Dinàmica i evolució de la fageda de Coll de Te

Abstract

The Coll de Te beech forest, located within the Montseny Nature Reserve, is an example of a forest in recovery after years of exploitation. In response to the proposed hypothesis of this forest needing to be characterised as an old-growth forest, its ecological resilience has consequently been analysed through a combination of fieldwork and bibliographic research, by analysing the data obtained from the monitoring study initiated in 2006 with the birth of the “Creació de Reserves Forestals”. We have been able to conclude that, within this protection period, the forest has evolved to a certain degree of maturity, but with nefarious consequences due to the amount of felling that was performed, which resulted in a homogenous age group among tree species and a dominance of certain species, resulting in the extinction of various other tree species, a tendency to the ageing of the forest structure with absence of regeneration and a stability of the surrounding area supported by the results of the analysis of their biological cycle, which show a decreased radial growth with time and a 3 year periodicity in fruit production. In order to recover the necessary heterogeneity and prevent its transformation into a completely old forest the custody agreements in place that intend to protect it for 20 years have been deemed insufficient, therefore, a forestry management measure has been proposed that potentiates the diversity of tree sizes and the biodiversity of the ecosystem