Chile's distinctive Araucaria must compete with foreign species
Photo by Benjamin Witte

Study: Pines Grown On Plantations Compete With Native Tree Species

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected – and warmer – introduced plant species are proving to be growing problem across the globe. Chile, despite is no exception.

An international group of scientists recently concluded a study on the presence of introduced species in mountainous regions around the world. The team, which included the Universidad de Concepción’s Aníbal Pauchard, concluded that with global temperatures on the rise, non-native plants and trees are gaining ground, often at the expense local flora.

“Because of climate change and the rapidly growing use of mountain areas for tourism and other purposes, plant invasions into mountain areas are likely to increase, affecting biodiversity and disrupting important ecosystem services,” the study concluded. “The consequences of such invasions may not only affect mountain habitats, but also adjacent lowland areas.”

An emblematic case in Chile involves the iconic Araucaria, or Monkey Puzzle, an ancient conifer species that is being threatened by Lodgepole Pine, a North American species introduced here by the forestry industry. 

“Lodgepole Pines were introduced by the forestry industry on a trial basis, but they escaped and are now in areas were there are Araucaria. It clearly takes a toll because the Araucaria is less competitive,” Pauchard, a member of the university’s Forestry Sciences Department, told the Patagonia Times.

“In those mountain regions, fortunately there weren’t that many trials. But the trees that were planted were left there, especially in some reserves and national parks, and nobody thought to worry about it. The pines are growing. They’re also seeding and those seeds get spread around, traveling in some cases several kilometers. So there’s no control,” he added.

The most common tree grown in Chile’s nearly US$5 billion forestry industry is Monterey (also known as Radiata) Pine, a native of California. According to Pauchard, Monterey Pine isn’t as invasive as one might expect. But, southern Chile’s extensive tree farms – because of their sheer size – can squeeze out small pockets of nearby native forest.

“The plantations are so extensive that they produce many many seeds. One can think of it as raining seeds,” he said. “There are some small fragments of native forest tucked in between the tree farms. And they’re very important, because they’re so rare. In those places, especially in Regions VII and VIII, we’re seeing an invasion (of Monterey Pine).”

In 2007, Chile’s forestry sector – second only to mining in terms of overall export revenue, earned US$4.9 billion. Slumping at the moment because of the current global financial crisis, the industry is nevertheless looking to expand.

In fact, just this past Friday forestry trade association leader Rafael Campino met with President Michelle Bachelet to lobby for more flexible regulations that would allow the industry to increase production by as much as 50 percent.

Promising thousands of new jobs, Campino suggested that with changes to Chile’s DL 701 forestry law, the industry could plant as many as 100,000 hectares worth of new tree farms in 2009 alone. The plantations, the daily La Tercera reported, would mainly be concentrated in Regions VII and X.

By Benjamin Witte ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )