Determination of homogeneous edaphoclimatic zones for the secondary forests of Nothofagus dombeyi in central-southern Chile

Abstract

Nothofagus dombeyi grows in a wide variety of sites in Chile (30-47°S), but there is little knowledge about its productive potential. This lack of information hinders decision-making to better guide the production of goods and services from these forests. This study was conducted in central-southern Chile (39°S-41°S), where this species is prominent, especially in secondary forests. The aim of the study was to determine the homogeneous edaphoclimatic zones for secondary forests of N. dombeyi based on the integration of environmental factors. The methodological approaches considered the spatial analysis and construction of geographic covers using geographic information systems, principal components multivariate analysis, and clustering techniques with CART analysis. Five homogeneous zones could be determined for N. dombeyi with a high level of accuracy. The spatial distribution of N. dombeyi secondary forests was explained in decreasing order by climate, soil and topography.