Silviculture of mixed stands: does native trees natural regeneration convert a monospecific plantation into a mixed stand?

GOYA, JUAN; MEDINA MICAELA; RODRIGUEZ SABRINA ANDREA; ARTURI MARCELO

Posadas

Conferencia; Adaptive Management for Forested Landscapes in transformation.; 2018

International Union of Forest Research Organizations

Forest plantations in Argentina are mainly established for commercial purposes although, under specific management conditions, they can yield diverse ecosystem services. The silviculture for mixed stands focuses on diverse commercial products as well as on increasing resources use efficiency, biodiversity and ecosystem services. Natural regeneration of native trees in commercial plantations, as well as successful native trees underplanting, proved thatmonospecific plantations can be converted into mixed stands. Araucaria plantations in Misiones, Argentina, 30-65 years old, and different stand strucutre, give opportunities for understanding the interaction between management and ecological processes over time. Partial results showedtemporal trends in native trees spontaneous regeneration in such system which are promising in terms of increasing plant diversity in Araucaria plantations since they generated suitable conditions for native trees establishment, survival and growth. About 80 native trees, and more than 60 trees per hectare (>10 cm dbh) of 20 valuable wood species, were found in mature araucaria stands, which can be managed for commercial production. As an example, 150 trees perhectare of Cedrela fissilis 15-43 years old were found in 67 years old araucaria stands. C. fissilis established after plantation reaching an uneven aged population of valued wood. Such results highlights the commercial potential of native trees regeneration, which makes it feasible and profitable the management of ecologically diverse plantations.