46:1 (2025) 1 – 8 | ISSN 1394-85 | eISSN 2231-9085 | RESEARCH ARTICLE Journal homepage: https://jurcon.ums.edu.my/ojums/index.php/borneo-science COMPARATIVE GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF NEOLAMARCKIA CADAMBA ROXB. BOSSER (WHITE LARAN) UNDER DIFFERENT SITE CONDITIONS IN FOREST PLANTATION AT JAWALA PLANTATION INDUSTRY, SAPULUT FOREST RESERVE, NABAWAN Walter Lintangah*, Raycel Lee, Mcroland Guntabid and Abdul Razak Tarip International Tropical Forestry Program, Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Correspondence*: walterjl@ums.edu.com ABSTRACT. This study investigated the growth of Neolarmakia cadamba Roxb Bosser (White Laran) across various site conditions characterised by differing elevations, slopes, distances from roads, and forest fringes. Plots meeting specific criteria were established in two distinct sites, one year and five years old, of planted N. cadamba trees. The findings indicate that the one-year-old trees at higher elevations on flat terrain show a greater mean diameter at breast height (DBH = 8.75 cm), mean total height (5.84 m), and volume (0.16 m³) compared to those at lower elevations on hilly land. Conversely, for the five-year-old trees, higher average DBH and total height were observed in flat areas near roads and forest edges. Analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated significant differences in DBH, height, and volume among the plots, with p < 0.05. This study suggests that variations in the growth of N. cadamba arise from different site conditions related to slope, altitude, and proximity to roads and forest edges, likely due to differences in nutrient availability and light access. These findings may prompt further research in this area, particularly regarding treatment recommendations and predictions for the early growth of the species in diverse site conditions. Received: 21 Jan 2025 Revised: 25 March 2025 Accepted: 29 March 2025 Published online: 29 March 2025 DOI : 10.51200/bsj.v46i1.6017 Keywords: Indigenous, Fast-growth species, Site conditions INTRODUCTION Forest plantations are becoming increasingly important in the global forest estate. The plants chosen for the restoration area include fast-growing exotics, such as Acacia mangium, Shorea leprosula, Neolarmakia cadamba (N. Cadamba), Binuang (Octomeles sumatrana Miq.), and others. Despite indigenous species being a priority for restoration programs, several factors must be considered to optimise growth performance, including site conditions such as soil type (Kanowski et al., 2005). Different tree species exhibit varying growth rates due to their unique surroundings, which in turn affects their growth. Some factors that may influence tree growth include nutrient availability (Binkley, 2003), light intensity and absorption (Poorter et al., 2012; Dieler & Pretzsch, 2013), soil quality (Kozlowski, 1999), and water availability (Lebourgeois et al., 2013). To accurately record the growth, measurements