Soil fertility and productivity estimation of Pinus pinaster Aiton reforestations in Central and Northeast Chalcidice in Northern Greece

Abstract

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) is a notable fast-growing conifer, native to the Western Mediterranean Basin, which is considered suitable for reforestations. This tree species was artificially installed in Chalcidice, Northern Greece, about 40 years ago, in order to upgrade mountain ecosystems. The experiment reported in this paper was undertaken to estimate soil conditions and the development progress of maritime pine in the above reforestations. Samples of mineral soil and forest floor were taken from 12 different sites at 2 locations. Despite age, rather weak maritime pine trees are found in both studied locations. Furthermore, significant accumulation of organic matter and nutrients was observed in both forest floor and mineral soil.