Average temperature (°C): 14.0 Average precipitation (mm): 1233 Number of frost days: 33 Reference period for climatic data: 1950-2000
History of the site
The Unbemendi arboreta are established in a land that belongs to the Provincial Council of Bizkaia (BFA). Unbemendi1 (AR18), Unbemendi2 (AR19) and Unbemendi3 (AR20) are 3 complete replicates of each arboretum to improve the robustness of the trial to test the responses to climate that these provenances show and to allow us to make powerful comparisons of their performance. The climate data comes from WORLDCLIM- Global Climate data for the reference period 1950-2000 except for the “frost days” figure that has been recorded from the closest point in the CRU_CL_2.0 gridded datasets. It has to be pointed out that WORLDCLIM underestimates precipitation for the region and that CRU overestimates the number of frost days. The Provincial Government ceded the land to the company Oihanberri in 1991: This Company was promoted by the Basque Government and the three provincial councils (Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Araba) to produce saplings of radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) from genetically improved seeds. It was granted with 20 years of exploitation which could not be taken into an end because, in 2004, the Basque Government proposed the dissolution of the company. The plot has several facilities that are not in use at the moment (a warehouse, a facility for drying pine cones, a greenhouse, etc.). All of these infrastructures could be recovered and restored if needed and taking into account the availability of funds for it. It also has an artificial pond where the water required for the irrigation needed during the plant production process could be taken. The accesses to the plot and several ways that connect the different arboreta are in perfect condition. One of the radiata pine clonal orchards of the Basque Autonomous Community, where the genetic material from the breeding program of this species in the Basque Country is preserved, is located in this property. Currently Unbemendi that extends over 22 ha is kept for forest research and experimentation.
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