Desarrollo y aplicación práctica de una propuesta metodológica para el control integral y seguimiento de restauraciones forestales

El presente trabajo propone y pone en práctica una metodología de control integral de repoblaciones en la que se tienen en cuenta los factores del proyecto, de la ejecución, de la calidad de planta y los principales factores abióticos que puedan explicar la mortalidad.Segura Orenga, G. (2011). Desarrollo y aplicación práctica de una propuesta metodológica para el control integral y seguimiento de restauraciones forestales. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/12802Archivo delegad

Influence of raw material composition of Mediterranean pinewood on pellet quality

[EN] The lack of management and economic value of forest ecosystems in Mediterranean areas, mainly dominated by pines (Pinus halepensis Mill. and Pinus pinaster Ait.), together with a continuous growing of forests on marginal agricultural land have leaded to an increased forest fire risk and devaluation of natural resources in less favoured rural regions. The use of residual forest-based biomass as value added biofuels like pellets can reverse this situation. Nevertheless, there is an industrial need of knowledge of the influence of raw material composition on pellet manufacturing quality for the main Mediterranean softwood species. In this research influencing pellet quality variables such as contents of moisture, ash, fine particles, chlorine and sulphate, but also mechanical durability, bulk density and net calorific value have been analysed following EN standards. The obtained results demonstrate that it is possible to obtain high quality pellets from barked and debarked logs as well as from branches from P. halepensis and P. pinaster. This implies that the abundant forest biomass residues in the western Mediterranean region of Europe can be transformed into high added value solid biofuels, opening new opportunities for local industries.This work was supported by Moixent Forestal company, the Municipality of Enguera and AIDIMA Wood, Furniture and Packaging Technology Institute, which have allowed and facilitated raw materials, pelletization and analysis in the biomass pilot plant. This study has been partly funded by the Government of Valencia (IVACE) in the framework of the BIOPELLET project.Lerma Arce, V.; Oliver Villanueva, JV.; Segura Orenga, G. (2017). Influence of raw material composition of Mediterranean pinewood on pellet quality. Biomass and Bioenergy. 99:90-96. doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2017.02.018S90969

Comparison of alternative harvesting systems for selective thinning in a Mediterranean pine afforestation (Pinus halepensis Mill.) for bioenergy use

[EN] Due to a continuous abandonment of marginal agricultural land, Mediterranean pine forests are growing both in biomass stock and area but remain mainly unmanaged. Pinus halepensis is one of the main pioneer species with strong expansion throughout the Mediterranean basin. In mature forests and pole stands, selective thinnings aimed to eliminate dominated and dead trees are necessary to improve the resilience and persistence of these forest ecosystems. Bioenergy market provides an opportunity to mobilise this woody material, helping to prevent and reduce wildfires in a context of climate change and energy transition. Despite the existing expertise on wood harvesting, there is a lack of practical knowledge about cost-effective methods for bioenergy use of selective thinnings in such forests. The objective of this study was to compare thinning harvesting methods in representative 63-year-old Pinus halepensis afforestation in pole stage for bioenergy uses, following the silvicultural treatments defined in the Spanish forest management plan. Time studies were performed over six representative plots in Navalon (Spain). Treatments included three plots with the traditional stem wood method combined with the logging of forest residues (integrated system), and three plots with the whole tree chipping (whole tree system). Time, productivity and fuel consumption were recorded for both systems. A woodchip quality assessment of each assortment was performed in the laboratory according to European standards. The results obtained demonstrated that time consumption and productivity were similar between the integrated harvesting system and the whole tree system. Regarding the total energy balance, it should be noted that both systems produce woodchips that contain over ten times more energy than that required to mobilise and process the obtained biomass. Fuel consumption, costs and degree of damage were slightly higher in the whole tree system due to the more intensive forwarding operation. The two assortments of woodchips in the integrated system had a higher (chipped log material) and lower quality (chipped crown material) than whole tree woodchips. In conclusion, integrated harvesting is a better option to diminish fuel consumption, cost and environmental impact, and also to obtain better quality woodchips for the production of added value biofuels (pellets).VLA and JVOV conceived the study and draft the manuscript; VLA carried out the field measurements; VLA and GSO carried out the biomass tests in the laboratory; VLA, JVOV and JFUS performed the statistical analysis. This work was partially funded by the Government of Valencia (IVACE, Spain) in the framework of the BIOPELLET project. The authors want to acknowledge the support of the forest company Moixent Forestal, the Municipality of Enguera and the AIDIMME Technology Institute and very especially the support of Dr. Raffaele Spinelli for providing methodological support inthe frame of COST Action FP0902. Finally, a special thank to the reviewers who improved and enriched the publication with their valuable contributions.Lerma Arce, V.; Oliver Villanueva, JV.; Segura-Orenga, G.; Urchueguía Schölzel, JF. (2021). Comparison of alternative harvesting systems for selective thinning in a Mediterranean pine afforestation (Pinus halepensis Mill.) for bioenergy use. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 14:465-472. https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor3636-0144654721

