Biodiversity In Boreal Forests Research Articles

Species–area relationships of red‐listed species in old boreal forests: a large‐scale data analysis

AbstractAim Species–area relationships are often applied, but not generally approved, to guide practical conservation planning. The specific species group analysed may affect their applicability. We asked if species–area curves constructed from extensive databases of various sectors of natural resource administration can provide insights into large‐scale conservation of boreal forest biodiversity if the analyses are restricted only to red‐listed species.Location Finland, northern Europe.Methods Our data included 12,645 records of 219 red‐listed Coleoptera and Fungi from the whole of Finland. The forest data also covered the entire country, 202,761 km2. The units of species–area analyses were 224 municipalities where the red‐listed forest species have been observed. We performed a hierarchical partitioning analysis to reveal the relative importance of different potential explanatory variables. Based on the results, for all red‐listed species, species associated with coniferous trees and for Fungi, the area of economically over‐aged forests explained the best the variation in data. For species associated with deciduous trees and Coleoptera, the forest area explained better variation in data than the area of old forests. In the subsequent log–log species–area regression analyses, we used the best variables as the explanatory variable for each species group.Results There was a strong relationship between the number of all red‐listed species and the area of old forests remaining, with a z‐value of 0.45. The area explained better the number of species associated with conifer trees and Fungi than the number of species associated with deciduous trees and Coleoptera.Main conclusions The high z‐values of species–area curves indicate that the remaining old‐growth patches constitute a real archipelago for the conifer‐associated red‐listed species, since lower values had been expected if the surrounding habitat matrix were a suitable habitat for the species analysed.

The importance of host tree age, size and growth rate as determinants of epiphytic lichen diversity in boreal spruce forests

The amount of large and old trees has decreased in the boreal forests during the last centuries of forestry. Such trees are important habitats for epiphytic lichens and there is a growing concern for lichen species that are associated with large and old trees. However, only little is known about the relative importance of tree size versus age as determinants of lichen diversity. Here we have determined the size, age and growth rate of 157 Norway spruce trees and recorded the occurrence of epiphytic lichen species on their branches and lower stems. The study includes crustose lichens and was done in two old-growth forests in SE Norway. Tree age and tree size were the parameters that explained the largest part of epiphytic lichen diversity. Only the growth rate of the most recent time period, i.e. 1984-2004, showed a statistically significant relationship to diversity. There was no indication of a stabilising species number with increasing tree age. Slow-growing and old trees were, however, mainly of importance to the lichen species growing on stems, and this set of species were in general adversely affected by a large amount of branches. The opposite was the case for the species that were confined to branches as their diversity increased when the amount of branches increased. Our study adds empirical data to support the importance of large and old trees as bearers of biodiversity in boreal forests. Site preservation and patch retention of groups of old and large trees is recommended as measures to maintain epiphytic lichen diversity.

Airborne laser scanning-based prediction of coarse woody debris volumes in a conservation area

The importance of dead wood (coarse woody debris, CWD) for biodiversity in boreal forests is high that is mainly due to its role in nutrient cycling and species habitation. Recognition of its importance in storing carbon has also raised an interest in developing new methods for assessing the quantity and quality of CWD. Since the traditional measuring techniques are often expensive to apply for the estimation of volume characteristics in the field, more attention is currently being paid to remote-sensing techniques that could provide lower cost data for forest inventories over large areas. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of airborne laser scanner (ALS) data for estimating downed and standing dead wood volumes. The analysis was based on field measurements from 33 sample plots which were evaluated against the ALS-derived height-intensity metrics obtained from the Koli National Park in eastern Finland. The accuracy of the ALS data proved adequate for predicting the downed dead wood volume (RMSE 51.6%), whereas the standing dead wood volume estimates were somewhat poorer (RMSE 78.8%). The ALS-based volume estimates for downed dead wood were found to be substantially more accurate than the estimates based on field-measured characteristics of living trees.

