Abstract:This study was carried out in the timberline zone of Tungnath, Chopta region of the Chamoli District in India at eight altitudinal zones from 2,500 to 3,200 m, where the regeneration of Brown Oak was found to be very low. The data were obtained during the rainy season (August-September, 2016) by making counts of mature trees, saplings and seedlings in survey plots (50 × 50 m) at each of the eight altitudes. The results show a low regeneration of Brown Oak (Quercus semecarpifolia Sm.). Three of the eight elevat… Show more
“…Our data agrees with other reports considering that chronic absence of tree regeneration is hampering the long-term sustainability of these woodlands and that this recruitment failure is the main threat to the continuity of these systems (Plieninger 2007;Bergmeier et al 2010;Dias et al 2013). Moreover, failure of seedlings growing into saplings has been reported due to management and climate change (Simões et al 2016;Sunil and Anderson 2020). The vitality and mortality in our study sites support our hypothesis that the continuity of this system may be at stake.…”
Montados are oak wood-pastures occupying 11% of the Portuguese territory. This agroforestry system has been traditionally used for animal husbandry, agricultural, and forestry purposes. Present day Montados are threatened by land use changes, either intensification or abandonment, and climate global warming that has fostered parasitic plagues and enhanced hydric stress. This study highlights the relevance of holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) wood-pastures in SE Portugal's landscape throughout the last 125 years and assesses its health condition for the last two decades aiming to evaluate the chances of its continuity. Spatially, we use the Portuguese territory on the left bank of the Guadiana river for the historical changes on land use, and 6 farmlands located within this region to analyse present day tendencies. Temporally, we consider the intervals 1890-2015 and 2006-2019. We analysed five land use maps from different dates using ArcGIS to access holm oak Montados' areas in the different dates to analyse its variation over time. We used Google Earth's images to evaluate the present-day tendencies in tree density and mortality. Results indicate that holm oak woodland distribution in the study area increased during the 20 th century having maintained quite stable from the 1990's to the present day. However, a negative trend in tree density during the latter period was found. We also verified that tree natural regeneration is not enough to replace dying trees hinting towards a conversion of grazed woodlands into treeless pastures, concluding that if these tendencies persist the continuity of the holm oak agroforestry system in south-eastern Portugal may be threatened.
“…Our data agrees with other reports considering that chronic absence of tree regeneration is hampering the long-term sustainability of these woodlands and that this recruitment failure is the main threat to the continuity of these systems (Plieninger 2007;Bergmeier et al 2010;Dias et al 2013). Moreover, failure of seedlings growing into saplings has been reported due to management and climate change (Simões et al 2016;Sunil and Anderson 2020). The vitality and mortality in our study sites support our hypothesis that the continuity of this system may be at stake.…”
Montados are oak wood-pastures occupying 11% of the Portuguese territory. This agroforestry system has been traditionally used for animal husbandry, agricultural, and forestry purposes. Present day Montados are threatened by land use changes, either intensification or abandonment, and climate global warming that has fostered parasitic plagues and enhanced hydric stress. This study highlights the relevance of holm oak (Quercus rotundifolia) wood-pastures in SE Portugal's landscape throughout the last 125 years and assesses its health condition for the last two decades aiming to evaluate the chances of its continuity. Spatially, we use the Portuguese territory on the left bank of the Guadiana river for the historical changes on land use, and 6 farmlands located within this region to analyse present day tendencies. Temporally, we consider the intervals 1890-2015 and 2006-2019. We analysed five land use maps from different dates using ArcGIS to access holm oak Montados' areas in the different dates to analyse its variation over time. We used Google Earth's images to evaluate the present-day tendencies in tree density and mortality. Results indicate that holm oak woodland distribution in the study area increased during the 20 th century having maintained quite stable from the 1990's to the present day. However, a negative trend in tree density during the latter period was found. We also verified that tree natural regeneration is not enough to replace dying trees hinting towards a conversion of grazed woodlands into treeless pastures, concluding that if these tendencies persist the continuity of the holm oak agroforestry system in south-eastern Portugal may be threatened.
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