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| Titel |
Adapting a Mediterranean marginal Oak forest to water scarcity |
| VerfasserIn |
María González-Sanchis, Antonio del Campo, Antonio Lidón, Cristina Llull, Inmaculada Bautista, Carlos Antonio Pabón, Félix Francés |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2014
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 16 (2014) |
| Datensatznummer |
250086569
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2014-460.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Adaptive Forest Management (AFM) aims to adapt the forest to water availability by
means of an artificial regulation of the forest structure and density. Areas under
water scarcity situations, such as the Mediterranean region, might require AFM to
optimize the hydrological cycle under normal and future global change conditions,
especially on those forests growing in marginal habitats. However, forest treatments
can also cause nutrient and soil loss as well as increase soil water evaporation.
Therefore, AFM has to find a compromise that satisfies both forest and catchment
needs.
The present study applies the AFM to a Mediterranean marginal oak forest with the aim
to optimize the hydrological resources, but avoiding the possible negative impacts such as
nutrient and soil loss or an excessive soil water evaporation. The forest is located in a typical
Mediterranean area, within the public forest La Hunde, Valencia (E Spain). Two contiguous
plots, control and treatment, of 1800 m2 area respectively were selected. The orientation
(NO), slope (30 %) and forest density (861 tree per ha) were the same for both plots.
Treatment plot was thinned in May 2012, following the forest requirements. The initial
forest density was then reduced from 861 to 414 tree per ha. Control plot was not
thinned.
The thinning effects into the hydrological and biogeochemical cycles were characterized
comparing control and thinned plots. In the same way, primary tree growth and nutrient
resorption proficiency were also compared. The hydrological cycle was characterized by
means of throughfall, stemflow, runoff, soil moisture and transpiration monitoring. The
biogeochemical cycle was characterized through the analysis of N, P and C content
in: rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, runoff and soil leaching. The primary growth
was registered for the years 2012-2013. The nutrient resorption proficiency was
analyzed comparing C, N, K and P contents and ratios of green leaves, old leaves and
litter.
The results indicate an early effect of the thinning that optimize the hydrological
cycle. There is a significant increase of sapflow, stemflow and soil moisture. On the
contrary, no effect is registered neither in runoff nor throughfall. In the same way, the
thinning does not produce a significant effect in the biogeochemical cycle, were water
N, P and C content is not significantly different between both plots. The nutrient
resorption proficiency and primary growth appears to be affected by the forest treatment.
The thinned plot shows a faster growing combined with lower nutrient resorption
proficiency.
Under these results, it can be stated that applying an adequate AFM it is possible to
optimize the hydrological cycle without harming the forest nutrient cycling. In the same way,
besides the satisfaction of the hydrological and nutrient needs of the ecosystem, AFM
increases the water availability to refill rivers and/or aquifers, or to support other ecosystems. |
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