Impact Of Tree Vigor On The Annual Increase Of Cork In The Cork Oak Forest Of Mamora (Morocco)

Research Article
Otman HAMIDI, Amina OUAZZANI TOUHAMI, Rachid BENKIRANE and Allal DOUIRA
DOI: 
xxx-xxxxx-xxxx
Subject: 
science
KeyWords: 
Thickness of cork, Vigor, Cork oak, Annual growth.
Abstract: 

The purpose of this study was to monitor the annual evolution of the thickness of cork in ten settled plots at the forest of Mamora, and to analyze how much this annual growth is influenced by different tree vigor’s of a stand of cork oak. The following study was conducted on a sample of 200 cork oak tree that belongs to the monitoring plots of the health of the Mamora forest. The vigor of these trees was assessed annually according to the guide of forest health related to the decision of silvicultural operations at the cork oak forest of Mamora. The annual monitoring studies of the cork thickness was carried out during three seasons (2011, 2012 and 2013) by using a probe specific to this kind of meticulous measurement. The study has identified: the annual growth of the thickness of cork per tree and the annual growth of the thickness of cork per plot. The plot P9 has shown the highest annual growth with a growth rate of around 3,215 mm/year. The trees of this plot are mostly healthy. Whereas the plot P1 has shown the lower annual growth, with a growth rate of around 1,374 mm/year. This plot brings together mostly stable trees which are suffering or in degradation. Sustainable management cannot be achieved without acquiring a set of tools and means for monitoring and surveillance of our Moroccan forests; in order to take appropriate decisions at the right time. Thereby, this work tries modestly to introduce the education of monitoring to forest managers and deduce useful parameters for good forest management. This study provides through monitoring of the annual growth average, the plots to remove in a stand, to define the exact debarking's year of each plot and assess cork production in quantity and quality during a season.