Changes in forage production in relation to vegetation succession in rangelands of Lagadas county of Thessaloniki prefecture

Οver the last few decades the demographic and socioeconomic changes have reduced the intensity of land use in semi-arid Mediterranean rangelands of Lagadas County. The impact of these changes on rangeland is expressed through the progressive woody plant encroachment during secondary succession. The knowledge of the way that woody and herbaceous production evolves during successive of stages is a critical parameter for the planning of a sustainable management of these areas. The present study took place in Lagadas County, northern Greece, during the summer of 2005. In four rangeland types, with four replications each, representing sequential successional stages related to land use extensification (abandoned fields, grasslands, open and dense shrublands). The aboveground herbage and woody biomass was measured. Sampling was applied during the period of maximum total production. In the laboratory both herbage and woody vegetation was sorted into live (current years) and dead (old) components. All biomass was oven dried and weighed. The total production in grassland, open and dense shrublands was found 1136.7, 2900.1 and 810.6 kgr/ha respectively. Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was applied to all data in order to test if significant differences occur between the four land use types.