Abstract
In the modern forestry paradigm, many factors influence the amount of coarse woody debris (CWD). The present paper analyzes the effects of both local (national) programs (special functions of forests) and European programs (Natura 2000 sites), as well as the individual characteristics of forest stands. The study was conducted on 2,752 sampling plots distributed over an area of about 17,500 ha and located in lowland stands having a species composition typical of large areas in central Europe. Natura 2000 areas contained significantly more CWD (8.4 m3/ha) than areas not covered by the program (4.8 m3/ha). However, this is due to the fact that Natura 2000 sites involve well-preserved forest areas, such as nature reserves (26.6 m3/ha). In the managed forests that have been covered by the Natura 2000 program over the past several years, the volume of CWD has not increased. Forests with ecological and social functions differed slightly in the amount of CWD. More CWD occurred in protected animal areas (8.7 m3/ha) than in stands damaged by industry (3.9 m3/ha). Intermediate CWD levels were found in water-protection forests and in forests located around cities and military facilities. In managed forests, the lowest CWD volume was observed in middle-aged stands. The species composition of the stand had little effect on the volume of CWD. Only stands with a predominance of ash and alder had higher CWD levels (13.5 m3/ha). More CWD was found in stands whose species composition did not represent the potential site quality (6.4 m3/ha) than in habitats with the optimum species composition (3.8 m3/ha). CWD volume should be systematically increased taking into consideration local natural conditions. Such efforts should be focused on particularly valuable regions, and especially on Natura 2000 sites, where the threshold values reported from other European forests should be reached. Leaving some trees to die naturally and retaining reasonable amounts of such trees ought to be incorporated into CWD management practice in Poland.
Highlights
Due to the small overall area of unmanaged forests, it appears necessary to conserve biodiversity in managed forests
Intermediate coarse woody debris (CWD) levels were found in water-protection forests and in forests located around cities and military facilities
The objective of the present paper was to investigate the effect of forest management on the amount of CWD in forests fulfilling a variety of functions, taking into consideration the various management requirements imposed on different areas
Summary
Due to the small overall area of unmanaged forests, it appears necessary to conserve biodiversity in managed forests. Coarse woody debris (CWD) plays an important role in the functioning of forest ecosystems, while its deficiency is considered to be one of the most important factors in the loss of forest biodiversity (Harmon et al 1986; Siitonen 2001; Stokland et al 2012). In forests fulfilling predominantly economic functions the role of this component of the ecosystem was underestimated and meticulous removal of dead trees was perceived as a sign of concern for forest health. In their review of deadwood threshold data from European forests, Muller and Butler (2010) revealed 36 critical values, but knowledge in this field is still small. The threshold ranges are 10–80 m3/ha for boreal and lowland forests and 10–150 m3/ha for mixed-montane forest, with the peak values being 20–30 m3/ha for boreal forests, 30–40 m3/ha for mixed-montane forests, and 30–50 m3/ha for lowland oak-beech forests
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