149
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. J. Pastorino, P. Marchelli (eds.), Low Intensity Breeding of Native Forest
Trees in Argentina, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56462-9_6
Chapter 6
Patagonian Cypress (Austrocedrus
chilensis): The Cedarwood
of the Emblematic Architecture of North
Patagonia
Alejandro G. Aparicio and Mario J. Pastorino
6.1 Characteristics of Patagonian Cypress and Traditional
Uses for Its Wood
The Patagonian cypress Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic. Serm. & Bizzarri, also
known as Chilean cedar, is a dioecious, anemophilous, and anemochorous conifer
(Cupressaceae), native to Argentina and Chile. In Argentina, it grows along a ca.
60 km wide strip that extends parallel to the Cordillera de Los Andes, from 37° 07′
to 43° 44′ S (Pastorino et al. 2006), within the Mediterranean climatic zone of North
Patagonia (Fig. 6.1). A recent study compiling information on areas with presence
of cypress, from dense compact forests to patches with scattered, isolated trees,
yielded a total of 262,422 ha, of which 41.78% are under the jurisdiction and protection of the National Parks Administration (Pastorino et al. 2015).
One of the most remarkable auto-ecological aspects of the cypress is its occurrence across a severe west to east annual rainfall gradient that decreases from ca.
3000 to 400 mm or even less in the xeric eastern border of the species. In pure,
compact forest patches, cypress averages 20–25 m in height, and we have measured
individuals up to 44 m in certain highly productive stands. The average diameters in
adult trees range between 30 and 40 cm, but individuals of more than 1 m can usually be found (Fig. 6.2). The boles are normally straight, somewhat conical, with a
thin bark in young individuals and longitudinal cracks at maturity. The crowns are
mostly pyramidal and compact.
The cypress could be classified as a slow-growing species. In pure compact
stands, it can grow at mean annual increments of MAI = 4.2 m
3
ha
−1
, but towards the
west margin of its distribution, where it grows mixed with Nothofagus dombeyi, it
can reach ca. MAI = 13 m
3
ha
−1
year
−1
(Loguercio et al. 2018). Although the species
A. G. Aparicio (*) · M. J. Pastorino
Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB) INTA-CONICET,
Bariloche, Argentina
e-mail: aparicio.alejandro@inta.gob.ar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. J. Pastorino, P. Marchelli (eds.), Low Intensity Breeding of Native Forest
Trees in Argentina, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56462-9_6
Chapter 6
Patagonian Cypress (Austrocedrus
chilensis): The Cedarwood
of the Emblematic Architecture of North
Patagonia
Alejandro G. Aparicio and Mario J. Pastorino
6.1 Characteristics of Patagonian Cypress and Traditional
Uses for Its Wood
The Patagonian cypress Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic. Serm. & Bizzarri, also
known as Chilean cedar, is a dioecious, anemophilous, and anemochorous conifer
(Cupressaceae), native to Argentina and Chile. In Argentina, it grows along a ca.
60 km wide strip that extends parallel to the Cordillera de Los Andes, from 37° 07′
to 43° 44′ S (Pastorino et al. 2006), within the Mediterranean climatic zone of North
Patagonia (Fig. 6.1). A recent study compiling information on areas with presence
of cypress, from dense compact forests to patches with scattered, isolated trees,
yielded a total of 262,422 ha, of which 41.78% are under the jurisdiction and protection of the National Parks Administration (Pastorino et al. 2015).
One of the most remarkable auto-ecological aspects of the cypress is its occurrence across a severe west to east annual rainfall gradient that decreases from ca.
3000 to 400 mm or even less in the xeric eastern border of the species. In pure,
compact forest patches, cypress averages 20–25 m in height, and we have measured
individuals up to 44 m in certain highly productive stands. The average diameters in
adult trees range between 30 and 40 cm, but individuals of more than 1 m can usually be found (Fig. 6.2). The boles are normally straight, somewhat conical, with a
thin bark in young individuals and longitudinal cracks at maturity. The crowns are
mostly pyramidal and compact.
The cypress could be classified as a slow-growing species. In pure compact
stands, it can grow at mean annual increments of MAI = 4.2 m
3
ha
−1
, but towards the
west margin of its distribution, where it grows mixed with Nothofagus dombeyi, it
can reach ca. MAI = 13 m
3
ha
−1
year
−1
(Loguercio et al. 2018). Although the species
A. G. Aparicio (*) · M. J. Pastorino
Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB) INTA-CONICET,
Bariloche, Argentina
e-mail: aparicio.alejandro@inta.gob.ar