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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. 73
FORESTRY BELTS SILVICULTURE AND CINEGETICS REVIEW XVII/30/2012 Implementation and expansion of these combined systems of agriculture and forestry, in addition to the role of mitigation and balancing of extreme climatic factors, will surely bring undeniable economic and social benefits by increasing productivity of grasslands and animals, plus additional capitalization for different purposes of the woody vegetation scarce in the plain and hills areas. The agroforestry system contributes to combat of soil erosion and landslides on the slopes, increasing the potential for carbon fixation per unit area and last but not least the beautification and attractiveness of existing landscapes. 1.Forecasts of Climate Change 1.1.Climate change and its consequences in Romania From the data from WMO (World Meteorological Organization) in Geneva, the average world temperature has risen between 1901 and 2000 by 0.6 0 C which is extremely high. For Romania, per INMH – Bucharest, this increase is of 0.3 0 C, higher in the south and east regions (0.8 0 C) and lower in the intra-Carpathian regions (0.1 0 C). Global warming was more pronounced after 1961 and especially after 2000 (2003, 2005) when the frequency of tropical days (daily maximum > 30 0 C) increased alarmingly and the winter days (daily maximum < 0 0 C) decreased substantially. As a result many areas of our country are at high risk of drought and desertification in particular where the average annual temperature is above 10 0 C; the amount of annual rainfall is less than 350 – 550 mm; rainfall from April to October are under 200 – 350 mm and soil water reserves 0 – 100 cm on March 31 is less than 950 –1500 mc /ha. According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCDD) the aridity index (annual amount of precipitation/ potential evapotranspiration– ETP) for arid areas, deserts is of 0,05 and 0,65 for dry sub-humid areas, the threshold above which a territory is considered to be close to normal. Under this agreement, ETP for steppe and forest steppe is of 400 – 900 mm and for the mountain area is of 300 mm of water. In the fourth report (2007) of International Committee on Climate Change (ICCC) for 2020 – 2030 compared to 2000 in an optimistic variant it is expected an increase of the average global temperature by 0.5 0 C and in a more pessimistic one, by 1.5 0 C and in the period 2030 – 2100 the increase of the two variants ranges between 2.0 0 C and 5.0 0 C, which is extremely high. If we take the year 2070 with an increase of only 3 0 C above current levels, than 68 % of Romanian territory below 500 m altitude will be subject to aridity and desertification, namely an area more than double the current mountain area (Table 1). Table 1. Percentage altitudinal distribution of the forms of relief on the Romanian territory (by ROMANIAN GEOGRAPHY vol.I, 1983) Altitudes (m) % of Romanian territory (237,5 K km 2 ) Moun tains Of which: Hills Plai ns above 2000 1 3 1500 - 2000 3 7 1000 - 1500 6 19 700 - 1000 12 36 3 500 - 700 10 16 12 300 - 500 18 12 38 1 200 - 500 12 7 24 5 100 - 200 18 18 35 0 - 100 20 5 59 Above 500 32 81 15 m Under 500 68 19 85 100 m *) *) territory affected by aridity and desertification in the case of an increase of average air temperature by 3 0 C, forecast until 2070. With the increase by 3 0 C of the air average temperature on the Romanian territory is expected that Dobrogea, the South of Moldova, the West of Ardeal, Banat, the South of Oltenia and a good part of the South of Romanian Plain, that is over 30 % of the country will undergo a process of desertification and the rest of approx. 38 % a process of advanced aridity, which will further include all our plains, up to 85 % of the surface of the hills and almost 20 % of the mountains of lower altitudes. 1.2. Forecast of bioclimatic changes Forecasted climate changes will have a major impact on redistribution of current vegetation by zones and altitudinal floors, which in their turn will have an impact on habitats and economic performance. Based on the projections for the years 2070 an increase by 3 0 C of the average air temperature in the mountain area by the current altitudinal gradients (-0.5 0 C / 100 m alt.) is 74
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