Silviculture and Cinegetics Review - Societatea Progresul Silvic

FORESTRY BELTS SILVICULTURE AND CINEGETICS REVIEW XVII/30/2012
Sustainable Agroforestry System, in the Context of Global Climate
Warming
Teodor Maruşca
1. Introduction
Based on the latest projection of climate evolution on
earth, general warming due to human activities
(deforestation, industrialization, transportation, etc.)
with increasing carbon dioxide emissions, melting ice
caps and mountain glaciers, increase sea levels, floods,
desertification, intensification of thunderstorms
(hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, cyclones, etc.) will
have a major impact on all humanity with unpredictable
negative consequences (Al Gore, 2007).
Forecasts of climate global warming will affect our
country’s pastoral background. Average air temperature
increase with 3 0 C, which is the forecast for 2070, will
lead to deeper aridity and desertification of the plain and
hills area with major negative implications on plant and
animal production on natural pastures. One of the most
effective measures to improve the negative factors of
aridity and desertification, together with irrigation and
protection forest belts, is the introduction of the
agroforestry system, where all the components: grass,
animal, tree, habitat, biodiversity are in an ecologically
and economically optimal balance. The agroforestry
system is specific to the arid Mediterranean climate,
known as „dehesa” and „montado” in Spain and
Portugal (Olea, San-Miguel, 2006), and also in the
northwest USA, in Oregon state, known as
„agroforestry” (Sharrow, 1994).
In our country have been practiced in some areas
different combinations of agriculture and woody
vegetation such as: pasture – trees, hay-fields – fruit
trees, arable crops – fruit trees or trees. The combination
pasture – isolated trees is known in our country as
”grove” resulting of the excluding from deforestation of
pre-existing trees or planting of new ones in the pastures
to ensure shadow for animals. Equipping with woody
vegetation of existing pastures by the Iberian model
„dehesa”, adapted to our „grove” or „open wood” can
substantially alleviate the negative effects of aridisation
and desertification that will occur in the future
(Maruşca, 2006).
Woody plant species have the advantage of exploring a
larger volume of soil, they fix the slopes against
landslides, reduce surface and depth erosion, reduce
amplitude of diurnal air and soil temperatures, protect
grass plants and animals against sunburn and
dehydration, wind, heavy rain, retain slowly melting
snow, produce additional timber and firewood, fruits
and fodder, is a habitat for a lot of bird species, that , in
their turn, consume insects pests of crops, and many
other blessings including enhanced biodiversity and
landscape beautification.
Pastoral fund in our country, especially the communal
green lands, are almost devoid of shade for animals at
pasture, reason why cow’s milk production can decrease
by 20 – 40 % during periods of strong sun exposure.
Planting of trees for shade, resistant to land compression
and accumulation in excess of manure in the animals’
resting places, would fully address this issue. In
addition to the variety of wood species adapted to these
special stationary conditions it is necessary to apply
special individual protection measures in the early years
of growing for the seedlings, until they will withstand
the pressure from grazing animals. After this critical
period, the plantation may live for decades or even
centuries, as some species of oak in our country.
These agroforestry technologies are to be applied as
soon as possible so that the future tree and fruit tree
plantations on pastures be well installed and developed
in order to exert a protective influence on the grassy
carpet and animals, before emphasizing in the future the
aridisation and desertification phenomena.
To achieve these goals complex interdisciplinary
research is needed on some older agroforestry systems
existing as woody vegetation (groves, outskirts,
orchards, etc.), in combination with herbaceous
vegetation of semi-permanent grasslands used by
grazing animals or as hay-fields.
Results of this research will form the basis of future
solutions for the action of „grove creation” on
bioclimatic zones and floors of all grasslands in our
country as main measure of aridisation and
desertification combat, which will spread further as
expected in the near future.
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