TROPICAL DRY FORESTS ARE THE MOST THREATENED TROPICAL
ECOSYSTEM ( Janzen 1988, Mooney et al. 1995, Khurana & Singh
2001, Sanchez-Azofeifa et al. 2005). Dry forests of Central Brazil
have been almost completely converted to agricultural lands, mainly
pastures (IBGE 1995; Scariot & Sevilha 2000, 2005). Located on
highly fertile soils where the topography is flat, these forests cover
only 5 percent of their original area (Andahur 2001). In addition,
most of the remaining forested areas have been logged and disturbed
by fire and cattle grazing for the last 40 yr (Scariot & Sevilha 2000,
Vieira 2002). Nonetheless, little research has been conducted to
understand and enhance the regeneration of tropical dry forests in
Brazil (Vieira & Scariot 2006).