Biomasse eines Mischwaldbestandes in Valdivia, Chile

Hannover

2004

S. 159-162

3 Abb., 22 Lit. Ang.

Artikel aus einer Zeitschrift

200110259

The so called "Small South" of Chile was once a region mostly covered with native forests belonging to the temperate Valdivian Rain Forest and to forest communities dominated by different Nothofagus species (southern beech). Today about 50-60 % of this region maintain this kind of forests with different degradation grades by selective harvest. In a formerly degenerated mixed native forest in the town area of Valdivia, that has been in a status of recovery for 30 years, the biomass of the whole ecosystem was determined. The biomass distribution in small trees (20-30 years old), of 5-20 cm diameter, enriched by plantation, was specifically measured. The average distribution of the biomass in 25 of the small trees of different species (mainly Laurelia sempervirens) was as follows: leaves 6,2 %, twigs (< 1 cm) 10,4 %, green branches (> 1 cm) 4,7 % dead branches 2,3 %, fruits/flowers 0,1 %, wood 69,4 % and bark 7,1 %. There is a trend that the stem proportion is growing up in the whole tree biomass with the age and dimension of the tree. The whole forest ecosystem add 889 t/ha, 46 % concentrated in the living overground biomass, 2 % in the humus layer, 13 % in the roots and 39 % in the soil humus until 1 m depth. Although being extremely light, the soil type Andosol has a great ability to storage biomass, which could even be higher than at present. Also the overground biomass can accumulate more than at present. Compared with different forest ecosystems all over the world, this biomass value (just as carbon storage) is very high, taking the second rank behind the tropical mountain rain forest, but fixing even more biomass per ha than the tropical rain forest of the lowlands. This leads to enomous economical chances for the Chilean forestry sector in connection with the mechanisms of the Kyoto protocol for future afforestations with native species or by recovering selective harvested native forests.