Sustainable Forest Management in Radiata Pine Plantations: A Case Study in Sardinia (Italy)

Abstract

The study deals with the sustainability of management in radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don.) plantations of an area of Sardinia (Italy). Focusing on management strategies that foster a continuous forest cover and processes of natural regeneration, the aim was to evaluate the benefits arising from different types of plantation management, balancing social, cultural, environmental and economic aspects. Systematic and selective thinning, as well as regeneration cutting, were carried out in test areas of 45-year-old plantations, and outcomes were compared by considering current forest dynamism, natural regeneration and technical and economic aspects. From an economic perspective, silvicultural management strategies were always positive, with differences depending on the type of intervention. The regeneration cutting, with the expected natural regeneration of radiata pine in the following years, ensures the best economic outcomes, allows for a continuous forest cover and favors the replacement of even-aged plantations, boosting biodiversity in forest stands (structure, species). Climate change, increasing pests and wildfires represent the biggest threats to the sustainability of plantations in Mediterranean areas, and sensitivity is higher in even-aged, homogeneous, monospecific tree stands. In the context of the study, turning forest plantations into more resilient and stable ecosystems can be effectively achieved by means of continuous-cover forest management strategies.