FERTILIZER TRIAL ON CEIBA PENTANDRA SEEDLINGS ON EX-TIN-MINING LAND IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Abstract

Although Peninsular Malaysia has initiated the Compensatory Forest Plantation Project (CFPP) to overcome the expected shortage of timber for domestic consumption purposes, vast areas of degraded land such as ex-tin-mining areas need to be rehabilitated by the planting of forest tree species. However, no concerted effort has been made to utilize this unused land. Ceiba pentandra, a fast-growing indigenous tree species planted on ex-tinmining areas in Selangor, has shown promising growth results. The fertilization of C. pentandra with 500 g NPK/seedling produced the best results. Further growth monitoring is essential to determine the suitability of this timber species for reclamation of ex-tin-mining land.