Effects of post fire plant cover in the performance of two cordilleran cypress (Austrocedrus chilensis) seedling stocktypes planted in burned forests of northeastern Patagonia, Argentina

URRETAVIZCAYA M. F.; GONDA H.; DEFOSSÉ G.E.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2017 vol. 59 p. 419 - 430

0364-152X

Cordillerancypress (Austrocedrus chilensis [D.Don] Pic. Serm. et Bizarri) forests occupy 140,000 ha alonga sharp environmental gradient of central Andean-Patagonia in Argentina. Every summer,about 3,200 ha of these forests are affected by wildfires, taking there after longtime to recover.  To accelerate forest recovery, we determined in xericand mesic cypress stands burned 5 and 2 yr before, whether survival and growthof two planted cypress seedling stocktypes are affected by plant cover andcontrasting precipitation conditions. Two experiments were conducted on eachsite, involving 100 replicates of two seedling stocktypes, having eachsignificantly different morphological attributes. The experiments comprised adry and humid growing season on each site. Both stocktypes performed similarlywithin stands, but differently between stands. In the xeric stand, plant coverhad neutral effects on seedling survival, favored seedling height growth in thedry season, and was negative on collar diameter and stem growth. In the mesicsite, high plant cover favored survival and height growth, but wasinconsequential for collar diameter and stem growth. In this short-termpostfire period, and independent of precipitation received during both seasons(dry or humid), plant cover appears as playing a facilitative role, havingneutral or even positive effects on survival and growth of plantedseedlings.  During the early postfire sucesional stages, and besidesseedling stocktype, there was a synergistic balance between light and soilmoisture that seems to benefit planted seedling performance in burned cypressforests, and especially in mesic sites.