Abstract

RODRIGUES, Mónica Alexandra; LOPES, Domingos Manuel  and  LEITE, Solange Mendonça. Past Climate Trends in Trás-os-Montes in the Prediction of Future Impacts in Carbon Fixation of Mixed Stands of Quercus pyrenaica and Pinus pinaster. Silva Lus. [online]. 2010, vol.18, n.Especial, pp.65-78. ISSN 0870-6352.

Net primary production (NPP) is an important variable that allows forestry ecosystems fixation of atmospheric Carbon. The importance of monitoring the sequestered carbon is related to the binding commitments established by the Kyoto Protocol. There are ecophysiologic models, as Forest-BGC that allow for estimating NPP. In a first stage, this study aims to analyze the climate evolution at the Vila Real administrative district during the last decades. In a next stage these tendencies will be used to infer the impact of these change scenarios on the net primary production of the forest ecosystems from this study area. For a parameterization and validation of the Forest-BGC, this study was carried on based on 500m² sampling plots from the National Forest Inventory 2006, and are located in several municipalities of the district of Vila Real (Montalegre, Chaves, Valpaços, Boticas, Vila Pouca de Aguiar, Murça, Mondim de Basto, Alijó, Sabrosa and Vila Real). In order to quantify biomass dynamics, we have selected 46 sampling plots (19 from Pinus pinaster stands, 17 from Quercus pyrenaica and 10 from mixed Quercus pyrenaica with Pinus pinaster). This analysis of selected species found that, while for the crown and root NPP showed in general no significant differences, the same is not true for the trunk. Thus, in case of the trunk's NPP, a temperature increase leads to an increase in the binding capacity of the stand. From the studied species, Pinus pinaster shows higher values of NPP, therefore being the species laying larger amount of carbon.

Keywords : NPP; climate change; Carbon; Forest-BGC; Pinus pinaster; Quercus pyrenaica.

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