EFFECT OF LIVESTOCK GRAZING ON THE FUEL LOAD CONTROL IN AN OPEN MEDITERRANEAN FOREST (NE PORTUGAL).

Resumo

Fuel loads can be achieved artificially by a prescribed burn or mechanical removal or through ecologically based procedures such as target grazing. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of mechanical clearing and grazing on fuel load accumulation, assessed by herbaceous biomass available on the understory of open Oak Mediterranean Forest. For this, 4 ha was mechanically cleared in May 2019, and six months later, a flock of sheep was included. The experimental design includes three treatments, grazing without clearing, clearing with grazing, and clearing without grazing. Herbaceous biomass varied between 94.91g m-2 and 264.10g m-2 (p<0.01). Grazing pressure must be increased to ensure its effectiveness over time.