The seed bank of the old secondary forest contained more than double the number of seeds of the primary forest
seed bank and many more seeds were of shrub species; there were the same number of species in the two forests seed banks.
There were no major differences between the two forest types in terms of soil chemistry. Despite the close proximity to potential
seed sources, succession in the Barito Ulu area has proceeded more slowly than in some other tropical areas. This may be due to
the low concentrations of soil nutrients and/or the poor dispersal of dipterocarp seeds. Fifty-five years of succession is concluded
to be insufficient time for the return of most primary forest species. However, the forest structure of the old secondary forest
shows a closer resemblance to the primary forest than does the floristic composition.