The main objective of this study was to make an inventory of abandoned eucalyptus plantations due to remaining tree stumps in the Brazilian Pampa biome, focusing on the two counties Pedras Altas and Candiota. In the study, the term “ghost fields” was used for abandoned eucalyptus plantations – land areas that were previously planted with eucalyptus and subsequently left unproductive for a number of years, no longer used for eucalyptus and not converted into e.g. pasture or soybean plantation. After three successive rotations, typically every 21 years, eucalyptus land needs to be processed mechanically to remove remaining stumps and allow new plantation, but stump clearing is costly, and in some cases, non-industrial owners leave the fields ghosted. More than half of the native vegetation, primarily grassland, in the Pampa has been converted into agriculture and forestry, and eucalyptus species are especially popular for plantation because of speedy growth and adaptability to harsh conditions. The loss of native grasslands to continuous short-rotation eucalyptus plantation for commercial use has resulted in soil degradation and biodiversity loss. The demand for productive land, and importance of conserving native vegetation, made it relevant to investigate the extent of ghost fields and the correlation between suppressed native vegetation and ghost fields and between suppressed native vegetation and eucalyptus plantation in general. The study showed that 11 percent (2,727 out of 24,746 hectares) of eucalyptus plantation in the focus area, comprising Pedras Altas and Candiota County, was ghosted for a period of 1-11 years between 2012-2023. Based on extrapolation of the findings in the focus area, 26,323 hectares (11 percent) out of the total 239,297 hectares of eucalyptus plantation in the Pampa may have been ghosted for a number of years between 2012-2023 because of remaining tree stumps. 500 (out of 980) hectares of ghost fields in Pedras Altas County and 543 (out of 1747) hectares of ghost fields in Candiota County were connected to areas with recent suppression of native vegetation (2004-2022). 8,240 (out of 13,200) hectares of eucalyptus plantation, including ghost fields, in Pedras Altas County and 4,829 (out of 11,546) hectares of eucalyptus plantation, including ghost fields, in Candiota County were connected to areas with recent suppression of native vegetation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:uu-531350 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Potter Thomsen, Lars |
| Publisher | Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för geovetenskaper |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Examensarbete vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper, 1650-6553 ; 2024/15 |
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