Initial impact of clear-cut logging on dynamics of understory vascular plants and  pollinators in Scots pine-dominated forests in Lithuania

Vilma KAŠKONIENĖ,Paulius KAŠKONAS,Laima ČESONIENĖ,Nicola TISO,Remigijus DAUBARAS,Marcin ZYCH,Audrius Sigitas MARUŠKA

doi:10.3906/tar-1804-71

Abstract

The development of understory plants and attendant changes of pollinators immediately after clear-cut logging were studied in boreal Scots pine forests. Experiments were carried out in Vacciniosa and Vaccinio-myrtillosa forest types. Considerable decline of the dwarf shrub layer confirmed the negative reaction of this dominated understory life form; however, the frequency dynamics of different vascular plants demonstrated species-specific response to changing environmental conditions. Because of rapid changes of light as well as damage of rhizomes by soil disturbances, the values of mean cover and frequency of the studied Ericaceae species decreased. We detected the most sensitive understory species to be Lycopodium annotinum, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi , and Goodyera repens ; consequently, their preservation is possible only under sustainable forest resources exploitation. On the other hand, arrival of new light-demanding species caused increased pollinator visitation to focal ericaceous shrubs.

Highlights

Present-day activities in forest management involve different aspects of biodiversity such as exploitation of nonwood forest products and the monitoring of rare and threatened plant and insect species
Similar consistent tendencies were found in previous studies comparing effect of cuts on understory plants
Rapid spread was determined for anemochorous species R. acetosella, E. angustifolium, and S. vulgaris (Appendix)

Summary

Introduction

Present-day activities in forest management involve different aspects of biodiversity such as exploitation of nonwood forest products and the monitoring of rare and threatened plant and insect species. Maintenance of managed forest resources influences the ecosystem on different levels: genes, individual organisms, species, and populations. The handling of timber and clearing-cutting cause the destruction of understory plants and the alteration of the forest floor structures. Clear-cuts followed by intensive soil preparation, scarification, and planting substantially influence the biodiversity because these works disturb natural forest dynamics (Bergstedt et al, 2008; Paillet et al, 2010). Thereby, human activities strongly affect the vertical structure of different forest habitats and change the composition and the distribution of trees, shrubs, and herb species and the amount of litter

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Conclusion