Two pilot sites in the Region of Murcia

Pilot site location

Two pilot sites in the Region of Murcia, both located in publicly owned forests managed by the Regional Government:
• Cehegín: Sierra de Burete, Aleppo pine stands of different age classes.
• Moratalla: Sierra de Moratalla, a young Aleppo pine stand resulting from post-fire regeneration following the major wildfire of 1994.

Description of planned actions

Sustainable and adaptive forest management actions will be implemented, comparing managed forest stands with unmanaged ones.

The main actions include thinning and silvicultural cuts in young and mature stands to adjust tree density, promote growth and natural regeneration, and improve resilience to wildfires, drought and pests. Technical measurements will be carried out to assess the impact of management practices.

Expected results or applications

• Improved vigour, health and structural quality of forest stands.
  • Reduced risk of wildfires, drought and pest outbreaks.
  • Increased biodiversity and enhanced natural regeneration capacity.
  • Greater carbon sequestration and improved ecosystem services.
  • Social benefits: improved landscape quality, increased protection against climate change and rural job creation.

Key specific features

• In Cehegín, actions target both over-dense young stands and mature stands lacking natural regeneration.
  • In Moratalla, interventions focus on an extremely dense young post-fire stand, with very intensive thinning (reduction exceeding 70%).
  • The project highlights that the lack of forest management is one of the main factors exacerbating large-scale wildfires and forest degradation, positioning Murcia as a key territory to demonstrate the urgency of action.