Work

Effect of Maintained Early Silvicultural Treatments over Two Rotations and Climate Change on Early Growth of Radiata Pine Plantations

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Sustaining forest plantation productivity across successive rotations is increasingly challenging under changing environmental conditions. This study evaluated whether repeated establishment silviculture can maintain early second-rotation growth performance of Pinus radiata D. Don in central-south volcanic sandy soils in Chile. An experiment encompassing soil preparation (shovel planting vs. subsoiling + bedding), fertilization (B vs. NPKB), and weed control (pre-planting only vs. 2-year banded application) was conducted over two rotations. Survival, diameter, height, and stand-volume responses were compared between rotations at age 3. The second-rotation establishment period received 33% less annual rainfall than the first. Across all treatment combinations, mean survival decreased from 90.5% during the first rotation to 62.2% during the second rotation, while mean stand volume decreased from 6.58 to 1.16 m3 ha−1. During the second rotation, weed control was the only treatment that significantly increased individual-tree and stand growth: plots receiving pre-planting weed control only averaged 38.7% survival and 0.29 m3 ha−1, whereas those receiving additional 2-year banded vegetation control averaged 85.8% survival and 2.02 m3 ha−1 stand volume. These findings indicate that vegetation control is key to sustaining P. radiata productivity. However, progressively unfavorable environmental conditions will jeopardize forest productivity across rotations.

Source: Plants

DOI: 10.3390/plants15182752