Forest Management & Conservation

Introduction to the course:

This course will give an insight to applied research aspects of forest ecosystems such as classification, physiology, morphology, dendrochronology, dendroclimatology, soil and water assessments, biodiversity surveys and forest conservation.

The course will focus on the amazing landscape of Ranti Forest, giving spectacular views over Ikaria Island and will be hosted by Dr. Halil Çakan,associate Professor of University of Çukurova, Turkey.

Introduction to the site:

The field course will take place within 1600ha of dense Quercus ilex (Holm Oak) woodland, ‘Ranti Forest’. The forest is situated in central Ikaria and covers approximately 30% of the whole forest area found on the island. The main vegetation is Q. ilex woodland, however other habitat types include heath, scree slopes and Platanus orientalis stands (oriental plane). This habitat diversity is due to the range of 200 – 900m in altitude of the forest area, which provides an important array of habitat types for both flora and fauna species.

Q. ilex habitats used to be one of the most dominant forest habitats in the Aegean islands. Today, Ranti forest is the only one that currently remains in its traditional natural forest form, in the region of the Aegean. Ranti Forest is now the only remaining part of this once extensive woodland and still supports a large number of old trees, several of which exceed 500 years in age.

As it is the largest un-fragmented area of Q. ilex forests in Greece, it is a fundamental ecological niche for many rare and endemic species of flora and fauna. Being the last remaining forest, of this size and age, within the North Eastern Mediterranean, as well as being rarely found forming forests in the Mediterranean region, Ranti Forest has a great significance at an EU level. Therefore research and conservation efforts carried out by the Archipelagos Institute research group is vital for the continued protection of this habitat and thus the flora and fauna that inhabit the forest.

Along the east and north boundaries of the forest there are small villages with agricultural holdings. Over the years these villages have had a negative impact on the forest and its natural regeneration by encroachment and overgrazing. Goat farming is part of the Ikarian culture, however due to un-monitored EU funding, the traditional shepherding methods are seldom practiced and so goats are left to illegally graze the forest. The forest is also occasionally used for charcoal production and as a source of timber and resultantly these anthropogenic impacts have created differing age stands within the forest.

Aims:

This field course aims to provide specialisation in dendrological methods, focusing in particular on Mediterranean terrestrial ecosystems and their characteristic tree-species, achieving an integrated approach to the understanding of natural ecosystems and their conservation.

It will provide participants with knowledge of a variety of techniques, enabling them to carry out forest surveying individually. These methods will focus on both biotic and abiotic elements giving a comprehensive insight to forest surveying and management.

Topics covered:

• Tree and ground flora classification:

Identification: Part of the course will be targeted towards identifying the species of trees by their bark, leaves and morphology of the tree crown, as well as identifying ground flora found within Ranti Forests’ ecosystem. Methods of species identification will be taught through demonstrations by the course leader, who is practiced in identifying the species encountered. Dichotomous keys will also be used along with defining characteristics of that species.

Taxonomy: A taxonomical hierarchy will be used in tree and other flora identification in order to help familiarise participants with the original binomial system of nomenclature set out by Linnaeus.

• Dendrology:

Participants will have a general view on the range of the subjects that dendrology covers and its importance in the protection of terrestrial ecosystems.

Wood core samples: The technique for collecting the wood core samples by increment borer will be introduced, as well as the preparation for counting the annual rings. In this way, well preserved samples will be used for the estimation of the age of the tree and climatic changes, as well as for the determination of natural hazards that have occurred in the past.

Dendrochronology: Dendrochronological applications such as cross-dating and skeleton techniques will be utilised. Cross-dating is a technique that ensures each individual tree ring is assigned its exact year of formation. This is accomplished by matching patterns of wide and narrow rings between cores from the same tree, and between trees from different locations.

Participants will be trained in estimating the tree’s age and be introduced to other techniques of determining the tree’s age, like the diameter at breast height (DBH).

Dendroclimatology: Participants will learn how to estimate climatic changes and the appearance of natural hazards in the past, from annual tree rings. They will also be acquainted with examples of international databases, which gather information about climate change and natural threats and the importance of these in the prediction of future change.

• Fauna surveying:

Signs of fauna, such as faeces and footprints, will be surveyed along a transect, in order to assess presence and diversity of species. When necessary samples will undergo further analysis in the lab.

Pit fall traps will be set out in order to assess the invertebrate community found in the forest. Samples will later be identified in the lab.

• Soil quality:

Soil samples will be taken and analysed in various locations of the forest in order to compare soil types across the area. This will include soil sampling, as well as analysis in the lab of pH and nutrient content.

• Water quality:

At freshwater sites, water samples will be taken at different levels. Chemical and microbiological analysis will then be conducted in the lab.