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Potential use of pine plantations to restore native forests in a highly fragmented river basin

Usage possible des plantations de pins pour restaurer les forêts naturelles dans un bassin hydrographique très fragmenté

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 305 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • In forests, the substitution of broadleaf species by conifers can reduce biodiversity because coniferous forests generally provide less diverse vascular understories than broadleaf forests. However, in some cases, former pine plantations might be useful for restoring native forests. We compared plant species composition on the plot scale in natural beech and mixed oak forests with that in plantations of Pinus radiata. Links between plant diversity and landscape parameters (patch size, fractal dimension and distance to the nearest patch of the same type) were investigated.

  • • The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of pine plantations for restoring native diversity in a zone where native forests are very fragmented.

  • • Similar to oak forests, plant diversity in pine plantations was high, mainly due to the presence of generalist species. Some species characteristic of oak forests also appeared in pine plantations, suggesting the onset of natural forest regeneration.

  • • These results suggest that pine plantations could be used to promote natural regeneration of original oak forests. Moreover, residual native stands should be conserved as important sources of native species and their seeds.

Résumé

  • • Dans les forêts, la substitution des espèces feuillues par des conifères peut réduire la biodiversité, car les forêts de conifères ne présentent pas généralement un sous bois aussi diversifié que les forêts feuillues. Toutefois, dans certains cas, les anciennes plantations de pins pourraient être utiles pour la restauration des forêts naturelles. Nous avons comparé la composition des espèces végétales à l’échelle de la parcelle en hêtraie naturelle et chênaie mixte de même que dans les plantations de Pinus radiata. Les liens entre diversité végétale et paramètres du paysage (taille des bouquets, dimension fractale, et distance du plus proche bouquet de même type) ont été étudiés.

  • • L’objectif de cette étude était d’évaluer le recours à des plantations de pin pour le rétablissement de la diversité naturelle dans une zone où les forêts sont très fragmentées.

  • • La diversité végétale des pinèdes, similaire à celle des chênaies, était élevée, principalement en raison de la présence d’espèces généralistes. Certaines espèces caractéristiques des chênaies sont aussi apparues dans les plantations de pins, ce qui suggère l’apparition d’une régénération de la forêt naturelle.

  • • Ces résultats suggèrent que les plantations de pins pourraient être utilisées pour promouvoir la régénération naturelle des chênaies originelles. En outre, les peuplements résiduels originels devraient être conservés comme sources importantes d’espèces naturelles et de leurs graines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Biology and Ecology, University of the Basque Country, P.O. Box 644, 48080, Bilbao, Spain

    Miren Onaindia & Anaïs Mitxelena

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  1. Miren Onaindia
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Correspondence to Miren Onaindia.

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Onaindia, M., Mitxelena, A. Potential use of pine plantations to restore native forests in a highly fragmented river basin. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 305 (2009). https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1051/forest/2009002

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  • DOI: https://doiorg.publicaciones.saludcastillayleon.es/10.1051/forest/2009002

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X