Articles

Rehabilitation of forest ecosystem on former heathlands by a first generation of Scots pine

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Abstract

In an  attempt to rehabilitate degraded heathland areas, an important  reafforestation program, based on the introduction of Scots pine, was  executed at the end of the 19th century. Today, after one generation of Scots  pine, results can be considered to be very good. On various locations a dense  substratum, dominated by red oak and black cherry, has settled  spontaneously under the pine canopy. This  offers serious opportunities to conduct an indirect conversion towards mixed  oak-pine forests or oak-dominated deciduous forests. Massive presence of  black cherry in the understory of many pine stands inhibits the settlement of  other deciduous tree species or pine regeneration and thereby prevents the  stand conversion. The reintroduction of autochtonous tree species by  underplanting or sowing under pine canopy deserves recommendation, keeping in  mind the lack of seed trees and the high browsing damage on all seedlings  present. In absence of an understory a second pine generation can settle  under canopy of an older pine stand. Natural regeneration is also dominated  by Scots pine on the clearcutted areas and under canopy when the soil  vegetation and organic horizons have been removed. Summarising, we can state  that one generation of Scots pine has created various possibilities for the  development of a complex, diverse and structural forest ecosystem. It is the  task of the forest manager to fully turn to account these possibilities.

How to Cite:

Lust, N. & Maddelein, D. & Meyen, S., (1989) “Rehabilitation of forest ecosystem on former heathlands by a first generation of Scots pine”, Silva Gandavensis 54. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/sg.v54i0.906