New CEF article analyses the role of forest certification to mitigate oak decline in Portugal

ForEco group researchers Maria Conceição Caldeira, Margarida Tomé and Teresa Mexia (CEF / CEABN-InBIO), in collaboration with CEABN-InBIO researchers Xavier Lecomte, Leónia Nunes and Miguel Nuno Bugalho, and researcher Filipe S. Dias (BIOPOLIS / CIBIO/InBIO), have developed a study assessing whether forest certification is mitigating the decline of oak in Mediterranean open forests.

Cork oak forests face significant challenges, with general declines in tree density and cover due to inadequate management and climate change. In the article “Is forest certification mitigating oak decline in Mediterranean open woodlands?”, the authors assessed whether forest certification can mitigate these losses in Portugal.

Fig. 1. Location of the study area in Portugal, showing the cork oak woodlands distribution (2005 NFI – Portuguese National Forest Inventory), and the location of the sampling plots in non-certified and certified areas in the region of Coruche in 2020

The results show that certified cork oak forests saw a slower reduction in density (-16%) and tree cover (-6%) compared to non-certified forests (-28% and -19%) between 2005 and 2020. However, the results regarding cork oak regeneration were inconclusive.

The article was published in Forest Ecology and Management and can be consulted at sciencedirect.com.