SUMMARY
In the city of Illapel, province of Choapa, Region of Coquimbo, Chile, (UTM coordinates 6498250N, 294390E) a project to avoiding the erosive process on the tributary slopes of Pajaritos hills at the limits of the city was carried out since 1975. The erosion represented a problem in terms of very high costs to mitigate torrential rainfall problem. The work developed by the National Forestry Service (CONAF) in the extent of similar actions to protect the Paloma dam in the Province of Limarí has been complemented through the time with improvement and maintenance labor.

A surface of 108.8 hectares was excluded for developing soil conservation methodologies such as infiltration trenches on the slopes and dry masonry at the bottom of the ravines. Native and introduced plants were used to forest the area, with a total of 35 different species from which 15 were assigned to constitute stands. The aim of the present study was to characterize the plantations with five native species: Atriplex repanda Phil., Prosopis chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz, Quillaja saponaria Mol, Schinus molle L. y Senna candolleana (Vogel) Irw. et Barneby.

The specific objectives were to evaluate the survival and growing of selected native species and to suggest recommendations concerning to the future management of selected species.

For the development of this work information from CONAF and the Municipality of Illapel files were reviewed, in order to take account the context of the activities. In support of cartography a route all over the area of study was carried out identifying the occurring species and those which were used for the forestation, describing the stands established on the site and the natural vegetation, dividing the area according to the existing microbasins of the place. In the stands, the survival was evaluated through height measures, stump diameter of each trunk, and canopy diameter. It is concluded that the species with the best results in terms of survival and growing was Schinus molle, which is distributed on 64. 1 hectares, together with Prosopis chilensis and Quillaja saponaria, these latter species occupying a minor area.

In the sector 3 corresponding to Quebrada Los Apestados where the forestation process was initiated in a greater surface with better exposed slopes and presence of native species, the best survival values and a promising recovery of the vegetation was achieved.

Recommendations about the management of species are suggested, in order to strengthen the soil protection and promote a controlled run-off considering pruning and clearing, rainwater harvesting, reforestation and protection, identifying other sites on province of Choapa to carrying out similar works.