Contribution of Advanced Regeneration of Pinus radiata D. Don. to Transpiration by a Fragment of Native Forest in Central Chile Is out of Proportion with the Contribution to Sapwood Area

The transpiration of Nothofagus glauca (Phil.) Krasser and advanced Pinus radiata D. Don. regeneration was measured in a fragment of native N. glauca forest. Over the eight months of this study, P. radiata contributed approximately 60% of the total stand transpiration. This was out of proportion with the approximately 34% of the stand sapwood area contributed by P. radiata. This was due to the significantly greater sap flux density of the P. radiata compared to the N. glauca between May and October. Though the results are from a small study conducted as part of a larger experiment, it is argued that they suggest that invasion by P. radiata may substantially increase the risk from climate change to reserves of N. glauca forest in the Maule region of central Chile. In some reserves of N. glauca forest, Forestal Arauco S.A. manually removed P. radiata that regenerated after the wildfire of January 2017. This was a costly operation and there is a need for indices to assess competition. The ratio of sapwood area to leaf area is suggested as a potential index for assessing competition to identify stands at risk.