Retention forestry in southern Patagonia: multiple environmental impacts and their temporal trends

SOLER, R; SCHINDLER, S; LENCINAS, MV; PERI, P; MARTÍNEZ PASTUR, G

INTERNATIONAL FORESTRY REVIEW

COMMONWEALTH FORESTRY ASSOC

Año: 2015 vol. 17 p. 231 - 243

1465-5489

Harvestingwith variable retention (VR) applied in Nothofagus forests combines two typesof retention: patches of original forest (aggregates) and single isolatedhomogeneously distributed trees (dispersed). This study assesses the assumptionthat VR maintains mature forests conditions after harvesting by synthesizing605 individual results from long-term studies in two regions of Tierra delFuego (Argentina) with permanent monitoring. VR effects on (i) foreststructure, (ii) microenvironment, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) forestreproduction, were investigated. Aggregated retention had no effect on foreststructure and microenvironmental variables, but increased biodiversityvariables and forest reproduction compared to unmanaged primary forest (control).Dispersed retention negatively affected the forest structure, increasedbiodiversity, but did not affect microclimate and forest reproduction whencompared to primary forest. Thus, the ecological conditions of N. pumilioforests are influenced by variable retention harvesting, but direction andmagnitude of the effect depend on the treatment and differ among groups ofvariable. Inside aggregates several primary forest components and conditionswere maintained.