Aim of study: To compare the productivity, nutrient content and carbon stock with the reforestation of native trees Cordia gerascanthus and Cariniana pyriformis in an agricultural area abandoned. In Colombia, these species are commonly known as móncoro and abarco, respectively.

Area of study: Pure forest of native species planted in the Andean region of Colombia with a typical tropical rainforest climate and naturally low-fertility soils.

Material and methods: After eight years of planting, the stem volume was evaluated in 27 trees per species using the Smalian formula. These data were used to develop allometric equations for stem volume. To estimate the nutrient and carbon content of the stem, a representative tree of each species was felled, and soil samples were collected up to 40 cm deep.

Main results: The two species showed similar survival, basal area and stem carbon stock, but for abarco the stem volume (62.0 m3 ha-1) and stem biomass (35.2 Mg ha-1) were two and 0.4 times higher (p < 0.05), respectively The zinc (41%), copper (128%), and Mg (+400) contents accumulated significantly more (p < 0.05) in the stem of móncoro. The nonlinear models of Spurr (R2= 0.94) and Schumacher-Hall (R2= 0.93) showed the highest accuracy for estimating volume. In the soil, the carbon content of both species averaged 69.3 Mg ha-1 (p > 0.05).

Research highlights: The abarco shows higher commercial productivity than the móncoro. These results provide a baseline for understanding growth performance, but further studies involving reference sites or control plots are needed to evaluate the overall results of reforestation.