Evaluation of postfire restoration in suburban forest of Thessaloniki, northern Greece.

Postfire plantation results and pattern of natural revegetation process were monitored for six years after wildfire in the artificial Pinus brutia forest of the suburban park of Thessaloniki, northern Greece. Some flood-preventing treatments and plantings took place on half of the burned area immediately after the fire, while the rest of the burned area was left to regenerate naturally. Based on the survival rate and growth of the planted species, the establishment of plantations was considered satisfactory six years after the fire. The pattern of postfire regeneration of Pinus brutia was similar in both planted and non-planted areas, although the saplings’ density was significantly higher in the non-planted areas (4,145 saplings per hectare compared to 1,841 saplings per hectare in the planted burned areas). The former saplings’ density can secure the species dominance in future stands, that means an auto-succession pattern ensues in this case, while the lower saplings’ density of P. brutia in the planted areas, does not secure species dominance in future stands. This suggests that a mixed forest will be established in this case as a result of the plantings and pine natural regeneration. In both cases the sprouted shrubs Quercus coccifera and Phillyrea latifolia will accompany the stand structure appearing in the shrub story.