The Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia continues to advance its pilot actions as part of the SocialForest project, a collaborative initiative involving experts from Spain, France, and Portugal to improve the management of particularly vulnerable forests in southern Europe. The experimental activity aims to assess how forest management (silvicultural treatments) affects forest stands by studying the availability of water in the subsoil—an innovative approach.
This research is being developed in collaboration with the Department of Hydraulic Engineering and the Environment at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), which is part of the SocialForest project and a specialist in the field.
The intervention area was selected this week during a visit by technicians from the Region of Murcia and the UPV to various public forest plots in the municipalities of Caravaca de la Cruz, Moratalla, and Cehegín. After evaluating all the options, the pilot action will take place in the Sierra de Burete in Cehegín, specifically in the “Monte de Utilidad Pública Coto Real de la Marina”, named for its historic use by the Spanish Navy. This forest, part of the Natura 2000 network and designated as a Site of Community Importance (SCI), is home to Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis). The goal is to maintain forest cover through active management to prevent degradation or replacement by shrubland, thus combating desertification.
Two similar stands of 15–20 hectares have been selected. Forest improvement work will be carried out in one, while the other will remain untouched. By comparing them, the real impact of the forest management measures will be assessed. Indicators related to water availability will be monitored using tools such as piezometers to measure subsurface water pressure and availability.
The need for forest management
This and other pilot actions launched by the SocialForest partners aim to demonstrate the necessity of forest management for conservation. Specifically, this public forest in Murcia is located in a very arid region and serves as an example of the risks posed by climate change. Intervening here will help identify actions that can be replicated in other southern European forests affected by desertification.
Research by the Directorate-General for Natural Heritage and Climate Action—under the Regional Ministry for Environment, Universities, Research, and the Mar Menor—shows that silvicultural treatments improve the availability of light, water, and nutrients, allowing the remaining trees to grow more vigorously. The study will also assess the forest’s adaptation to climate change in terms of erosion, wildfires, pests, and drought.
