| Silviculture and Carbon Sequestration in Mediterranean Oak Forests | |
| Author(s) | Cañellas I, Sánchez-González M, Bogino SM, Adame P, Herrero C, Roig S, Tomé M, Paulo JA, Bravo F |
| Year | 2008 |
| Journal | In: F. Bravo, V. LeMay, R. Jandl and K. von Gadow (eds.): Managing Forest Ecosystems. The Challenge of Climate Change. 2008 ISBN 978-1-4020-8342-6 |
| Volume | Part V. pp 317-338 |
| Languages | English |
| Study area | Spain, Portugal |
| Species | Quercus pyrenaica Willd., Quercus suber L. |
| Components | 4 |
| Pilot Sites | Barbara, Chréa, Maamora, Siliana |
| Keywords | Quercus suber; Quercus pyrenaica; Carbon sequestration; Growth model; |
| Abstract | The objective of this work is to present some of the studies currently being carried out in Spain and Portugal which are concerned with the possibility of estimating the amount of carbon fixed by two of the main oak species in the Iberian Peninsula; rebollo oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) and cork oak (Quercus suber L.). Three different methodological approaches have been used. The first approach is to use growth models to evaluate the carbon sequestration in both cork and wood over the life of a cork oak plantation. This approach has been applied both for Spain and Portugal. The second approach involves using a yield table as a tool to estimate the carbon sequestration in Quercus pyrenaica forests based on Spanish National Forest Inventories. In a third approach, data from a network of plots is used to estimate the carbon sequestration in pure and mixed Quercus pyrenaica forests. The application of these different methodologies would allow us to forecast and improve the carbon sequestration in oak forests as well as increasing our understanding of their dynamics. The two oak species on which this study focuses were chosen because of their ecological and economic importance. At Iberian level, cork oak forests occupy more than 1,000,000 ha and in recent times these species have often been used to reforest marginal agricultural areas. Cork oak forests provide a variety of services along with the production of wood and cork. Of these products, cork is a high quality yield. Rebollo oak stands occupy almost 600,000 ha and mixed stands are very frequent. Woodlands dominated by rebollo oak were very important for firewood production until about 4 decades ago and were an essential element in traditional rural life. In this study we have focused on pure as well as mixed stands of P. sylvestris and Q. pyrenaica, which occupy more than 160,000 ha in Spain (ICONA, 1998). |