Influencia del tipo y dosis de hidrogel en las propiedades hidrofísicas de tres suelos forestales de distinta textura

[ES] Los hidrogeles o polímeros hidroabsorbentes son productos muy empleados en restauración forestal y paisajística que pueden tener un efecto variable según la naturaleza textural del suelo sobre el que se aplican. Sin embargo, su uso práctico se suele realizar independientemente de esta propiedad edáfica, lo que impide su optimización. Para estudiar la relación entre dosis de hidrogel y textura, se han escogido tres productos comerciales y se han ensayado a dos dosis (0,01% y 0,1%) en tres tipos de suelos forestales de la provincia de Valencia: franco-arcillo-arenoso (franco), franco-arcilloso (arcilloso) y areno-francoso (arenoso) (USDA). Se han obtenido las correspondientes curvas deliberación de agua para los puntos de presión de 0, 10, 30, 100 y 300 kPa. Los resultados indican el diferente comportamiento hidrofísico del suelo en función de los factores ensayados. Los suelos arenoso y franco, muestran una mayor liberación de agua de algunos tratamientos respecto al control para bajas presiones, mientras que en el suelo más arcilloso las diferencias son muy leves, siendo el efecto del hidrogel significativo para mayores tensiones. En general, existe proporcionalidad entre la dosis aplicada y el comportamiento del suelo con hidrogel, siendo aconsejable la dosis mayor, aun-que no se han medido los posibles efectos del aumento de volumen.Este trabajo ha sido posible gracias a la financiación de la Conselleria de Empresa, Universidad y Ciencia de la Generalitat Valenciana a través del proyecto de I+D GV06/128: Influencia del diseño de tubos protectores en la magnitud del aporte hídrico por condensación e interceptación en repoblaciones forestales en la provincia de Valencia. La Universidad Politécnica de Valencia ha contribuido a través del Programa de Apoyo a la Investigación y Desarrollo 2007.Campo García, ADD.; Aguilella, A.; Lidón, A.; Segura Orenga, G. (2008). Influencia del tipo y dosis de hidrogel en las propiedades hidrofísicas de tres suelos forestales de distinta textura. Cuadernos de la Sociedad Española de Ciencias Forestales. 25:137-143. https://doi.org/10.31167/csef.v0i25.9673S1371432

Relación entre calidad del sitio y comunidades vegetales en restauraciones forestales de la provincia de Valencia. Aplicación a la delimitación de rodales

