Soil development mediated by traditional practices shape the stand structure of Spanish juniper woodland

• Main Authors: Javier de la Fuente-Leon, Edgar Lafuente-Jimenez, Daphne Hermosilla, Miguel Broto-Cartagena, Antonio Gasco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria 2014-03-01
• Series: Forest Systems
• Online Access: http://revistas.inia.es/index.php/fs/article/view/3674

<p><em>Aim of study:</em> Assessing the effect of soil development on the stand structure of a Spanish juniper forest traditionally shaped by livestock browsing and wood extraction. <br /><em>Area of study</em>: Berlanga de Duero (Soria, Castilla y León), Spain.<br /><em>Material and Methods</em>: A stand inventory served to record stand structure. Tree age, height, DBH, basal area, and overbark volume were determined in each plot. Results were pooled considering two well-differentiated degrees of soil evolution. One-way ANOVAs (and Tukey’s test) and regressions between growth parameters were performed to assess significant differences between growth performances on both types of soils. <br /><em>Research highlights</em>: Deeper soils yielded significant higher plant density and stand stock figures than stony shallower profiles despite the intense past livestock activity in the area; and single tree-size was also significantly greater. Non-significant differences were found for merchantable junipers age (≈120-160 years). Wood extraction and livestock browsing should be limited on shallower soils to allow soil and forest evolution; as well as to preserve the genetic pool better adapted to hardest growing conditions.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: livestock browsing; forest development; Juniperus thurifera L.; soil evolution; stand stock.</p>