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Olive trees resprouting

February 22nd, 2016 No comments

The typical image on a cultivated olive tree (Olea europaea) is a short squat tree with a thick gnarled trunk. Below are some olive trees with a slightly different shape, after being burned twice in different wildfires (1994 and 7/2015) in Montán (Castelló, eastern Spain). Before 1994 these trees were single-stemmed with the typical thick trunk; they were planted long ago for olive production. The 1994 fire killed the main stem and the tree produced many resprout from the base, around the trunk (it became multi-stemmed). In 2015 in burned again killing those 21 year-old resprouts and producing many new ones (the green ones in the pictures, 7 month-old resprouts). The 2015 fire also consumed the main stem that had died in the 1994 fire, including the base of the stem, and thus it produced a hole in the middle of the tree (second picture). This is quite common.

Olea resprouting 1
Olea resprouting 2
Photos: Olive trees (Olea europaea) resprouting after two fires (1994, 7/2015; JG Pausas 2/2016).

More on resprouting: Lignotubers | Resprouting at the global scaleEvolutionary ecology of resprouting and seedingPhysiological differences between resprouters and seedersTo resprout or not to resprout | Differences between resprouters and non-resprouters | Fire, drought, resprouting: leaf and root traits |

 

Convivir con el fuego: Decálogo de incendios forestales

February 3rd, 2016 No comments

Hace ya unos años escribimos un decálogo donde proponíamos unas bases ecológicas para convivir con los incendios forestales [1]. Ahora, la Fundación Pau Costa, en el marco de su 5º aniversario, ha compilado otro decálogo [2], este más amplio en temática y con muchos más autores, pero con un objetivo similar, aprender a convivir con el fuego. Los interesados en apoyar el decálogo tienen la posibilidad de hacerlo firmando el formulario que hay al final del mismo.

IMG_2313_sm
Foto: Quema experimental en Ayora (Valencia, 4/2009) realizada con la finalidad de entender el efecto de los incendios en los ecosistemas mediterráneos.

Referencias

[1] Pausas J.G. & Vallejo R. 2008. Bases ecológicas para convivir con los incendios forestales en la Región Mediterránea – decálogo. Ecosistemas 17(2):128-129, 5/2008. [enlace | pdf]

[2] Decálogo de incendios forestales, Pau Costa Fondation, [enlace | pdf]

[3] Pausas, J.G. 2012. Incendios forestales. Catarata-CSIC. [Libro]

[4] ‘Conviure amb el foc’, entrevista en El Temps, 24 Julio 2012 [pdf]

[5] Otros textos de divulgación sobre incendios y ecología [divulgación]

[6] Towards prescribed fires, jgpausas.blogs.uv.es, 7 Oct 2013

[UPDATE 1/2018]

[Español] Decálogo de incendios forestales: pdf | web (adhiérete)

[English] Forest fire decalogue: pdf  |  web (with option for supporting it)

[Català] Decàleg d’incendis forestals: pdf  |  web (adhereix-t’hi!) 

[Português] Decálogo do fogo: pdf

[Italiano] Decalogo di fuoco: pdf