Forest management planning in south Patagonia: Biodiversity conservation strategies using GUIDOS software

MARTÍNEZ PASTUR G.; LENCINAS M.V.; SOLER ESTEBAN R.; IVANCICH H.; PERI P.L.; VUKASOVIC R.

Campos do Jordão (Brazil)

Conferencia; Latin American Landscape Ecology Conference (IALE); 2009

Nothofagus pumilio forests constitute the most important forest resource in South Argentina and Chile. Sawmill industry based their production in the harvesting of old-growth stands. In Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) the performance of forest management plans prior to harvesting are compulsory. They have a time validity of five years and only include the study of target stands and timber yields to be harvested. However, during the last years, biodiversity conservation was included as one of the management objectives, leading to design new silviculture practices to minimize these impacts. On the other hand, beavers (Castor canadensis) are the main responsible for habitat-level changes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, being necessary consider their control and management. The recent availability of GIS softwares (e.g. Arcview), high resolution satellite (e.g. QuickBird) and DTM images (digital terrain models), as well as landscape analysis softwares (e.g. GUIDOS - Graphical User Interface for the Description of image Objects and their Shapes) allow to improve the forest management planning. The aim was to describe these planning in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina) and the potential use of these tools to improve the biodiversity conservation strategies. One thousand hectares in the central zone of Tierra del Fuego (54º18’ SL, 67º49’ WL) was selected. Forest management planning, high resolution satellite and DTM images, as well as GUIDOS outputs were included into a GIS. A landscape analysis was done considering the timber forests and the associated non-timber environments, beaver impacts and landscape changes. A comparative analysis was conducted describing the improvement in the planning due to the use of these different tools. Timber forests represented 61% of the landscape, while 38% were associated environments (open forests, stream sides, peat-lands or grasslands) and 1% lagoons. Beavers transformed 4% of the original forests in meadows and ponds. Forest management planning included only high yield timber stands and road design was carried out according to economical variables. Roads affected associated non timber environments as well as connectivity components of the forest landscape. The use of DTM, landscape analysis and GUIDOS outputs allow to redefine new timber stands and road design, improving the biodiversity conservation of the managed stands at landscape level. At present, forest management was designed according economic variables without considering ecologic variables. However, biodiversity conservation strategies can be designed using the described tools, decreasing the impacts at landscape level, mainly by road construction. GUIDOS outputs highlight connectivity components of the landscape which are ignored in the previous analysis.