Forest restoration is most efficient if it can take advantage of facilitative interactions between established vegetation and planted trees. However, positive and negative interactions have been identified in a number of plant communities. After centuries of anthropogenic fires, forest recovery has been extremely slow in southern bog forests previously dominated by the slow‐growing and vulnerable conifer Pilgerodendron uviferum on Chiloé Island, Chile. Today, the landscape is dominated by secondary shrublands with scattered patches of Sphagnum moss and limited natural tree regeneration. We hypothesized that the retention of secondary shrubs facilitates the early performance of P. uviferum restoration plantings by providing better microsite conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compared the response of seedlings planted on sites prepared at two levels of intervention: after shrubs had been removed or where shrubs were retained. Shrub retention showed a nurse‐plant effect on P. uviferum seedlings 4 years after planting, which resulted in reduced physiological stress (measured as Fv/Fm) for seedlings, as well as reduced browsing. Consequently, the seedlings growing in areas with shrub retention had larger height increment and higher vitality than those in areas where shrubs had been removed. Thus, the more open micro‐site conditions created by shrub removal resulted in generally poorer seedling performance, although seedling mortality—which was low overall (approximately 2–4%)—showed no significant difference between the two levels of intervention. These findings have direct implications for the restoration of slow‐growing conifers that can tolerate extreme wet conditions in highly degraded forests.
Evidencia de ramoneo por el ciervo nativo y casi amenazado Pudu puda en plantaciones de restauración en la Isla de Chiloé, Chile ABSTRACT Few studies have focused on the actual extent and spatial patterns of browsing in relation to forest restoration, especially when browsing is done by deer with conservation status. Here, we present data from three forest restoration experiments located in priority forests for restoration in Chiloé Island in Chile. The aim of this study is to report evidence of browsing of the southern pudu (Pudu puda), a native and Near Threatened deer species. We visually assessed browsing for all individual seedlings and calculated the average browsing extent per plot and treatment. Since pudus as well as other deer species are known to preferably feed in open spaces, we hypothesized that Pilgerodendron uviferum planted seedlings will present higher browsing rates in places with lower shrub cover (bogs) and canopy cover (upland areas) (H1). In the case of degraded North-Patagonian forests we hypothesized that Nothofagus nitida planted seedlings will present higher browsing rates in places with higher %PPFD (Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density) and/or lower residual basal area (H2). Our results indicate that browsing ranged from 9.3% up to 84.0% depending on tree species and site condition. In burned forests, browsing was significantly higher (p < 0.01) when shrubs were removed (84.0% ± 9.9) than by retaining them (68.9% ± 11.6). In degraded old-growth forests, we found significantly higher browsing in places with higher degradation (p < 0.05). Furthermore, %PPFD was significantly correlated with browsing (rho: 0.535; p < 0.01). Based on our results, forest restoration efforts in Chiloé Island will face a great challenge in balancing the protection of Near Threatened wildlife and the restoration of tree species with conservation problems, especially in open/disturbed areas, where higher browsing was found. KEYWORDS:Chile, forest management, forest restoration, herbivory, southern pudu. RESUMENEscasos estudios han relacionado el ramoneo nativo, sus patrones espaciales y su relación con la restauración de bosques, especialmente cuando el ramoneo es realizado por especies en categorías de conservación. En este estudio presentamos evidencia de ramoneo de pudú (Pudu puda) en tres experimentos de restauración de bosques ubicados en bosques prioritarios para la restauración en la Isla de Chiloé, Chile. La presencia de ramoneo fue visualmente evaluada en todas las plantas establecidas en los experimentos y se calculó la tasa media de ramoneo por unidad experimental y tratamiento. Los pudúes son conocidos por preferir espacios abiertos, por lo que se plantean las siguientes hipótesis: En bosques quemados de Pilgerodendron uviferum, las plántulas establecidas presentarán tasas de ramoneo más altas en lugares con una cubierta de arbustos y árboles más baja (H1); y en bosques adultos siempreverdes degradados las plántulas establecidas presentarán mayores tasas de ramoneo en lugares con mayor iluminación...
Para enfrentar los desafíos globales de restauración, Chile ya ha comenzado a implementar programas de restauración a gran escala, sin embargo, la baja disponibilidad de plantas nativas de calidad en los viveros de Chile, ha sido definida como uno de los grandes cuellos de botella que frenan el desarrollo de la restauración de ecosistemas en el país. Este artículo tiene por objetivo caracterizar la capacidad actual de producción de plantas nativas en los viveros forestales de la región de Los Lagos, probablemente la región con mayor potencial para la restauración de ecosistemas en Chile. Según la información disponible, la región de Los Lagos no cuenta con la disponibilidad de plantas nativas necesarias para satisfacer los desafíos a corto y mediano plazo en cuanto a la forestación masiva con especies nativas. Urge implementar un programa de transferencia tecnológica permanente, el cual entre otras cosas resalte la importancia de generar e implementar protocolos adecuados de producción de plantas nativas de calidad. Este estudio además evidencia la urgente necesidad de formalizar un mayor número de viveros y contar con mejor información sobre la oferta y demanda de plantas nativas a nivel regional. Al ser la región de Los Lagos una región extensa y diversa, disponer de información estadística confiable, que incluya a sus cuatro provincias, es clave para elaborar estrategias efectivas destinadas a fomentar la producción de plantas nativas, y así ayudar al logro de los compromisos nacionales de restauración.
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