@article{10272/21154,
year = {2022},
month = {8},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10272/21154},
abstract = {The protection and conservation of old-growth forests (OGFs) are becoming a global
concern due to their irreplaceability and high biodiversity. Nonetheless, there has been little research
into the identification and characterization of OGFs of the oldest tree species in Mediterranean areas.
We used forest inventory data, low-density airborne laser scanning (ALS) metrics, and geostatistical
analysis to estimate old-growth indices (OGIs) as indicators of old-growth forest conditions. We
selected a pilot area in European black pine (Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii) ecosystems where the
oldest known living trees in the Iberian Peninsula are found. A total of 756 inventory plots were
established to characterize standard live tree and stand attributes. We estimated several structural
attributes that discriminate old growth from younger age classes and calculated different types of
OGI for each plot. The best OGI was based on mean tree diameter, standard deviation of tree diameter,
and stand density of large trees (diameter > 50 cm). This index is useful for assessing old-growthness
at different successional stages (young and OGFs) in Mediterranean black pine forests. Our results
confirm that the estimation of OGIs based on a combination of forest inventory data, geostatistical
analysis, and ALS is useful for identifying OGFs},
organization = {This work was supported by the following projects: “Iberian Heritage Project”, funded by
the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO, project number 236-61-001), National
Geographic Society-Waitts Grant Program (“Millennia old black pines and Andalusian Cultural
Heritage to unravel human-environment interactions in the Western Mediterranean”, W329-14),
the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment
(“Bosques viejos frente al cambio climático. Vulnerabilidad, capacidad adaptativa e implicaciones
frente a la gestión forestal”, PRCV00433) and Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness
(MINECO) (“El final del ciclo envejecimiento, mortalidad y regeneración en pinares mediterráneos, y
su papel en la adaptación ante un ambiente en cambio (OLDPINE), AGL2017-83828-C2-2-R). The
Ministry of Agriculture and Environment of the Regional Government of Andalusia provided the AF
forest inventory data. AH have been supported by PinCaR project (UHU-1266324, FEDER Funds,
Andalusia Regional Government, Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad
2014-2020). We thank the Forest Service at Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park, for
providing the forest inventory data and for their interest in the project. Debería de ser más completo:
We are grateful to Teresa Moro from the Natural Park, and Valentin Badillo from the Cazorla, Segura
and Las Villas Natural Park, for their interest and support. The forestry engineering students Raúl
García-Raga and Carlos Maeztu (University of Huelva), and Alex Boninsegna (University of Padova)
contributed to the fieldwork as part of their final thesis undergraduate studies},
publisher = {MDPI},
title = {Identification of Old-Growth Mediterranean Forests Using Airborne Laser Scanning and Geostatistical Analysis},
doi = {10.3390/rs14164040},
author = {Hevia Cabal, Andrea and Calzado Carretero, Anabel and Alejano Monge, Reyes and Vázquez Piqué, Javier},
}