Activities

The project studied both implementation and transfer of good management practices from the forests studied (most of them in Catalonia) to other European areas. Based on their work, the project compiled a guideline for best forest management practices for these groves. The publication is available in Spanish, Catalonian, English and Portuguese.

Additional information

Concerning adaptation to climate change, the project recommends five main sets of actions.

1) The first recommendation is to improve tree vitality, for example by reducing tree density or adjusting the cork harvest to reduce water loss.

2) Secondly, heterogeneity (e.g. mixed forests) should be also promoted because it contributes to biodiversity and also to the forest`s resilience to disturbances.

3)Another set of measures looks at forest regeneration, advising natural regeneration, restoration of degraded or fire-affected areas, or adjusting reforestation to the requirements for adaptation, for example choosing plant varieties with better adaptation potential.

4)To reduce forest vulnerability to large forest fires, it is key to properly maintain stand structure, controlling the amount of biomass and promoting discontinuity amongst the different layers of vegetation, so fires cannot easily jump to the tree crowns. This can be done through clearings or thinning, selective scrub removal or proper treatment of residues.

5) Finally, to facilitate the genetic adaptation of the forests, it is important to increase the genetic biodiversity of the groves and reduce their fragmentation. It is also important to make sure that forest density does not become too low, and to progressively adapt the populations to the expected environmental conditions.