Soil preparation and planting density in Aleppo and Calabrian pine reafforestations: analysis and first results

Abstract

The degradation of soils due to natural and anthropic factors is a crucial problem in the Mediterranean area. In order to contrast it, reafforestation can be an efficient action to prevent or reduce soil erosion and/or impoverishment. However, the hard climatic conditions and the remarkable pedological variability require the application of proper techniques that can assure the success of the interventions. In this paper we present the results of reafforestations carried out in different pedoclimatic situations. Special emphasis was put on the influence of various planting techniques on the main biometric parameters. The results generally showed some significant differences between pit and terrace planting in terms of global rooting, but not in the growth rate of trees. Considering that, in most of the investigated cases the terracing technique can be considered a better choice, as it provided the additional advantage to notably reduce the surface erosion in the steepest slopes.