Contribution à l’étude de la reprise du chêne-liège post- incendie dans la forêt de Tamentout-Sétif

Abstract

This study evaluates the ecological resilience and post-fire vegetative recovery capacity of the Cork Oak (Quercus suber L.) within the Tamentout state forest (Sétif Province, Algeria), an ecosystem frequently subjected to recurrent wildfires. The primary objective is to quantify the growth parameters of stump sprouts (abundance, height, and diameter) and analyze their spatio-temporal variability in relation to site-specific environmental conditions and tree health indicators. The experimental protocol relied on a rigorous stratified sampling design conducted across five distinct study stations distributed along a post-fire chrono-sequence and topographical gradients (altitude and aspect). Collected field data were subjected to advanced statistical analyses, including Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post-hoc honest significant difference (HSD) tests. The results reveal highly significant variations (𝑃<0.05) among the surveyed stations for all measured morphological parameters, confirming a strong heterogeneity in the canopy recovery dynamics. The vigor of the vegetative response is heavily correlated with the time elapsed since the last fire event, slope aspect, and maternal tree physiological indicators—namely crown dieback status and leaf discoloration levels. Although the cork oak stands exhibit a remarkable evolutionary survival strategy via vegetative sprouting, the increasing frequency of fires paired with unsustainable overgrazing pressures represent major threats capable of compromising long-term ecosystem resilience. Conservation management practices, including provisional fencing for grazing exclusion and strategic silvicultural thinning, are strongly recommended to optimize the ecological restoration and long-term sustainability of this forest massif.