Abstract

DIAZ ZIRPOLO, J. A.  and  GIMENEZ, A. M.. Quantification and qualification of dead wood in a forest of Semiarid Chaco. Quebracho (Santiago del Estero) [online]. 2013, vol.21, n.2, pp.103-114. ISSN 1851-3026.

The qualitative and quantitative assessments of dead biological material are used in forest inventories since they play a key role in nutrient and water cycling; they thus constitute a true indicator of biodiversity, carbon stock and substrate. The objective of this study was to quantify, qualify and evaluate the volume and extent of deterioration of the dead wood in a forest under 20 years of closure in the Semiarid Chaco. The study was carried out in Quimilí Paso, Salavina Department, Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Based on of a layered forest inventory, wood stock was determined using 10x100m rectangular plots. Dead wood was studied on the basis of its qualification in terms of its position on the field (standing dead trees, slash, and stumps) and log diameter (i.e. thick when diameter >2.5 cm, slim when diameter <2.5 cm, standing dead trees diameter and stump diameter); and quantification from the volume of firewood, and determination of the deterioration extent based on 5 states (I, bark keeps fixed; II, bark peels and remains 50%; III, bark peels but remains less than 50%; IV, without bark the trunk breaks easily; V, most of the trunk is sawdust). The estimated deadwood volume is 7 m3/ha. Of the total quantified volume, 66% corresponds to standing dead trees. The Acacia praecox and Prosopis ruscifolia are the most representative species that comprise 49% and 24% of that volume. This study lays the foundation for further research on the importance of dead wood in the Semiarid Chaco.

Keywords : Wood dead; Chaco; Semiarid.

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