[ES] La determinación de la calidad de estación o sitio a escala de rodal es un factor crucial en restauración forestal pues permite la identificación de microambientes y por tanto la optimización de las mezclas de especies según un patrón más similar al natural. La vegetación pre-existente puede ayudar a esta caracterización al reflejar en buena medida las condiciones ecológicas del sitio. Sin embargo, esta información es en ocasiones relegada debido a la necesidad de elaborarla y ajustarla localmente, lo que complica la dinámica de la obra, tanto en su fase de proyecto como de ejecución. Se han seleccionado varias reforestaciones distribuidas por la provincia de Valencia y se ha realizado un muestreo sistemático sobre ellas, inventariando en cada punto la vegetación natural presente y su cobertura, la calidad del sitio, la humedad edáfica y el estado de los brinzales plantados. Sobre esta base de datos, se ha estudiado la relación entre las variables y, en base a ello, se han buscado indicadores de calidad local de estación fácilmente identificables, relacionados con la respuesta posttrasplante y que permitan al técnico de campo una mejor asignación sitio-especie. Los resultados indican que la profundidad del suelo es el factor clave en la calidad de estación en la generalidad de los casos y que la presencia de determinadas especies así como su cobertura puede predecirla adecuadamente (R2 > 72%), ayudando a extrapolar una información puntual a superficial.Este estudio está integrado en los convenios de I+D realizados entre la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia y las empresas TRAGSA y DIMESA, auspiciados por la Conselleria de Medio Ambiente, Agua, Urbanismo y Vivienda de la Generalitat Valenciana. La Universidad Politécnica de Valencia ha contri-buido a través del Programa de Apoyo a la Investigación y Desarrollo 2007.Campo García, ADD.; Segura Orenga, G.; Molina Grau, S.; Tárraga Pina, R. (2008). Relación entre calidad del sitio y comunidades vegetales en restauraciones forestales de la provincia de Valencia. Aplicación a la delimitación de rodales. Cuadernos de la Sociedad Española de Ciencias Forestales. 25:145-151. https://doi.org/10.31167/csef.v0i25.9674S1451512

On the Need to Further Refine Stock Quality Specifications to Improve Reforestation under Climatic Extremes

[EN] The achievement of goals in forest landscape restoration strongly relies on successful plantation establishment, which is challenging in drylands, especially under climate change. Improvement of field performance through stock quality has been used for decades. Here, we use machine learning (ML) techniques to identify key stock traits involved in successful survival and to refine previous specifications that were developed under more conventional stock quality assessments carried out at the lifting-shipping phases in the nursery. Two differentiated stocklots in each species were used, both fitting in the regional quality standard. ML was used to infer a set of attributes for planted seedlings that were subsequently related to survival at the short-term (two years) and mid-term (ten years) in six different species planted in a harsh site with shallow soil that suffered the driest year on record during this study. Whilst stocklot quality, as measured in the lifting-shipping stage, had very poor importance to the survival response, individual plant traits presented a moderate to high diagnostic ability for seedling survival (area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve between 0.59 and 0.99). Early growth traits catch most of the importance in these models (approximate to 40%), followed by individual morphology traits (approximate to 28%) and site variation (approximate to 2%), with overall means varying across species. Aleppo pine and Phoenician juniper stocklots presented survival rates of 66-78% after ten years, and these rates were below 27% for the remaining species that suffered during the historical drought. In Aleppo pine, the plant attributes related to early field performance (growth in the first growing season) were more important in the drought-mediated mid-term performance than stock quality at the nursery stage. Within the technical framework of this study, our results allow for both testing and refining the regional quality standard specifications for harsh conditions such as those found in our study.This study is part of research projects: "Comprehensive quality control of the reforestation works in the public forest of Cortes de Pallas, Valencia" signed between UPV-ReForeST and the state-owned company TRAGSA, and "Monitoring and evaluation of the reforestation in the forest V-143 Muela de Cortes, in the municipality of Cortes de Pallas (Valencia), 10 years after its execution" (contract number CNMY18/0301/26), signed between UPV-ReForeST and Valencia Regional Government (CMAAUV, Generalitat Valenciana).Campo García, ADD.; Segura-Orenga, G.; Molina, AJ.; González-Sanchis, M.; Reyna, S.; Hermoso, J.; Ceacero, CJ. (2022). On the Need to Further Refine Stock Quality Specifications to Improve Reforestation under Climatic Extremes. Forests. 13(2):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/f1302016812013

Estudio del establecimiento de repoblaciones forestales en el ámbito mediterráneo mediante un análisis holístico de factores técnicos y ecológicos

