Effect of regional conditions on post-fire vegetation restoration rate in Mediterranean rangeland ecosystems

After fire in natural ecosystems begins the secondary procession, which in certain time restores the vegetation to the succession stage, as it was before the fire occurred. This natural restoration of vegetation depends mainly on the type of vegetation, the climatic and soil conditions and fire intensity. The restoration rate is the main factor for their evolution. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the rate of restoration of vegetation on rangeland ecosystems after fire and to study the probability of reducing the time of grazing forbiddance. The research was conducted in burned forest areas of the prefecture Lakonia and Ileia 3 years after the fire of year 2007. In this area two ecotopes were selected: 1) shrubland and 2) Allepo pine woodland, in which the following parameters were measured: a) the soil cover with vegetation, b) participation of species in the composition of vegetation, c) the total annual production, d) the total height of the dominant shrubs e) the amount and the height of seedlings of Pinus halepensis. Our results indicated, that three years after the fire all the ecotopes had soil cover with vegetation greater than 75%, which means that the restoration of vegetation has created foliage cover able to protect the soil from erosion. Furthermore the restoration rate of vegetation in both shrublands and Aleppo pine woodlands has created a dynamic development process such as to ensure their stability.