View article

Pine forests represent a significant proportion of the vegetation of the Mediterranean Basin. Their abundance is explained in part by the importance they always have had for humans and the wide range of ecosystem services they provide. Pine forests and plantations are responsible for important provisioning services such as timber and firewood, but are rich in non-wood forest products, among which resin, pine nuts and edible mushrooms are the most outstanding examples. Of similar importance are the regulating services that pine woodlands provide. Erosion control and hydrological regulation have been the main reasons behind the establishment of many pine plantations throughout the Mediterranean Basin. Other regulating services of pine forests are their role in the carbon cycle, with pine stands representing a large fraction of carbon stocks in the Mediterranean region, and their importance as …