[ES] ¿Cuántas veces hemos realizado o participado en una repoblación forestal y pasados los años no hemos encontrado rastro de los árboles plantados? Y en muchas ocasiones nos habremos preguntado por qué e incluso sentido frustración de creer que no lo hemos cuidado adecuadamente. La respuesta no es sencilla como veremos en este trabajo. En las últimas décadas, las repoblaciones forestales o reforestaciones, enmarcadas dentro de planes de restauración, han experimentado altas tasas de mortalidad, sobre todo en nuestro ámbito mediterráneo donde predominan las tierras secas. Esta tasa alta de mortalidad en numerosas ocasiones se relaciona con las condiciones meteorológicas, pero existen multitud de aspectos que pueden influir en alcanzar o no el objetivo final de la repoblación. Para poder conocer cuáles son los aspectos que influyen en mayor o menor medida en la supervivencia y crecimiento adecuado de las plántulas puedas en campo, se plantea la puesta en marcha de un protocolo de control holístico o integral de repoblaciones y el estudio y seguimiento de la puesta en práctica en una repoblación real durante 10 años. El control de calidad en sí mismo se ha contemplado sobre las distintas fases de la repoblación: desde la revisión de las decisiones tomadas en proyecto, pasando por la ejecución en obra, la evaluación de los lotes de planta empleados, la caracterización de sitio o estación, hasta la realización del seguimiento climatológico, ambiental y de la propia repoblación (en términos de supervivencia y crecimiento). En base a distintos planteamientos experimentales y de toma de muestras dentro de una repoblación real, en condiciones cambiantes y con sequias extremas, se ha podido estudiar pormenorizadamente la calidad de planta o stock y la idoneidad de las especies utilizadas (Pinus sp., Quercus sp., Arbutus Unedo, Juniperus phoenicea y Fraxinus ornus) para posteriormente evaluar la repoblación tras 10 años en conjunto y por tanto, los demás aspectos y sus interacciones que influyen en el establecimiento, como: la calidad de ejecución, la calidad de sitio o estación, la idoneidad del tubo protector, etc. A grandes rasgos, los resultados tanto en las parcela experimental como en la repoblación, siendo en ellas las condiciones meteorológicas las mismas, no ha sido muy satisfactoria tras los 10 años. Al margen de conocer que las sequias extremas acontecidas han tenido gran influencia e interaccionan demás factores (acrecentando los efectos negativos), se ha podido evaluar que existen especies de dudosa idoneidad para determinados sitios; que la correcta ejecución juega un papel importante; que se requiere de una mejor zonificación; y que cuidados culturales post plantación como el tubo protector, pueden influir notablemente en la consecución de la repoblación. Así, además de identificar cuáles son los aspectos más influyentes en esta repoblación en particular, se han adquirido cuestiones prácticas tanto a la hora de aplicar el control de calidad como a la hora de como plantearnos, desde la redacción del proyecto, las nuevas repoblaciones, teniendo muy en cuenta el nuevo contexto de cambio climático.[CAT] Quantes vegades hem realitzat o participat en una repoblació forestal i passats els anys no hem trobat cap rastre dels arbres plantats? I moltes vegades ens haurem preguntat per què i fins i tot, sentit frustració de creure que els hem cuidat adequadament. La resposta no és senzilla com veurem en aquest treball. En les darreres dècades, les repoblacions forestals o reforestacions, emmarcades dins de plans de restauració, han experimentat altes taxes de mortalitat, sobretot al nostre àmbit mediterrani on predominen les zones àrides. Aquesta taxa alta de mortalitat normalment es relaciona amb les condicions meteorològiques, però hi ha multitud d'aspectes que poden influir en assolir o no l'objectiu final de la repoblació. Per poder conèixer quins són els aspectes que influeixen en major o menor mesura en la supervivència i el creixement adequat de les plàntules posades camp, es fica en marxa un protocol de control holístic o integral de repoblacions, i l'estudi i el seguiment de la posada en pràctica en una repoblació real durant 10 anys. El control de qualitat en si mateix s'ha contemplat sobre les diferents fases de la repoblació: des de la revisió de les decisions preses en projecte, passant per l'execució en l'obra, l'avaluació dels lots de planta emprats, la caracterització de lloc o estació, fins a la realització del seguiment climatològic, ambiental i de la pròpia repoblació (en termes de supervivència i