This research paper was funded by the research projects
Cork Oak Economics and Silviculture (National R&D
Fund project number AGL2000-0936-CO2-O2) and Conservation
and Restoration of European cork Oak woodlands:
a unique ecosystem in the balance (European Union
R&D Fund project number QLRT-2001-01594). We
specially thank the managers of the Haza de la Concepcio´n
estate, Alfonso Dı´az and Micaela Tovar, as well as other
Haza employees for their valuable help in obtaining the
data required to apply the AAS methodology. We are very
grateful to Paul Starrs for many helpful discussions of this
paper. We thank two anonymous reviewers for helping us
to significantly improve the previous version of this study.
Notwithstanding the valuable help received from the
aforesaid persons and institutions, we are solely responsible
for any shortcomings or errors that may remain in this
study.