Home – Home – Jornals – Siberian Journal of Forest Science 2017 number 2

This paper deals with the management of Mediterranean Planted Conifer Forests (MPCF), dominated by the aleppo pine Pinus halepensis and the potential for using natural regeneration as a basis for transformation of simply structured even-aged and mono crops plantations into mixed forest. We studied the variation along a rainfall gradient, in the natural regeneration of tree species. The study was conducted in four forests located within the Mediterranean zone of Israel, which extends from the semiarid northern Negev desert (rainfall ca. 300 mm per year) in the south to the humid central region close the coast line (ca 550 mm per year). Standing trees measurements including mean tree height, diameter at breast height, crown width, canopy cover, stand density of the mature strata and the number of saplings and their species composition along with the landscape characteristics (slope, aspect, percentage of rock cover and forest floor light regime) have been performed at randomly established 200 m² area circular plots. Although a water supply is the main limiting resource for forest growth and productivity, so far no significant relationship between the quantity of regeneration and precipitation could be found. Strong linear correlation between the number of the mature trees and pine’s regeneration have been revealed and the detailed management plan of how to support a natural regeneration using a principal of Continues Cover Forestry was suggested for MPCF, including a recommendation for intensity and time of thinning.