Among the works carried out with the LIFE ADAPT-ALEPPO project throughout the winter of 2024, the plantations carried out by staff from the University of Lleida in the stand located in the municipality of Sant Martí de Tous (Barcelona).
Thus, after the characterization and analysis of the stand of action, we proceeded to dig and subsequently plant 7 different origins of Pinus halepensis for the demonstrative implementation of assisted migration within action C2 of the LIFE ADAPT-ALEPPO project. These origins have been the following:
- Cataluña interior
- Cataluña litoral
- Monegros-Depresión del Ebro
- Bárdenas-Ribagorza
- Levante Interior
- Bética Meridional
- Alacuás
This plant has been grown in the Ejea de los Caballeros forest nursery, managed by the Government of Aragon.
For the plantation of approximately 900 feet/ha (750 specimens/ha of Pinus halepensis and 150 feet/ha) of accompanying species (holm oak, gall oak and Sorbus ), in the 5 ha of available surface, 56 plantation sub-stands have been established ; 8 sub-forests by origin of Aleppo pine.
The position occupied by each provenance within each sub-region is randomized, in order to ensure that there are no geomorphological or physiographic agents that favor the growth of some over others.
Each of the planted Aleppo pine specimens carries an identification label, which will serve to keep exhaustive monitoring of them.
Thus, once planted, exact reference has been made to the position of each plant, as well as its characteristics.
This type of forest restoration proposed with the LIFE ADAPT-ALEPPO project, pursues the recovery of forest lands that have suffered some degradation process, improving their environmental quality, reestablishing their functionalities and favoring their dynamic evolution towards more stable and ecologically mature stages through of assisted migration, where some origins of Aleppo pine will adapt to the new climatic conditions better than others.