Post-fire regeneration patterns of Pinus nigra in a recently burned area in Mount Taygetos, Southern Greece: The role of unburned forest patches

Pinus nigra (black pine) is an ecologically and economically important species widely distributed around the Mediterranean Basin. P. nigra ecosystems have recently been affected by high severity fires occurring over the mountainous forest ecosystems of Southern Europe. The aim of this study is to investigate the post-fire regeneration patterns of black pine after a high severity crown fire which occurred on Mt Taygetos in Southern Greece. A network of 18 sites was selected to study black pine natural post-fire regeneration. Regeneration density was higher at the edges of patches that have remained unburned within the periphery of fire (0.406 individuals/m2) as compared to isolated burned areas (0.007 individuals/m2) although a significant between sites heterogeneity was recorded. Boosted regression trees analysis was used to explore the effects of environmental and microhabitat variables on black pine post-fire regeneration. The number of fires a site has experienced had a negative effect on regeneration density, while the presence of recovering ferns had a positive effect. The most important variable related to the black pine post-fire regeneration was distance from unburned patches. The result of the current study substantiates the importance of maintaining fire-resistant stands with large trees that are more likely to survive after a surface fire and which can also serve as seed sources for the recolonization of the burned area after severe crown fires.