The demographic structure of European aspen (Populus tremula) populations in managed and old-growth boreal forests in eastern Finland

European aspen ( Populus tremula L.) is a keystone species for biodiversity in boreal forests. However, large aspen have largely been removed from managed forests, whereas regeneration and the long-term persistence of mature trees in protected areas are matters of concern. We recorded the numbers of mature (≥20 cm diameter) aspen in old-growth and managed forests in eastern Finland, based on a large-scale inventory (11 400 ha, 36 000 living and dead trees). In addition, saplings and small aspen trees were surveyed on thirty-six 1 ha sample plots. The average volumes of mature living and dead aspen were 4.0 and 1.3 m3/ha in continuous old-growth forests and 0.2 and 0.6 m3/ha in managed forests, respectively. These results indicate that large aspen trees in managed forests are a legacy of the past, when forest landscapes were less intensively managed. We conclude that the long-term persistence of aspen in protected areas can only be secured by means of restoration measures that create gaps large enough for regeneration to occur. More emphasis should be given to sparing aspen during thinning and to retaining mature aspen during regeneration cutting in managed forests.

Saproxylic beetle diversity in a managed boreal forest: importance of stand characteristics and forestry conservation measures

ABSTRACTSaproxylic beetles constitute a significant proportion of boreal forest biodiversity. However, the long history of timber production in Fennoscandia has significantly reduced the availability of dead wood and is considered a threat to the conservation of saproxylic beetle assemblages. Therefore, since the mid‐1990s dead wood retention in harvested stands has formed an integral part of silvicultural practices. However, the contribution of this biodiversity‐orientated management approach to conserving saproxylic beetle assemblages in boreal forest landscapes that include production forestry remains largely untested. We examined differences in resident saproxylic beetle assemblages among stands under different management in a boreal forest landscape in Central Sweden, and in particular stands managed according to new conservation‐orientated practices. We also investigated the relationship between beetle diversity and forest stand characteristics. Bark of coarse woody debris (CWD) was sieved for beetles in old managed stands, unmanaged nature reserves, and set‐aside areas, and clear‐cut stands harvested according to certification guidelines [new forestry (NF) clear‐cuts]. All stand types contributed significantly to the total diversity of beetles found. While stand size, position, and distance to nearest reserve were unimportant, both the quality and the quantity of CWD in stands contributed significantly to explaining beetle abundance and species richness. This extends the previous findings for red‐listed invertebrates, and shows that heterogeneous substrate quality and a range of management practices are necessary to maintain saproxylic beetle diversity in boreal forest landscapes that include production forestry. The unique abiotic conditions in combination with the abundant and varied CWD associated with NF clear‐cuts form an important component of forest stand heterogeneity for saproxylic beetles. It is thus essential that sufficient, diverse, CWD is retained in managed boreal landscapes to ensure the conservation of boreal saproxylic beetle assemblages.

Implementation of Forest Act habitats in Finland: Does it protect the right habitats for threatened species?

New forestry practices have been developed during the past decade in order to enhance biodiversity in managed forests. In Finland, Forest Act legislation has attempted to identify a set of key habitats (Forest Act habitats) to conserve biodiversity. The importance of Forest Act habitats (FAHs) for threatened vascular plants, lichens and bryophytes was studied in SW Finland. Of the populations of threatened species outside nature reserves 78% occurred in habitat types included in the Forest Act, but only 28% of the populations occurred in sites fulfilling the criteria defined in the Act. Most of these populations occurred in herb-rich forests, cliff forests and rock outcrops serving as hot spot habitats for threatened species. However, only 4% of the populations of threatened species occurring in sites fulfilling the criteria of the Forest Act were actually located in sites defined as FAHs by the forestry authorities. Furthermore, recent logging activities had often reduced the quality of defined FAH. In principle, FAHs have a potential to protect biodiversity in boreal forests, provided that the Act is properly implemented. However, the current study revealed an obvious gap between the Finnish forest legislation and its practical application, due to which the biodiversity targets of the Forest Act have been poorly fulfilled.

