Spatial distribution of forest plantations in southern Chile, an area with a pulp mill

Abstract

The increase in industrial forest plantations in southern Chile and the alteration of the landscape have been an ongoing concern of researchers. In this paper, spatial statistical techniques were used to describe the composition of the territorial patterns of forest plantations, in an area with a pulp mill and with high demand for exotic species such as Pinus radiata and Eucalyptus. GeoDa software was used to calculate global and local Moran indexes. Land-use cover data and the area of the forest plantation polygons updated in the period 2006-2013 were used. The global Moran index indicates that plantation distribution occurs as a random phenomenon throughout the territory. In its interior there are different structures, represented by enclaves of large areas, small polygons surrounded by others of great size and large polygons surrounded by small ones, as well as a fragmentation throughout the territory, composed of polygons of various sizes and neighborless. The dynamics of change in the period 2006-2013 indicates that plantation cover presented the largest increase (6,578 ha) due to the reduction in native forest and grassland-shrubland covers.