creixement). En base a diferents plantejaments experimentals i de presa de mostres dins una repoblació real, en condicions canviants i amb sequeres extremes, s'ha pogut estudiar detalladament la qualitat de planta i la idoneïtat de les espècies utilitzades (Pinus sp., Quercus sp., Arbutus Unedo, Juniperus phoenicea i Fraxinus ornus) per posteriorment avaluar la repoblació després de 10 anys en conjunt i per tant, els altres aspectes i les seves interaccions que influeixen en l'establiment, com ara: la qualitat d'execució, la qualitat de lloc o estació, la idoneïtat del tub protector, etc. A grans trets, els resultats tant a les parcel·les experimentals com a la repoblació, sent en elles les condicions meteorològiques les mateixes, no ha estat gaire satisfactòria després dels 10 anys. Al marge de saber que les sequeres extremes esdevingudes han tingut gran influència i interaccionen altres factors (augmentant els efectes negatius), s'ha pogut avaluar que hi ha espècies de dubtosa idoneïtat per a determinats llocs; que la correcta execució juga un paper important; que es requereix una millor zonificació; i que els tractaments culturals postplantació com el tub protector, poden influir notablement en la consecució de la repoblació. Així, a mes a més de conèixer quins són els aspectes més influents en aquesta repoblació en particular, s'han adquirit qüestions pràctiques tant a l'hora d'aplicar el control de qualitat com a l'hora de plantejar-nos, des de la redacció del projecte, les noves repoblacions, tenint molt en compte el nou context de canvi climàtic.[EN] How many times have we carried out or participated in a reforestation and over the years we have not found a trace of the planted trees? On many occasions, we will have wondered why and even felt frustrated to believe that we have not taken care of it properly. The answer is not simple as we will see in this work. In recent decades reforestations, framed within restoration plans, have experienced high mortality rates, especially in our Mediterranean area where drylands predominate. This high mortality rate is often related to weather conditions, but there are many aspects that can influence the final objective of the reforestation. In order to know which are the aspects that influence the survival and adequate growth of seedlings in the field, the implementation of a holistic control protocol for reforestation is proposed, as well as the study and monitoring of the put into practice in a real reforestation for 10 years. The quality control itself has been contemplated on the different phases of the reforestation: from the review of the decisions taken in the project, through the execution on site, the evaluation of the stock quality of plant used, the site characterization, until climatological, environmental and reforestation monitoring (in terms of survival and growth). Based on different experimental approaches and sampling within a real reforestation, with changing conditions and extreme droughts, it has been possible to study in detail the quality of the plant and the suitability of the species used (Pinus sp., Quercus sp., Arbutus Unedo, Juniperus phoenicea and Fraxinus ornus). Then has been evaluated the repopulation after 10 years as a whole, knowing the other aspects and their interactions that influence the establishment, such as: the quality of execution, the site quality, the suitability of shelter tube, etc. Broadly speaking, the results in the experimental plot and in the reforestation, being the same the weather conditions, have not been very satisfactory after 10 years. Apart from knowing that the extreme droughts that have occurred have had a great influence and their interactions with other factors (increasing the negative effects), it has been possible to evaluate that there are species of doubtful suitability for certain site conditions; that correct execution plays an important role; that better zoning is required; and post-planting cultural treatment, such as the protective tube, can significantly influence the establishment of reforestation. Thus, apart from identify which are the most influential aspects in this particular reforestation, practical questions have been acquired when applying quality control from the project drafting of the new reforestations taking into account the new context, the climate change.Segura Orenga, G. (2023). Estudio del establecimiento de repoblaciones forestales en el ámbito mediterráneo mediante un análisis holístico de factores técnicos y ecológicos [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/19266