Extinction risk of wood-living model species in forest landscapes as related to forest history and conservation strategy

Dead wood is a critical resource for biodiversity in boreal forests. We analysed the persistence of five model species inhabiting dead wood. By parameterising a metapopulation model (the incidence function model), the model species were all assigned characteristics that makes it likely that they have disappeared from some (20%) forest landscapes with a long history of forest management. In the metapopulation model, a forest stand (5 ha) was regarded as a habitat patch. The amount of habitat in each patch was obtained from models of dead wood dynamics of Norway spruce in central Sweden. Dead wood generated by altered management over the entire landscape was found to be less efficient in reducing extinction risks in comparison to the same amount of dead wood generated by protecting reserves. Because generation of dead wood by altered management is often less expensive than setting aside reserves, it is difficult to determine which conservation measure is most cost-efficient. In a landscape subjected to forestry for the first time, it was better to preserve a few large reserves than many small ones. However, in a managed, highly fragmented forest landscape it was better to set aside many small reserves. The reason for this was that small plots with high habitat quality could be selected, while large reserves originally contained habitats both of high and low quality, and the rate of habitat quality increase was low. A strategy for biodiversity conservation in a managed forest landscape should include information about the history of the landscape, the current amount and spatial distribution of forest habitats, and the potential for rapid restoration of forest habitats, both on managed and unmanaged forest land.

Assemblages of wood‐inhabiting fungi along the gradients of succession and naturalness in boreal pine‐dominated forests in Fennoscandia

In boreal forests, the level of naturalness and the stage of succession explain most of the variation in forest structure within a particular forest type. Thus, these two factors should also have a major effect on species assemblages in forests, at least on species groups associated with wood. The present study is the first attempt to analyze empirically the simultaneous effects of forest succession and naturalness on wood‐inhabiting fungi, a taxonomic group of special ecological importance. The study area was situated in eastern Finland, middle boreal zone. A total of 41 study plots were established in Pinus sylvestris forests representing three levels of forest naturalness: natural, seminatural and intensively managed forests. Five stages of succession were distinguished according to the age of the dominating tree layer (<10, 40, 70, 110, and >150 yr old), except in managed forests where only four stages were available. A total of 5328 records of 195 species of fungi were made. The first, open stage of succession was clearly the most species‐rich period of succession in all levels of forest naturalness. In natural and seminatural forests, the first stage of succession was also very distinctive in its fungal composition, and thus of special value in protecting biodiversity in boreal forests. In the succession following the first stage, the level of naturalness had more effect on assemblages of fungi than did the stage of succession. Intensive forest management affects threatened species particularly. In conclusion, natural young stages of succession should also be included in the network of boreal forest reserves.

Nitrogen Deposition and the Biodiversity of Boreal Forests: Implications for the Nitrogen Critical Load

Nitrogen Deposition and the Biodiversity of Boreal Forests: Implications for the Nitrogen Critical Load

Nitrogen Deposition and the Biodiversity of Boreal Forests: Implications for the Nitrogen Critical Load

The critical load concept is used to establish the deposition levels which ecosystems can tolerate without significant harmful effects. Here we summarize work within the Swedish research program Abatement Strategies for Transboundary Air Pollution (ASTA) assessing the critical load of N for boreal forests. Results from both field experiments in an area with low background N deposition in northern Sweden, and from a large-scale monitoring study, show that important vegetational changes start to take place when adding low N doses and that recovery of the vegetation after ceasing N input is a very slow process. The data presented indicate that changes in key ecosystem components occur even at a lower rate of N input than the present recommended empirical critical load for boreal forest understorey vegetation of 10-15 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1). Based on the data presented, we suggest that the critical load should be lowered to 6 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1).

