Strengthening alluvial woodland on the Island of San Roque (24/02/2015)

As part of the activities performed by IBADER within the framework of the LIFE+ TREMEDAL project, work is currently being carried out at a site of high ecological value in the province of Lugo: the Island of San Roque.

At this site, a habitat considered a priority for conservation in the European Union, alluvial forests with Alnus glutinosa and Fraxinus excelsior, is being reinforced. The name refers to two species of tree typical to habitats of this kind, alder (Alnus glutinosa) and ash (Fraxinus exclesior). Over recent years, the alder have been suffering from the impact of a fungus-like pathogen (Phytophthora alni) which eventually kills the plant. On the Island of Roque, the effects of the pathogen is visible on the banks, with an abundance of dead alder stumps and rootstock.

One of the objectives of the LIFE+ TREMEDAL project is to improve the state of conservation of the alluvial woodland on the Island of San Roque and so species native to the habitat, such as ash, willow and birch, were planted in 2014. In 2015, the plantation has been examined and strengthened, mainly on the banks of the island, in order to further protect the edges, focusing on those areas most damaged by the alder pathogen.