Planning and management of broadleaf deciduous forests in the eastern Galician mountain (Ancares-O Courel)

The potential vegetation that should occupy much of the North-eastern Mountains of Galicia (Ancares-O Courel) is mixed deciduous forests of native hardwoods, characterized by different species of oak, and known under different names, carballeira, fraga, devesa, aveseda, among other. Galician oak trees, in general, and those that inhabit this mountainous area, in particular, present a wide range of ages and qualities, as a result of the different use that man has made since ancestral times. Many were greatly exploited and, in most cases, inappropriate management practices were carried out. However, today, they constitute a habitat of community interest, forming part of the Natura 2000 Network; therefore, must be conserved in a sustainable way, being an essential pillar for the rural development of the local population. The most abundant species is Quercus robur L. (common oak) which covers an area of 246,445 ha, 18% of the forest area of Galicia (IV National Forest Inventory-NFI). The location of many stands in steep areas is indicative that have remained there since time immemorial, and this not permitted their forest exploitation. The sites most suitable for the development of the oak stands correspond to areas where the climatic features combine a minimum optimal temperature, the lower temperature range and increased precipitation, both environmental and soil. Considering the current silvicultural state of these forests should be proposed alternative methods of management from conversion to high forest until recovery of the most damaged forests by artificial repopulation.