Influence of a deer carcass on Coleopteran diversity in a Scandinavian boreal forest: a preliminary study

We tested the effect of a large ungulate carcass on boreal forest biodiversity by contrasting the local abundance and diversity of Coleoptera around a roe deer Capreolus capreolus carcass and in a control plot, between 8 August and 3 September 2003, in southern Norway. The two plots differed both in occurrence and richness of species, which were almost double at the carcass plot, although the diversity indices were similar. The higher evenness of the control plot compensated for its lower number of species, probably because the carcass plot was a disturbed area, colonized by many species, which were represented by few individuals. The number of beetles captured each day correlated positively with temperature at the control plot, but not at the carcass plot, indicating that the presence of an abundant and concentrated resource increased the local activity of Coleoptera. The carcass is likely to create a particular microclimate, which could partly buffer against extremes of air-temperature variation. These preliminary results indicate that ungulate carcasses have a significant ecological impact, which should be further investigated to improve the management and restoration of European boreal forest ecosystems.

Impacts of retention felling on coarse woody debris (CWD) in mature boreal spruce forests in Finland

We studied the immediate changes in pre-treatment coarse woody debris (CWD) after retention felling and mechanical site preparation (scarification) in mature Picea abies-dominated boreal forest. Retention felling and scarification were hypothetised to affect the amount of CWD. The disturbance caused to CWD was assumed to depend on species and decay class. Logs were inventoried before fellings, after fellings, and after scarification, estimating the damage percentage for each log. After felling, 7.8% of the total pre-treatment volume of CWD was destroyed in the felled area. After scarification, the decline from pre-treatment volume was 67.6% in the felled area. The amount of CWD decreased also inside the retention tree groups; in the 1st post-treatment season, 4.6% was destroyed of the pre-treatment volume and 20% in the 2nd season. Of the retained trees, 40% were uprooted by the end of the 2nd season. If the majority of the initial downed CWD is destroyed by scarification, as our results show, we can estimate that since scarification became a widely used regeneration method in the 1960s, at least from 4 to 6 million m3 of CWD has already been destroyed in Finland. The role of CWD as a key element for biodiversity in boreal forest is generally accepted, which has led to retention of trees in fellings instead of clear felling. We suggest that at least as important as leaving trees in order to maintain continuum in CWD and species diversity is to preserve existing CWD in fellings over the regeneration phase. This can be done using less destructive harvesting methods, reduced use of scarification and placing retention tree groups in patches with high amounts of CWD.

A functional relationship between species richness of spiders and lichens in spruce

Modern forestry has created stands with even age distribution of trees and fragmentation of the habitat. In boreal forests, the effects on biodiversity within many taxa need to be examined. We tested the hypothesis that species richness of foliose and fruticose lichens and spiders is positively related in the lower canopy of spruce (Picea abies) in forests with, or without, management in central Sweden. High species richness of lichens may increase the structural complexity of the microhabitat on spruce branches, and bring a higher species richness also in the spider community. In six areas, spruce branches were sampled in old-growth and managed boreal forest stands, respectively. Forest management did not affect the species richness of spiders or lichens, but an effect due to sampling area was found in the latter taxon. There was a significant covariation between species richness of lichens and spiders, and the hypothesised positive correlation was confirmed by separate analyses for each area and combining the probabilities. Moreover, regression analysis on mean values from each site revealed a positive relationship. We conclude that species richness of lichens and spiders covary on spruce branches for functional reasons, i.e. more lichen species promotes a more diverse spider community by increasing the structural heterogeneity. Our results might provide a ‘shortcut’ for assessing biodiversity in boreal forests.

