Post-fire regeneration of the critically endangered Nothofagus alessandrii Espinosa in the Maule region of central Chile
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The ruil (Nothofagus alessandrii Espinosa) forest is one of the most endangered forest ecosystems in central Chile whose regeneration is critically threatened. In this study, we sampled 36 plots (625 m2 each) in the distribution range of N. alessandrii and quantified regeneration of the species from seed after a catastrophic large-scale fire event occurred in 2017. By means of logistic regression and contingency tables, we related ruil’s seedling regeneration with vegetative cover, number of ruil individuals, richness of native species, density of Pinus radiata D. Don seedlings, and fire severity. Results indicate that fire severity was the most important variable explaining the probability of regeneration of N. alessandrii. Seedling recruitment was high
in sites with low fire severity, but the opposite was true for sites severely burned by fire. Our results suggests that after a severe fire the restoration efforts of N. alessandrii should be concentrated on reforestation activities, but in low burned areas, efforts must be focused on the management and protection of the new recruits.
Keywords: Ruil, fire severity, seedling regeneration, endangered species recovery
ID: 3624046