot where we sowed seeds (0.
35 seedlings/m(2)) and in the plot where we established cuttings (0.30 seed
ling/m(2)) was lower than in the control plot (0.51 seedlings/m(2)). This E
ast African site was only lightly disturbed, yet tree recovery was occurrin
g slower than in heavily degraded sites described from South America. The r
ate of recovery seemed to be strongly determined by interactions between tr
ee seedlings and P.purpureum and A.pubescens.