The Nature of ecosystem management: postmodernism and plurality in the sustainable management of the boreal forest

Abstract Ecosystem management, by seeking to emulate natural disturbance, has been proposed by the ecological and forest management community as a means of maintaining the biodiversity and productivity of boreal forests, key components of sustainable forest management (SFM). However, it is argued that ecosystem management overlooks the paradox inherent in the concept of Nature, limiting the scope of the SFM debate by maintaining a binary opposition between Nature and Society, humans and the environment. Nature is paradoxical because humans are part of Nature, by the theory of evolution, while at the same time Nature is a social construction created by humans, and thus artificial. Recourse is made to postmodernism in order to examine the metaphysical and sociopolitical implications of the deconstruction of this paradox. Based on a review of the philosophy of Foucault and Derrida, the concept of Nature is demonstrated to be socially mediated, an entwinement of reason and power. In order to address metaphysical challenges of the Nature–Society dualism identified above, I refer to Habermas’s theory of communicative action and cite results from a case study in this regard. Results from this case study prompt a critical examination of the legitimacy of a discourse ethic about Nature, making use of the negative dialectics of Adorno. As a result, at the metaphysical level, a different role for ecologists and forest managers in public participation procedures is proposed, one whereby ecologists talk through Nature to the evolutionary agents to which it is intended to refer as a means of discussing whether specific management options will contribute to sustainable development. It is argued that at the sociopolitical level SFM will necessitate improved transparency and participation in forestry, criteria that can be attained through community-based ecosystem management. Both elements require a science more actively engaged with civil society.

Modelling dead wood in Norway spruce stands subject to different management regimes

Strategies for preserving biodiversity in boreal forests should include the maintenance of coarse woody debris (CWD) because this substrate is a key feature for the preservation of many threatened species. Computer simulation programs are useful tools for predicting the amount of CWD that will arise if certain management practices are applied in the long term. We have constructed and used a simulation program based on stochastic equations, which aims at predicting the amount of CWD in homogenous stands of Norway spruce in central Scandinavia. Because the rate of tree mortality is a critical factor in such simulations, we present such data derived from spruce-dominated forests surveyed in the Swedish National Forest Inventory. A comparison between simulation outcomes and field data shows that the average quantity of CWD in today’s managed forest is possible to predict using the simulation model. If the forest is managed according to the Forest Certification Standard, the amount of CWD (diameter larger than 10 cm) will be almost three times higher as the amount in today’s managed forests. The amount of CWD was found to be highest in old stands and immediately after cutting. In stands of an intermediate age the amount of CWD was low, especially CWD in early decay stages and of larger sizes. High productivity and long rotation time tended, on average, to increase the amount of CWD in stands. Among the management practices recommended in the new biodiversity-oriented forestry, retention of small areas with living trees is the most efficient way to increase the average amount and continuous occurrence of CWD within a stand, at least if the retained areas are as productive as the main part of the stands.

Sampling the rarest: threatened beetles in boreal forest biodiversity inventories

Presence or absence of threatened species in samples is information that is widely used in designing and implementing conservation actions. We explored the effectiveness of beetle (Coleoptera) inventories and contribution of different sampling methods in revealing occurrences of threatened and near threatened species in boreal forests. The number of species caught using traps in a particular area proved to be a useful indicator of the representativeness of data, the relationship between total number of species and the number of threatened and near threatened species being almost exponential. Samples containing less than 200 trapped species (or 2000 individuals) are almost useless in surveying threatened and near threatened species. The probability of finding such species increases considerably when the number of trapped species exceeds 400. Window traps attached directly on the trunks of dead trees proved to be the most efficient sampling method in trapping threatened beetles, whereas many other standard methods gave relatively poor results. We suggest that the best alternative in surveying threatened species in boreal forests is a combination of intensive direct searching and trunk window traps. Finding threatened beetles with rigorous probability requires very large sample sizes, even if the most effective sampling methods are used. For example, ranking 10 boreal forest areas to be protected according to the occurrence of threatened species with some reliability may require trapping of over 100000 beetle individuals. Collecting and identifying these large samples routinely in conservation actions is not feasible, which means that shortcuts (indicators etc.) are necessary. However, a lot of good-quality inventories with appropriate sampling efforts are needed before these shortcuts can be identified and elaborated. Such inventories are also crucial for the improvement of the classification of threatened species and full assessment on how past forest management has eventually affected the biota.

