Mitigation and adaption actions

Five different actions have been determined:

Management of stands in the post-fire regeneration phase

Main ecosystem services to be analysed:  climate regulation and water regulation.

Forest management in the post-fire regeneration phase is essential to maximise the future productivity of a forest and make it better equipped to survive new fires and drought episodes. The actions are focused particularly on structuring the forest to assure and enhance future growth.

The main stands where actions have been undertaken cover a total area of 28.3 hectares and are as follows:

Can Salvi: 6.5 ha of cork oak (Quercus suber), at the Els Aspres LU.
Can Bech: 5 ha of cork oak (Quercus suber), at the Els Aspres LU.
Els Pins Verds: 4.4 ha of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) at the El Montmell LU.
Soler d’en Jaumàs: 2 stands with 1.4 ha of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) and 1.8 ha of Austrian pine and deciduous oak (Pinus nigra and Quercus faginea) at the Replans de Berguedà LU.
Viladasses: 5.4 ha of deciduous oak (Quercus faginea) at the Replans de Berguedà LU.
La Cortada: 2 stands with a total of 3.8 ha of Scots pine, deciduous oak and holm oak (Pinus sylvestris, Quercus faginea and Quercus ilex) at the Replans de Berguedà LU.

A specific type of silvicultural model has been chosen for each of the stands, based on the Regional guidelines and silvicultural models for sustainable forest management in Catalonia (ORGEST), which depend in turn on the main species.

In general, the objective pursued by these actions is to reduce the stand’s tree density so that the individual trees have more growth capacity by not having to compete for resources (water, light, nutrients, etc.). We select those trees that have a potentially higher growth capacity. Together with the reduction in density, this selection enables the remaining trees to achieve greater growth, implying in turn a greater carbon absorption capacity. 

The crop structure is improved in order to reduce vulnerability to crown fires and, by this means, reduce the medium-term fire risk.

Maintaining biodiversity is one of our project’s key points and we take steps to ensure in this type of intervention that higher levels of potential biodiversity are attained in the medium or long term. The vision must necessarily be medium or long term because, being young or incipient stands, the potential biodiversity values are low a priori.

An example of the result achieved by implementation work in the green pine stand, in a post-fire Aleppo pine stand, before and after silvicultural actions; seedling thinning.

Forest management in adult stands

Main ecosystem services to be analysed: climate regulation, water regulation (water use efficiency and water availability) and biodiversity.

Climate-smart forest management allows adult stands, whose growth could stagnate if they are abandoned, to enhance generation of different products, such as biomass, timber or cork. Through the selection and application of the correct silvicultural treatment, the woodland can attain higher levels of carbon fixation, consume water more efficiently and continue hosting biodiversity at the same level.

The actions performed have involved a total of 39.34 hectares:

Can Bech: 5.1 ha of cork oak (Quercus suber), at the Els Aspres LU.
Can Budó: 4.3 ha of cork oak (Quercus suber), at the Els Aspres LU.
Aiguaviva: 4 ha of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) at the El Montmell LU.
Cal Marimon: 4.4 ha of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) at the Serres d’Ancosa LU.
Can Vich: 3.8 ha of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) at the Serres d’Ancosa LU.
Vallcebre: 3.64 ha of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) at the Capçaleres de Llobregat LU.
Santa Maria de les Garrigues: 5 ha of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) at the Capçaleres de Llobregat LU.
Confós: 4.8 ha of Austrian pine (Pinus nigra) at the Vall de Rialb LU.
Sardanyés: 4.3 ha of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) at the Vall de Rialb LU.

Aleppo pine woods (P. halepensis) at the Montmell and Serres d’Ancosa LUs

Scots pine woods (P. sylvestris) at the Capçaleres del Llobregat LU

Scots pine and Austrian pine woods (P. nigra) at the Vall de Rialb LU.

Cork oak woods at the Els Aspres LU

The silvicultural model applied has been chosen taking into account the existing main species. In general, the goals pursued in all the actions are the following: foster growth of the trees with most potential, which means a higher level of carbon fixation, and improve the crop structure to reduce their vulnerability to fire.

In order to increase resistance to possible fires, we have acted on the landscape-scale fuel to break continuity, either vertically or horizontally, in those stands where this has been necessary.

We have acted on stands where water consumption efficiency was one of the main goals. In these cases, we have felled more trees in order to significantly reduce water consumption, while at the same time favouring the potential growth of the remaining trees, which will not have to compete for water resources and will have a greater carbon fixation capacity.

We have fostered these stands’ biodiversity by preserving elements that offer high bearing capacity, such as large-diameter trees or trees harbouring microhabitats, and potential for creating dead wood. These elements show a high biodiversity bearing capacity.

