Abstract
Managed forests are a key component of strategies aimed at tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. Tapping this potential requires a better understanding of the complex, simultaneous effects of forest management on biodiversity, carbon stocks and productivity. Here, we used data of 135 one-hectare plots from southwestern Germany to disentangle the relative influence of gradients of management intensity, carbon stocks and forest productivity on different components of forest biodiversity (birds, bats, insects, plants) and tree-related microhabitats. We tested whether the composition of taxonomic groups varies gradually or abruptly along these gradients. The richness of taxonomic groups was rather insensitive to management intensity, carbon stocks and forest productivity. Despite the low explanatory power of the main predictor variables, forest management had the greatest relative influence on richness of insects and tree-related microhabitats, while carbon stocks influenced richness of bats, birds, vascular plants and pooled taxa. Species composition changed relatively abruptly along the management intensity gradient, while changes along carbon and productivity gradients were more gradual. We conclude that moderate increases in forest management intensity and carbon stocks, within the range of variation observed in our study system, might be compatible with biodiversity and climate mitigation objectives in managed forests.
Highlights
Managed forests are a key component of strategies aimed at tackling the climate and biodiversity crises
Kahl and Bauhus (2014) proposed to quantify forest management as a gradient of intensity based on three aspects: (a) the appropriation of woody biomass measured as the proportion of harvested tree volume compared to the theoretical maximum stocking volume, (b) the change in tree species composition measured as the proportion of non-native vs. native trees in a stand, and (c) the maintenance of natural stand structural dynamics measured as the proportion of dead wood originating from harvesting activities vs. that of natural origin
In our study on temperate, mountain forests, we found a weak relationship between the richness of species or orders of different taxonomic groups and management intensity, tree biomass carbon stocks and productivity
Summary
Managed forests are a key component of strategies aimed at tackling the climate and biodiversity crises. We used data of 135 one-hectare plots from southwestern Germany to disentangle the relative influence of gradients of management intensity, carbon stocks and forest productivity on different components of forest biodiversity (birds, bats, insects, plants) and tree-related microhabitats. European forests harbor a large share of the continent’s biodiversity and make an important contribution to climate mitigation[2,3], despite the fact that previous land-use changes and a long tradition of management has altered their structure and composition substantially[4]. They are increasingly affected by climate change, which might threaten the provisioning of important ecosystem services as well as forests’ support for biodiversity[5,6]. This approach has proved useful when assessing the influence of forest management intensity on biodiversity (e.g. Seibold et al.[34])
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