Science and the Management of Boreal Forest Biodiversity

The two most important consequences of modern large-scale forestry for biodiversity are the loss of habitats and the transformation of remaining habitats into homogenous and production intensive systems. In order to counteract these negative effects Fennoscandian forestry has introduced a number of biodiversity-oriented management practices, e.g., creation of artificial snags, green tree retention, prescribed burning, creation of corridors and buffer strips. Most, if not all, of the new silvicultural methods were introduced based only on scanty scientific evidence. In this paper background to the present situation in Fennoscandian boreal forestry is given in order to introduce papers presented at a Swedish/Finnish workshop on ''Science and the Management of Boreal Forest Biodiversity'' at Olofsfors, Sweden in September 1999. The fact that Fennoscandian forestry has practiced large-scale biodiversity management for more than a decade provides us with a unique opportunity to scientifically evaluate the accuracy of these methods. As we progress in scientific understanding modifications in management practices can be made and their outcomes evaluated both in term of biodiversity and timber production.

Science and the Management of Boreal Forest Biodiversity - Forest Industries' Views

Science and the Management of Boreal Forest Biodiversity - Forest Industries' Views

Management of Boreal Forest Biodiversity - A View from the Outside

A plethora of new concepts for managing production forests so as to preserve biodiversity have found their way into management procedures without much testing to make them most effective. The general framework for a new approach has, in most regions, been ecosystem management, although small reserves are still used, as in the Swedish key habitat sites. Ecosystem management usually entails a focus on processes rather than on species directly, and the key processes in boreal forests are almost always seen as disturbances. Further, although such disturbances as insect and pathogen outbreaks, windstorms, and snow avalanches can be crucial, the concern has been almost wholly with fire. The idea that production forestry should mimic natural disturbance (fire) regimes is a step in the right direction but too simplistic. What needs to be determined is exactly which aspects of natural disturbance regimes are important to which species. Because different types of disturbance interact with one another, understanding the impacts on biodiversity of complex disturbance regimes will require experiments on a scale relevant to regional conservation, as well as intensive monitoring. So far, the effort on experimentation and monitoring is not nearly sufficient to generate detailed management prescriptions, although many management procedures already in place (e.g., retention of green trees and coarse woody debris) are probably useful.

Conservation of biodiversity in Scandinavian boreal forests: large carnivores as flagships, umbrellas, indicators, or keystones?

Large carnivores are often used as focal species (indicators, umbrellas, flagships or keystones) in conservation strategies either aimed at conserving carnivores, the rest of the biodiversity that occupies their habitats, or both. We evaluate their suitability for these roles in the context of boreal forest biodiversity conservation in the muti-use landscapes of Scandinavia. The enormous conflicts, especially with livestock, that carnivores cause in these areas makes them very controversial flagships to the extent that it may affect rural people's attitudes to conservation in general. Because of the broad habitat tolerance of large carnivores and their prey, and the difficulties in surveying carnivore numbers, they are very insensitive and impractical indicators of forest biodiversity. This ability of large carnivores to thrive in industrial forests means that the many species that are sensitive to modern forestry will not fall under the umbrella of areas managed for large carnivores. If large carnivores have a keystone function with respect to affecting the density of their ungulate prey it is likely to lead to even further conflicts with hunters who gain economic benefit from harvesting wild ungulates. In other words, none of the classic `ecological' arguments are likely to help justify large carnivore conservation, and large carnivore conservation is unlikely to help conserve the rest of the boreal forest's biodiversity. Based on these arguments we recommend that (1) justification for large carnivore conservation focus on the real philosophical and value orientated reasons rather than ecological justifications, (2) that this conservation should be brought about in practice by dedicated management programs that specifically address the conflicts caused by large carnivores, and (3) that boreal forest biodiversity is best conserved by specific actions designed to establish reserves or change forestry practices.