Abstract

Acacia saligna, an exotic species, mainly occurs in the semi-arid Coquimbo Region, Chile particularly where reforestation has been promoted with the objective of recovery of degraded soils, production of fodder for livestock, fuel wood and control erosion (Perret and Mora 2001 ) as seen in the work done at the Hacienda Huentelauquén of the Province of Choapa (Fig. 7.1 ). Plantations were established in the semi-arid zone as a result of Decree Law 701 enacted the State of Chile in 1974 and implemented by CONAF, 1 that subsidized up to 75 % the total cost of establishing forest plantations. Currently it is estimated that an area of 7,500 ha of Acacia saligna plantations exists in the Coquimbo Region (González 2014). This law was intended to stimulate forestry activities on soil suitable for forestry, on degraded soils and to encourage afforestation, especially by small landowners. A. saligna come 1 Corporación Nacional Forestal. from the semiarid Western Australian “Wheatbelt” and is adapted to extremely dry conditions through their physiological mechanisms: form and distribution of stomata and a deep root system that allows the tree to access subsurface aquifers and withstand long periods of drought (Maslin 2011 ). Plantations near the coast in the Region of Coquimbo allow the species minimize evapotranspiration and survive on coastal moisture. As a pioneer species in plant succession, A. saligna can fi x atmospheric nitrogen improving the physical and chemical properties of soils, allowing increased fertility, restoration of degraded soils and possible reforestation with native species in a second rotation (Maslin 2011 ). The A. saligna resource represents an important potential food for humans because the seeds of the trees could be harvested and processed for the production of breads and biscuits with functional and nutraceutical properties (Yates 2014 ).