Aitor Améztegui and Lluís Coll, from FiDBosc, recently got a paper published in Global Ecology and Biogeography about the patterns and drivers of mountain pine expansion in the Pyrenees.
The aim of this study was to assess the spatial patterns of forest expansion (encroachment and densification) for Mountain pine (Pinus uncinata Ram.) during the last 50 years in a whole mountain-range scale by the study of different topographic and socio-economic potential drivers in the current global-change context. Forest NE Spain ). This represents more than 80 municipalities and a total area of 6,018 km2. Encroachment and densification were determined according to changes in forest cover, and were expressed as binary variables on a 150x150m cell-size grid. We then used logistic regression to analyze the effects of several topographic and socio-economic variables on forest expansion.
In the period analyzed, Mountain pine increased its surface coverage by 8,898 hectares (an increase of more than 16%). Mean canopy cover rose from 31.0% in 1956 to 55.6% in 2006. Most of the expansion was found on north-facing slopes and at low altitudes. Socio-economic factors arose as major factors of Mountain pine expansion, as encroachment rates were higher at municipalities with greater population losses or weaker primary sector development.
Therefore, the spatial patterns of Mountain pine expansion highly matched the main patterns of land-use change in the
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