The Ecological Status of Juniperus foetidissima Forest Stands in the Mt. Oiti-Natura 2000 Site in Greece

Nikolaos Proutsos, Alexandra Solomou, George Karetsos, Konstantinia Tsagari, George Mantakas, Konstantinos Kaoukis, Athanassios Bourletsikas and George Lyrintzis
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Nikolaos Proutsos: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
Alexandra Solomou: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
George Karetsos: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
Konstantinia Tsagari: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
George Mantakas: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
Konstantinos Kaoukis: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
Athanassios Bourletsikas: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece
George Lyrintzis: Hellenic Agricultural Organization “Demeter”, Institute of Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems, Terma Alkmanos, 11528 Athens, Greece

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Junipers face multiple threats induced both by climate and land use changes, impacting their expansion and reproductive dynamics. The aim of this work is to evaluate the ecological status of Juniperus foetidissima Willd. forest stands in the protected Natura 2000 site of Mt. Oiti in Greece. The study of the ecological status is important for designing and implementing active management and conservation actions for the species’ protection. Tree size characteristics (height, breast height diameter), age, reproductive dynamics, seed production and viability, tree density, sex, and habitat expansion were examined. The data analysis revealed a generally good ecological status of the habitat with high plant diversity. However, at the different juniper stands, subpopulations present high variability and face different problems, such as poor tree density, reduced numbers of juvenile trees or poor seed production, inadequate male:female ratios, a small number of female trees, reduced numbers of seeds with viable embryos, competition with other woody species, grazing, and illegal logging. From the results, the need for site-specific active management and interventions is demonstrated in order to preserve or achieve the good status of the habitat at all stands in the region.

Keywords: juniper; subpopulations; reproductive dynamics; spatial distribution; seed production; tree density; seed productivity; ecological evaluation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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