Changes in the forest structure values along the natural cycle and different management strategies in Nothofagus antarctica forests.

G MARTÍNEZ PASTUR; YM ROSAS; J CHAVES; JM CELLINI; MD BARRERA; S FAVORETTI; MV LENCINAS; PL PERI

FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2021 vol. 486

0378-1127

Ecologically sustainable forest management aims to preserve ecosystem integrity by providing wood and nonwoodvalues. For this, it is necessary to determine the losses produced by the different management practicesin natural forest resilience. The aim was to determine changes in forest structure values along the natural cycleand human impacts generated by rural timber, pastoral and silvopastoral uses in managed, unmanaged, andtransformed Nothofagus antarctica forests of Tierra del Fuego (Argentina), as well as in some associated environments(grasslands). We sampled 145 sites to determine landscape characterization, microclimate, soilproperties, debris, forest structure and regeneration under different conditions: (i) six phases of natural forestdynamic (even-and uneven-aged), (ii) four types of management and conversion alternatives with and withoutnatural regeneration, and (iii) forest edges and grasslands. Main results showed that stand characteristics(abiotic, soil, forest structure, and regeneration) did not significantly change along the different natural forestphases in even- and uneven-aged structures. However, many studied variables strongly varied depending onharvesting intensities and fire occurrence. The magnitude of these changes was directly related to the impactdegree. Multivariate analyses showed a close relationship among the different natural forest phases, and howstands with harvesting or different conversion intensity differ from the control stands, or how much they becomesimilar to openlands. Through different indexes, we related the modifications of the stand characteristics with themagnitude and direction of the changes. Then, these could be used to propose sustainable forest managementstrategies in the framework of silvopastoral systems.