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Reproduction of postfire Pinus halepensis Mill. stands six years after silvicultural treatments

Reproduction de pinèdes de Pinus halepensis Mill. six ans après incendies et traitements sylvicoles

Annals of Forest Science volume 64, pages 59–66 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

In Spain, wildfires have increased during the last decades with Pinus halepensis forests being the most affected. Cone differentiation and the early flowering of this species in comparison to other native Spanish species, are traits considered as adaptations to postfire regeneration. The high recurrence of fires promotes a high increase in young and immature pine stands with low capability of regeneration. In this study, silvicultural treatments such as thinning and pruning were carried out 5 years after fire in eleven years old P. halepensis stands located in dry and semi-arid sites in SE Spain. The formation of male and female strobili, production of serotinous grey, mature brown and new green cones were recorded six years after treatments. Seed production and germination percentage were also tested. Results showed acceleration in cone and viable seed production in thinned plots, with some differences between sites being recorded. Serotinous cone production also increased as a result of this treatment.

Résumé

Les incendies forestiers sont en train d’augmenter ces dernières décennies en Espagne, et les forêts de Pinus halepensis sont les plus atteintes. Le fait qu’elles portent plusieurs types de cônes et la floraison précoce de cette espèce, par rapport aux autres espèces espagnoles, sont considérés comme des adaptations aux conditions post-incendie. La récurrence élevée d’incendies favorise un nombre croissant de jeunes pinèdes à faible potentiel de régénération. Des traitements sylvicoles tels que l’éclaircie et l’élagage ont été effectués sur deux peuplements de P. halepensis régénérés cinq ans après l’incendie (onze ans d’âge), situés dans une localité sèche et dans une autre semi-aride du sud-est de l’Espagne. La formation de strobiles masculins et féminins, la production de cônes sérotineux mûrs et récents furent enregistrées six ans après les traitements. La production de semences et le pourcentage de germination ont aussi été testés. Les résultats ont démontré une accélération de la production de cônes et de semences viables dans les clairières, bien que certaines différences aient été constatées entre les localités. La production de cônes sérotineux a augmenté à la suite de ce traitement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos de Albacete, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Jorge De Las Heras, Daniel Moya & Francisco López-Serrano

  2. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Sonia Condés

Authors
  1. Jorge De Las Heras
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  2. Daniel Moya
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  3. Francisco López-Serrano
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  4. Sonia Condés
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Correspondence to Jorge De Las Heras.

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De Las Heras, J., Moya, D., López-Serrano, F. et al. Reproduction of postfire Pinus halepensis Mill. stands six years after silvicultural treatments. Ann. For. Sci. 64, 59–66 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2006088

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/forest:2006088

Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X