Teresa Fidalgo Fonseca

By Teresa Fonseca, Bernard Parresol, Carlos Marques and François de Coligny

Part of the book: Sustainable Forest Management

By Teresa Fonseca and José Lousada

The interest in the use of energy of the forests has been increasing in recent decades. Biomass has the potential to provide a cost-effective and sustainable supply of renewable energy. Moreover, it could be valuable for reducing the severity of forest fires and create employment in extremely needy regions. This chapter brings to discuss the effect of forest management on the potential of energy provided by the woodlands. The authors selected as a case study the management of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.), an important softwood species in the southwest of Europe and, in particular, in Portugal where it represents around 22% of the forest area. A summary of traditional and new silvicultural guidelines for the species, used or proposed to be followed at the national level, is presented. The study follows with the evaluation of stand yield and the potential of energy associated with four alternative silvicultural guidelines. Two scenarios follow traditional standards (an initial density of 1100–1200 trees/ha), while the other two consider managing a high density stand (an initial density of 40,000 trees/ha). Simulations were performed with the ModisPinaster model. The results show that the new designs provide a considerable yield in terms of biomass and energy.

Part of the book: Forest Biomass

By Teresa Fidalgo Fonseca, Ana Cristina Gonçalves and José Lousada

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) is a forest tree species with a high representation in southwestern European countries, in particular Portugal, Spain, and France. The species traits and their flexibility and plasticity are of importance both for timber and to the sustainability of the forest systems. Extensive research has been made on the maritime pine systems and productions. The aim of this study is to review the state-of-the art on the knowledge of the species, their forest systems, and their productions, to identify vulnerabilities and to summarize tools to help its management. The specific objectives of this review are: i) characterizing maritime pine, its distribution, genetic material and provenances, the biotic and abiotic disturbances, the diversity and sustainability of its forest systems; (ii) its management, encompassing the silvicultural systems and practices; (iii) to list existing growth models, simulators and decision support systems; and (iv) present information on wood technology, including sylvotechnology, wood properties, and their use.

Part of the book: Conifers

By André Sandim, Maria Emília Silva, Ana Cristina Gonçalves, Margarida Tomé and Teresa Fidalgo Fonseca

Maritime Pine sector is an important agent for promoting economy and sustainable development in Portugal. Among the products explored in these forests are wood and resin. The objective of this work was to evaluate the technical and financial viability from the creation of three simulated exploration scenarios: Wood Exploration (W), Resin (R) and Wood + Resin (WR), for this it was defined a loss of 16% of wood volume in resined forest stands and created operational models that defined the costs, investments and revenues that made it possible to prepare cash flow for each scenario and apply the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) feasibility analysis indicators, Net Current Value (VAL), Net Profitability Index (NPI) and Discounted Pay Back (DPB). Scenario R presented the best indicators, however, with absolute values that were not attractive and that the W and WR scenario presented viability but with a DPB at 10 years of age. The loss of wood was not compensated by resin production. The indicators of the WR scenario fell short of those observed in scenario R. Increased market price of resin and scale gain can overcome wood loss and ensure added value in the joint exploration of wood and resin.

Part of the book: Conifers

By Wubalem Tadesse and Teresa Fidalgo Fonseca

Pinus patula Schiede ex Schltdl. & Cham. is a forest tree species native to Mexico, widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Africa, the plantation of the species has gained considerable interest being represented in different African countries, and probably being the most widely planted pine in tropical Africa. The species traits and the diversity of wood use to highlight the importance and usefulness of the species in the tropical regions of the African continent. The aim of this chapter is to review the state-of-the-art on the knowledge of the species, namely their characteristics and their growth dynamics, present information on productions, silvicultural management and biotic vulnerabilities, and summarize the effects on biodiversity and relevance on carbon stock. Knowledge of species biological and silvicultural traits supports decision-making on sustainable forest management and contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of UN Agenda 2030.

Part of the book: Conifers

By Teresa Fidalgo Fonseca, Renato N.M. Costa, Carlos Pacheco Marques, José Luis Louzada and Ana Cristina Gonçalves

This chapter aims to provide information on biometric traits of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) outside its natural range, considering as a case study the use of the species in Portugal. The specific objectives of this study are: i) characterising the species; ii) its management; iii) its provisioning potential. To achieve the latter, data on the biometric characteristics of radiata pine trees in Portugal was compiled and analyzed. Briefly, the approach followed employs an equation developed to predict the stem volume of individual trees, which is then coupled with the inherent wood basic density to provide oven-dried biomass estimates. The volume equation demonstrated a noticeable goodness-of-fit (R² = 0.994 and standard error of the residuals = 0.026 m³) across the entire range of diameters within the dataset (ranging from 7.5 to 45 cm). Additionally, a proposed wood density value of 460 kg/m³ is put forth as a representative value for the species. The tree stem biomass (and sequestered carbon) is then generalized to the stand unit. The results show that the species compares favourably with maritime pine in terms of wood provisioning and usage, broadening the options of pine species to consider in Portugal for reforestation or afforestation programs.

Part of the book: Conifers