Soil development mediated by traditional practices shape the stand structure of Spanish juniper woodland

  • Javier de la Fuente-Leon Department of Agricultural and Forest Engineering, University of Valladolid, Campus Universitario Duques de Soria, Soria.
  • Edgar Lafuente-Jimenez CESEFOR, Polígono Industrial "Las Casas", Soria.
  • Daphne Hermosilla Department of Chemical Engineering, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid.
  • Miguel Broto-Cartagena CESEFOR, Polígono Industrial "Las Casas", Soria.
  • Antonio Gasco IE University, B.Sc. in Biology, Cardenal Zúñiga 12, Segovia.

Abstract

Aim of study: Assessing the effect of soil development on the stand structure of a Spanish juniper forest traditionally shaped by livestock browsing and wood extraction.
Area of study: Berlanga de Duero (Soria, Castilla y León), Spain.
Material and Methods: A stand inventory served to record stand structure. Tree age, height, DBH, basal area, and overbark volume were determined in each plot. Results were pooled considering two well-differentiated degrees of soil evolution. One-way ANOVAs (and Tukey’s test) and regressions between growth parameters were performed to assess significant differences between growth performances on both types of soils.
Research highlights: Deeper soils yielded significant higher plant density and stand stock figures than stony shallower profiles despite the intense past livestock activity in the area; and single tree-size was also significantly greater. Non-significant differences were found for merchantable junipers age (≈120-160 years). Wood extraction and livestock browsing should be limited on shallower soils to allow soil and forest evolution; as well as to preserve the genetic pool better adapted to hardest growing conditions.

Keywords: livestock browsing; forest development; Juniperus thurifera L.; soil evolution; stand stock.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Bertaudière V, Montès N, Badri W, Gauquelin T, 2001 Multicaulis structure of Juniperus thurifera: adaptation to a severe environment? CR de l'Acad des Sci Ser IIISci de la Vie- Life Sci 324, 627-634.

Bond WJ, 2010. Do nutrient-poor soils inhibit development of forests? A nutrient stock analysis. Pl&Soil 334: 47-60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0440-0

Callaway RM, 1997. Competition and facilitation: a synthetic approach to interactions in plant communities. Ecol 78: 1958-1965. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1997)078[1958:CAFASA]2.0.CO;2

Chauchard S, Carcaillet C, Guibal F, 2007. Patterns of landuse abandonment control tree-recruitment and forest dynamics in Mediterranean mountains. Ecosyst 10: 936-948. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-007-9065-4

Crespo A, Pinillos F, Lafuente E, Broto M, Alcalde F, 2006. Aprovechamiento maderero de sabina en Castilla y León: estudio de rendimientos en la fabricación de tarima de sabina. Coloquio Internacional sobre sabinares y enebrales: ecología y gestión forestal sostenible. Soria, Spain, May 24-26.

Del Río S, Peñas A, 2006. Potential areas of evergreen forests in "Castilla y León" (Spain) according to future climate change. Phytocoenol 36: 45-66. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/0340-269X/2006/0036-0045

De Soto L, Olano JM, Rozas V, De la Cruz M, 2010. Release of Juniperus thurifera woodlands from herbivoremediated arrested succession in Spain. App Veg Sci 13: 15-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1654-109X.2009.01045.x

Falster D, Warton D, Wright I, 2006. SMATR: Standardised Major Axis Tests & Routines. http://www.bio.mq. edu.au/ecology/SMATR/ (last updated 11/13/2006). Department Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.

Gauquelin T, Dagnac J, 1988. Caractéristiques édaphiques des groupements à genévrier thurifère des Atlas marocains: études des niveaux superficiels des sols sous couvert et hors couvert. Oecol Mediterr 14: 43-56.

Gauquelin T, Bertaudière V, Montès N, Badri W, Asmode JF, 1999. Endangered stands of thuriferous juniper in the western Mediterranean basin: ecological status, conservation and management. Biodivers & Conserv 8: 1479-1498. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1008966808796

Olano JM, Rozas V, Bartolomé D, Sanz D, 2008. Effects of changes in traditional management on height and radial growth patterns in a Juniperus thurifera L. woodland. For Ecol & Manag 255: 506-512.

Pueyo Y, Alados CL, 2007 Effects of fragmentation, abiotic factors and land use on vegetation recovery in a semi-arid Mediterranean area. Basic & Appl Ecol 8: 158-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2006.03.009

Rice R, Sugal C, Ratay S, DaFonseca G, 2001. Sustainable forest management: a review of conventional wisdom. Conservation International, Washington DC, USA.

Rozas V, Olano JM, De Soto L, Bartolomé D, 2008. Largescale structural variation and long-term growth dynamics of Juniperus thurifera trees in a managed woodland in Soria, central Spain. Ann For Sci 65: 809. http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/forest:2008066

Rudel TK, Coomes OT, Moran E, Achard F Angelsen A, Xu J, Lambin EF, 2005. Forest transitions: towards a global understanding of land use change. Glob Environ Change 15: 25-31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2004.11.001

Published
2014-03-31
How to Cite
de la Fuente-Leon, J., Lafuente-Jimenez, E., Hermosilla, D., Broto-Cartagena, M., & Gasco, A. (2014). Soil development mediated by traditional practices shape the stand structure of Spanish juniper woodland. Forest Systems, 23(1), 167-170. https://doi.org/10.5424/fs/2014231-03674
Section
Short communications