New article: Land use changes and mountain pine expansion in the Pyrenees

Over the last 50 years, mountain pine (Pinus uncinata Ram.) has expanded its surface area in the Pyrenees by 15%, according to a study recently published in Global Ecology and Biogeography by researchers of the Forest Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC).

The study covered more than 6,000 km² of the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Spain) and showed a strong relationship between forest encroachment and land-use changes, especially with farmland abandonment and changes in grazing pressure. Thus socio-economic factors arose as major factors in mountain pine expansion, as encroachment rates were higher in municipalities with greater population losses or weaker primary sector development.

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