Forest Restoration and recovery of ecosystem services after overexploitation and fire
Subproject leaders: Prof. Dr. Helge Walentowski (HAWK Göttingen, Germany); Prof. Dr. Stefan Zerbe (Uni Bolzano, Italy); Dr. María F. Urretavizcaya (CIEFAP, Argentina).
Following the differentiation of different stages of degradation of forests in the study area based on vegetation surveys, recommendations for a sustainable and resource-saving forest management will be developed in this research focus. These recommendations will take into account both the abiotic site potential and the possible tree species spectrum, as well as the needs and demands of the local population. The direct participation of the local stakeholders during the development of renaturation measures is key in order to ensure the long-term implementation of the management recommendations and the restoration of the functionality of the landscape.
The identification of the restoration potential and the restoration goals is methodically based on the evaluation of satellite images and thematic maps on landscape level and the survey of site conditions, vegetation, current use and also the traditional ecological knowledge of the local population or forestry practice.
Possible measures for forest restoration may include firebreaks, replanting after overgrazing and fire, and integrating forestry and agriculture in agroforestry systems. To adapt forests to changing climate and land-use conditions, measures will also include the introduction of native broadleaf tree species from warmer regions of Patagonia. Planned are reforestations of burned areas and enrichment plantings in degraded forests with Roble pellín (Nothofagus obliqua) and Raulí (Nothofagus alpina), as well as the study of other potentially suitable tree species.
One focus will also be on the autochthonous tree species Radal (Lomatia hirsuta), one of the most important tree species of the early and middle successional stages of the southern beech forests, which plays a role especially in artisanal production and as a medicinal plant. The tree species is currently infested by the fungal leaf pathogen Cryptosporiopsis lomati (Coelomycetes). The frequency and severity of the infestation have not yet been studied.
This research project is lead-managed by the HAWK, Faculty of Resource Management in Göttingen and the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Bolzano.
Main project team: Natalia Zoe Joelson (PhD student) and others
Further team members: Dr. Alois Simon, Dr. Steffi Heinrichs, Dr. José Omar Bava, Dr. María Melisa Rago, Dr. Gabriel Loguercio, Carla Nowak, Gustavo Paris, Dr. Maria Belén Pildain
Publications
Zerbe S., Storz S.T., Leitinger G., Joelson N.Z., Bava J., Heinrichs S., Leuschner C., Loguercio G., Simon A., Urretavizcaya M.F., Walentowski H. (2023) Regeneration of Nothofagus dombeyi (Mirb.) Ørst. in little to moderately disturbed southern beech forests in the Andes of Patagonia (Argentina). Forest Ecosystems 10:100126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2023.100126
Kühn H., Loguercio G.A., Caselli M., Thren M. (2021) Growth and Potential of Lomatia hirsuta Forests from Stump Shoots in the Valley of El Manso/Patagonia/Argentina. Forests 12(7): 923. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12070923
