Abstract
The choice of tree species used in production forests matters for biodiversity and ecosystem services. In Sweden, damage to young production forests by large browsing herbivores is helping to drive a development where sites traditionally regenerated with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) are instead being regenerated with Norway spruce (Picea abies). We provide a condensed synthesis of the available evidence regarding the likely resultant implications for forest biodiversity and ecosystem services from this change in tree species. Apart from some benefits (e.g. reduced stand-level browsing damage), we identified a range of negative outcomes for biodiversity, production, esthetic and recreational values, as well as increased stand vulnerability to storm, frost, and drought damage, and potentially higher risks of pest and pathogen outbreak. Our results are directly relevant to forest owners and policy-makers seeking information regarding the uncertainties, risks, and trade-offs likely to result from changing the tree species in production forests.
Highlights
Production forests can provide a broad range of ecosystem services, including biomass for materials and energy, habitat for biodiversity, environments for recreation, and non-wood forest products
We summarized the current state of scientific evidence regarding the implications of converting Scots pine stands to Norway spruce for key elements of forest biodiversity, and a range of forest-related cultural, provisioning, and regulatory services
Our analysis revealed a complex matrix of outcomes for forest biodiversity and ecosystem services arising from the conversion of existing production pine stands to spruce
Summary
Production forests can provide a broad range of ecosystem services, including biomass for materials and energy, habitat for biodiversity, environments for recreation, and non-wood forest products. Swedish forestry is highly effective, enabling this high-latitude country with just 1% of the world’s forest area, to be the third largest exporter of pulp, paper and sawn timber (SFIF 2018) Sweden achieves this primarily by rotationally clear felling even-aged stands of either native Norway spruce (Picea abies) or native Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), which together comprise 80% of Sweden’s standing volume (SLU 2018). Though successful in terms of biomass production and harvesting efficiency, the widespread uniformity of current silviculture has raised concerns regarding impacts on forest biodiversity, the breadth of ecosystem services provided, and forest resilience (Ulmanen et al 2012) In this regard since the early 1990s, the Swedish Forest Act gives equal status to environmental and production objectives (Gov. bill 1992/93:226).
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