Forestations: Forestry and agroforestry plantations

Increase tree cover and biomass: these are the chief virtues of afforestation, the world’s most widely used mitigating forestry practice.

Life Climark uses it with one specific objective: guarantee these actions’ environmental and socioeconomic sustainability. This is possible provided that it is determined that afforestation is the right solution for the territory in question, before putting it into practice.

We have afforested a total of 7 stands, covering a total area of approximately 25 hectares:

Can Geli de Buscarós: 1 ha of fields at the Els Aspres LU.
Les Gatelletes: 1.1 ha of fields at the El Montmell LU.
Clos Costela: 1.5 ha of Aleppo pine on the edge of fields at the Serres d’Ancosa LU.
Can Sabater de Puigcaní: 4 ha of Aleppo pine with glades at the Serres d’Ancosa LU.
Pla de l’Oliva: 2 ha of post-fire deciduous oak at the Vall de Rialb LU.
Can Buscatell: 9.1 ha of fields.
Can Català: 1.51 ha of fields.

Replans del Berguedà LU

Els Aspres LU

Vall de Rialb LU

Vidreres (la Selva) LU

The afforestation we have carried out has focused on abandoned farmland and low-density woodland. We have studied each case individually in order to determine:

most suitable species and planting pattern;
prior treatments that are required.

Although these actions’ main goal is to increase medium and long-term carbon fixation by increasing tree density, we have always taken into account the specific environmental and economic interests of each case. For example, we chose to plant stone pine in order to obtain good carbon fixation and also harvest the kernels.

In the case of the enrichment plantations, which targeted low-density woodland, a substantial improvement in biodiversity has been achieved by planting new tree species, which have increased the stand’s diversity.

Forest management practices with an impact on the soil’s carbon balance

Main general target indicator: carbon.

Forest soils have a positive impact on carbon storage. This is this action’s focal point: specifically, to determine the impact of forestry management on carbon storage capacity.

This action enables us to answer 2 key questions:

how much carbon is accumulated in the soil after the leaves and the wood have decomposed;
to what extent the quality of the decomposing material (leaves and wood from different species) accounts for the differences in the carbon flow rates from the atmosphere into the soil.

Study of the carbon contribution by different qualities of decomposing wood to the soil’s carbon reserves.

Carbon flow from the wood to the soil

Within the framework of Life Climark, we have analysed three enclosed plots of Austrian pine. We had 2 tree species and 3 trunk diameters. In addition to the recent trunk records, we have also included the 4-year records of partly burnt wood. Each residue was placed on a 5-cm thick layer of carbon-depleted soil.

The main goal was to quantify the carbon accumulated in the soil after the wood has decomposed.

Relationship between the quality of the decomposing material and the carbon accumulated in the soil

In this study, we determine the difference in the carbon transferred to the soil on the basis of:

leaf species;
quality contrast;
difference in the decomposition point.

Specifically, we compare the decomposition of the green leaves that have been left on the ground after tree clearing with that of the leaves that have fallen for natural reasons. 3 different types of leaves are analysed.

Study of the carbon contribution by different qualities of decomposing wood to the soil’s carbon reserves.

Strategic management of the prevention of forest fires

The main general target indicator: carbon.

The majority of the LUs we have selected are in areas where there have been forest fires; this fact compromises storage of the carbon that has accumulated over time and may lead to its rapid disappearance if forest fire prevention measures are not taken.

We have configured the fire spreading model, which is calibrated for launching long-distance fire modelling in the project’s different landscape units. The modelling’s results forecast:

the fire’s intensity;
the likelihood of a fire for the different scenarios;
they facilitate determination of the expected differences in carbon emissions, depending on whether or not the area has been treated.

In parallel with the fire modelling, we are quantifying the carbon that could be burned within our landscape units and where it is located.

Specifically, we are developing the following tools:

accurate maps to the scale of individual stands, taking into account the gradients of the dominant tree species in the total plant cover and the stand’s height;
information on the structure of individual stands based on the data generated during the 4th National Forestry Inventory in order to populate the stands in question;
field studies, that is: inventories or samples to estimate the quantity of carbon stored in leaves, undergrowth, dead biomass and live biomass in the soil. These data complement the structure information with certain reference values.

LIFE CLIMARK (LIFE16 CCM/ES/000065)

is a LIFE Climate Change Mitigation Project, funded by the EU LIFE Programme.

This website reflects only the author’s view and the European Commission is not responsible for any use may be made of the information it contains.

The Forest Ownership Centre

Finca Torreferrussa
Ctra. B-140, Sabadell a Santa Perpétua de Mogoda, km 4,5
08130 Santa Perpètua de Mogoda (Barcelona)

Phone: 935 747 039 – Fax: 935 743 853

E-mail: info@lifeclimark.eu