%0 Articles
%T Optimising forest stand management in Galicia, north-western Spain
%A Pasalodos-Tato, María
%D 2010
%J Dissertationes Forestales
%V 2010
%N 102
%R doi:10.14214/df.102
%U http://dissertationesforestales.fi/article/1886
%X The present thesis aims at developing instructions for the optimal management of pine stands in Galicia in order to maximise the economic profitability of these stands. Galicia is a Spanish region characterised by the high productivity of its forests, Pinus pinaster, Pinus radiata and Pinus sylvestris being Galicia’s most important conifers. Analytical methods have not been effectively applied in Galician forest management. The main objective of the present thesis was to develop management tools that ease the management in Galician pine stands, thus enhancing the profitability of forestry. Employing stand growth and yield models in combination with an optimisation algorithm, models for the optimal management of pine stands were developed. Since optimal management is sensitive to market conditions, timber price and discounting rate were used as predictors in the models (studies I-III) in addition to other predictors such as site index and planting density. The main challenge for the development of Galician pine stands is the constant presence of forest fires that complicate both management and economic analyses. High risk of fire makes it necessary to include fire risk considerations in the analyses when developing instructions for the optimal management. Fire risk was characterised and analysed as an exogenous (study II) or endogenous (studies III-IV) factor, observing that the manner in which fire risk is characterised affects the conclusions about optimal forest management. Another novelty of this thesis was the analysis of silvopastoral systems as an alternative to mere timber-oriented schedules under conditions of high fire risk (study IV). The results (studies I-IV) showed that optimal management was highly sensitive to market and fire risk conditions, an increase in both discounting rate and fire risk shortening rotation optimal lengths. The models for optimal management developed in the thesis allow great flexibility for adapting the instructions to every possible economic and risk situation.