Regulating agro-forest areas for a sustainable cork harvest

• Main Author: Coelho, Ana
• Publication Date: 2012
• Other Authors: Alegria, C.M.M.
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/1396
• topic: Quercus suber; Cork yield; Forest regulation; Sustainability

In this study an agro-forestry area of cork oak partial affected by fire was considered. Even though having a forest management plan, the existing management compartments didn’t allow for a sustainable cork annual harvest. To achieve sustainability the area control method for forest regulation was first applied, using a cycle of nine years through a 27 years planning horizon. Later, cork annual yield was also considered in the forest regulation analysis. Cork yield was simulated along the 27 years period using the individual tree growth and yield model Suber. Finally, the proposed management unit compartments were produced as vector layer a GIS and the attribute table organized with all the information available in order to support forest management.