The main silvopastoral systems carried out in arid and semiarid zones of northern Chile are presented. Plantations with queñoa (Polylepis besseri) in the Precordillera (3,000–4,000 meters above sea level) and with ‘queñoa de altura’ (Polylepis tarapacana) in the High Plateau (over 4,000 m.a.s.l.) are described. For extremely arid zones (2 mm/yr), tamarugo (Prosopis tamarugo) and algarrobo (Prosopis chilensis) plantations in Pampa del Tamarugal are reviewed. In this zone 20,483 ha have been planted, 88% with P. tamarugo. These plantations feed a variable herd of 7,000–9,000 sheep and goats per yr. The forage produced per tree varies from 20 to 70 kg/yr for 14 to 22 yr old trees, planted in densities of 100/ha.
For the semiarid zone, plantations with forage shrubs of the genus Atriplex are described. Between 1975 and 1989, about 37,000 ha were planted in the coastal zone of Coquimbo region, 60% of them with A. nummularia and the rest with A. repanda. Productivity varies widely in both species. It depends on management techniques and environmental variables.
Afforestation with such species offers green forage during periods of scarcity of natural grasses, especially during long droughts. The rate of afforestation is declining because the government has stopped planting, and the private sector is planting less than expected. This is because often yields have been low, due to either natural causes or deficient management.
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