Assessing reforestation failure at the project scale: The margin for technical improvement under harsh conditions. A case study in a Mediterranean Dryland

[EN] Poor reforestation outcomes imply unfulfillment of program goals and might erode institutional willpower and political momentum towards reforestation efforts, affecting both public and private support. However, program improvement in real reforestation projects is challenging due to the conjunction of many different variables of distinct nature that mutually interact and feedback in an inextricable fashion. In this work, we deploy a comprehensive integral assessment of reforestation program based in a study case where technical and environmental information is gathered and related to indicators of performance both in the short and mid-term. This assessment aims to provide reliable end-results for survival and growth, unveils pitfalls on successful plantation establishment and allows for learning processes on how to improve plantation performance and the potential margin for this improvement. The selected project was carried out on harsh site conditions, with different species, cultural treatments and contractors, and was affected by the driest year on record, encompassing enough technical and ecological complexity that makes it suitable for the purpose of this study. Mortality, either in the short (53%) or in the mid-term (83%), was high, but very variable according to site and species. Anthropogenic variables (project planning and execution) gathered high relative importance on plantation performance in the first two years (11-29%) that decreased with time, whilst environmental variables (site and meteorological) showed increased importance ten years after planting (>50%). In the short-term, soil moisture and meteorology during planting season have been identified as key factors that trigger the effects of both technical decisions (planting date and planting technique) and other environmental variables on performance. In the design phase, some decisions related to zoning, species selection and cultural treatments application have been related to poor performance. The results provide practical information and guidelines for forest restoration improvement under similar setup.This study is part of two research projects: "Comprehensive quality control of the reforestation works in the public forests of Cortes de Pallas, Valencia", signed by both the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Re-ForeST) and the state-owned company TRAGSA; and "Monitoring and evaluation of reforestation in forest V-143 Muela de Cortes, in the municipality of Cortes de Pallas (Valencia) , 10 years after its execution" (contract number CNMY18/0301/26) , signed by both the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Re-ForeST) and the Regional Government (CMAAUV, Generalitat Valenciana) . The authors are grateful to CYGSA staff (M Amparo Barber and Hector Cantos) , TRAGSA (Juan Ramon Torres) , Vaersa (Pedro Lazaro) and Ana Isabel Aparicio (UPV) for their assistance in the fieldwork during the installation of the plots and early growth measurements. Projects CEHYRFO-MED (CGL2017-86839-C3-2-R) , RESILIENT-FORESTS (LIFE17 CCA/ES/000063) and SilvAdapt.net (RED2018-102719-T) are acknowledged.Campo García, ADD.; Segura-Orenga, G.; Bautista, I.; Ceacero, CJ.; González-Sanchis, M.; Molina, AJ.; Hermoso, J. (2021). Assessing reforestation failure at the project scale: The margin for technical improvement under harsh conditions. A case study in a Mediterranean Dryland. Science of The Total Environment. 796:1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148952S11779

Reforesting drylands under novel climates with extreme drought filters: The importance of trait-based species selection

[EN] Having regard to the substantial world-scale forest restoration needs, the efforts must be done efficiently, which necessarily forces to consider the adaptation of new forests to the extremes arising from climate change. In this context, species selection strategies should enhance long-term functional resilience in the face of novel environmental scenarios. The use of plant functional traits for selecting species under climate change might be advantageous over more traditional taxon-based criteria as an adaptive forestry management strategy. In this work, we studied which functional traits (across species) have played a relevant role on field performance and fitness in a mull-species reforestation trial in a Mediterranean dryland affected by an extreme drought event. Different traits both from the individual plant and from the species were studied in seven species both at the short and the mid-term (10 years). The relative importance (RI) or contribution of the different traits to plantation performance was assessed through boosted regression tree models. The results showed that, under favorable climatic conditions, mean survival was above 70% and individual plant functional traits held up to 60% of importance on such value. The impact of species functional traits was low in this case (less than 18%) pointing out that all the species were performing within their niche at this point. However, after the driest year on record, the role of the latter on survival rose up to 53% of RI and survival sharply decreased to 33%, with some species showing negligible survival rate (< 10%). The dynamic response of stomata and xylem resistance to cavitation, together with roofing depth, were the main traits (species traits) identified in successful performance facing the extreme environmental factors. Thus, trait-oriented approach to select species represent a key tool in the implementation of new and successful forest restoration strategies to design resistant and resilient ecosystems adapted to the climate change challenges.This study is part of two research projects: "Comprehensive quality control of the reforestation works in the public forests of Cortes de Pallas, Valencia" signed between the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Re-ForeST) and the state-owned company TRAGSA, and "Monitoring and evaluation of the reforestation in the forest V-143 Muela de Cortes, in the municipality of Cortes de Pallas (Valencia), 10 years after its execution" (contract number CNMY18/0301/26), signed between the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Re-ForeST) and Valencia Regional Government (CMAAUV, Generalitat Valenciana) The authors are grateful to CYGSA staff (Maria Amparo Barber and Hector Cantos), Tragsa (Juan Ramon Torres), Vaersa (Pedro Lazaro) and Ana Isabel Aparicio (UPV) for their assistance in the fieldwork during the installation of the plot and early growth measurements. 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