Does shrub recovery differ after prescribed burning, clearing and mastication in a Spanish heathland?
2015
Fernàndez, Cristina | Vega, Jose A. | Fonturbel, Teresa
Prescribed fire is used to reduce wildfire hazard in many ecosystems worldwide. However, alternative techniques such as mechanical fuel reduction are easier and safer to carry out under a wide range of weather conditions. Nonetheless, information about the associated environmental effects is still scarce, although critical to help land managers select the most appropriate treatment in terms of efficiency and long-term sustainability. In this study, we compared the effects of prescribed burning, clearing and mastication on shrub cover recovery in a heathland dominated by the resprouters Erica australis L. and Pterospartum tridentatum (L.) Willk. in Galicia (NW Spain) during the first 4 years after application of the treatments. The three treatments did not affect recovery of shrub cover or height during the 4-year period after application. Moreover, the treatments did not affect species richness, evenness or alpha diversity during the 4-year study period. The temporal patterns of post-treatment shrub recovery depended on the resprouting ability of the species present before application of the treatments. The recovery of Pterospartum tridentatum cover was faster than that of Erica australis, whereas the height recovery was similar. The results show that the three fuel treatments compared in the present study did not hinder shrub recovery and are, thus, feasible management alternatives for these heathlands.
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