Seed fall and leaf litter relationships in Nothofagus pumilio forests: changes according to retention levels and years after harvesting

Rodríguez-Souilla, Julián; Lencinas, María Vanessa; Cellini, Juan Manuel; Chaves, Jimena E.; Roig, Fidel Alejandro; Peri, Pablo Luís; Pastur, Guillermo José Martínez

doi:10.1007/s00468-022-02365-2

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 65 publications

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“…soil moisture) are leading this pattern, partly explained by a lower basal area and tree density (Paredes et al 2020). It can also be explained by higher seed production observed in mature unmanaged forests compared to young forests, where most of the trees have not reached the reproductive stage Rodríguez-Souilla et al 2023a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Shelterwood cut intensity determines recovery pathways of managed Nothofagus pumilio forests

Chaves,

Rodríguez-Souilla,

Cellini

et al. 2024

NZJFS

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Background: Forest harvesting is the main driver of change in forest structure and natural regeneration dynamics during management. Forest recovery after disturbances is important for economic values and ecological processes of natural forests. The aim of the study was to assess recovery paths of Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. & Endl.) Krasser forests regarding stand structure, environmental characteristics and regeneration values after two harvest intensities of shelterwood regeneration cuts during four different periods after harvesting (YAH). Methods: A total of 59 stands harvested under shelterwood regeneration cuts, including four YAH periods (0-2, 3-10, 11-40, >40 years), and 41 unmanaged stands of N. pumilio forests were sampled in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Forest structure, environmental characteristics and regeneration values were measured and compared by analyses of variance, using harvesting intensity, YAH and age structure as main factors. These variables were used to calculate different indices to define recovery pathways for the different treatments. Results: Forest structural variables such as basal area and total volume over bark differed between harvesting intensities, and the differences with unmanaged forests tend to decrease over time. Soil variables did not significantly differ among young and mature unmanaged forests or managed forests under low or high harvesting intensities. In contrast, light availability presented differences in unmanaged forests compared to managed forests among different harvesting intensities and YAH, although the gap decreased with time particularly beyond 40 YAH. Some regeneration variables, such as seedling density, differed among young and mature unmanaged forests, but did not change with harvesting intensity. Other regeneration variables, such as seedling height and sapling density increased with YAH. The forest index (FI), environment index (EI), and regeneration index (RI) showed different pathways for harvested forests over time, where greater changes were observed for high intensity shelterwood cuts. The differences, compared to unmanaged forests, drastically reduced beyond 40 YAH, regardless of harvesting intensity. Conclusions: Forest structural, environmental and regeneration variables followed different pathways over time for the studied harvesting intensities of shelterwood regeneration cuts when compared to unmanaged forests. As expected, greatest differences on all these variables from natural conditions occurred when more intense harvesting was carried out. Our results suggests that N. pumilio forests were resilient to shelterwood regeneration cuts regarding forest structure, regeneration, and environmental conditions (soil properties and light availability), reaching comparable values to unmanaged forests beyond 40 YAH.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Shelterwood cut intensity determines recovery pathways of managed Nothofagus pumilio forests

Chaves,

Rodríguez-Souilla,

Cellini

et al. 2024

NZJFS

Self Cite

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Variable retention harvesting and climate variations influence over natural regeneration dynamics in Nothofagus pumilio forests of Southern Patagonia

Rodríguez-Souilla

Cellini

Lencinas

et al. 2023

Forest Ecology and Management

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Nothofagus pumilioregeneration failure following wildfire in the sub-Antarctic forests of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

Ruggirello

Bustamante

Soler

2023

Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research

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Wildfires on the island of Tierra del Fuego in southern Argentina are not considered to have been a historic driver of forest dynamics. However, dramatic increases in the human population of the island over the last half-century have greatly increased fire ignition sources and thus the frequency of wildfires in the region. Lenga (Nothofagus pumilio (Poep. et Endl.) Krasser) forests support diverse ecosystem services by providing habitat for endemic flora and fauna and also represent a valuable timber resource for the forest industry of Tierra del Fuego. Evaluating the impact of forest fires on lenga regeneration is important not only because lenga is a native, slow-growing species that seems to lack adaptations that would allow it to recover rapidly after fire, but also because low tree species diversity on the island of Tierra del Fuego means lenga post-fire regeneration failure may lead to ecosystem state shifts. To determine how site characteristics and fire-impacted variables modulate post-fire regeneration densities and spatial patterns in lenga forests, we installed 192 plots (160 burned, 32 unburned) in which we measured site-characteristic (e.g. aspect, elevation) and fire-impacted (e.g. basal area, canopy cover) variables and tallied seedlings and saplings. Regeneration densities were significantly lower in burned than unburned plots. This was exacerbated with increasing distance from the unburned forest edge. Increasing distance to live trees that either survived fire or were outside the burned area negatively impacted regeneration as well. Time since fire negatively affected sapling, but not seedling counts. We concluded that lenga regeneration in the interior of burned areas is largely absent, delaying and potentially preventing forest recovery. These interior areas of burned lenga forests are unlikely to regenerate closed-canopy tree cover through passive restoration alone. Active restoration may be needed in these critical areas where live legacy trees are not present.

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Seed fall and leaf litter relationships in Nothofagus pumilio forests: changes according to retention levels and years after harvesting

Cited by 6 publications

References 65 publications

Shelterwood cut intensity determines recovery pathways of managed Nothofagus pumilio forests

Shelterwood cut intensity determines recovery pathways of managed Nothofagus pumilio forests

Variable retention harvesting and climate variations influence over natural regeneration dynamics in Nothofagus pumilio forests of Southern Patagonia

Nothofagus pumilioregeneration failure following wildfire in the sub-Antarctic forests of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

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