Central European Forests Research Articles

An introduced pine shapes gastropod assemblages in the Central European broadleaved forest

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the introduction of Pinus sylvestris on the mesofauna of the forest floor in the Central European oak-hornbeam forest, using gastropods as a model group. Data on terrestrial gastropods and environmental variables were collected in 2012–2014 from 25 study plots (14 without pine and 11 with pine) at 14 localities scattered across Wielkopolska province in mid-western Poland. Forty-two species (34 of snails and 8 of slugs) were recorded, with significantly lower numbers of individuals and species in plots with pine. The negative effect of the presence of pine trees was most evident at the level of gastropod abundance. The species composition of gastropod assemblage was also significantly different between plots with and without pine. The symptoms of the assemblage’s reduction, impoverishment and trivialization thus suggested a long-term effect of the introduced pine on natural mesofauna. However, gastropod assemblage was shaped not by one dominating factor, but by a multifactorial combination of interacting variables, particularly related to herbaceous vegetation and to the tree- and shrub layer. Herb layer cover, moisture (reflected in the herbs), fertility (reflected in the herbs), and locally also the amount of calcium in the soil and insolation were found to be significant for the structure of gastropod assemblages. More environmental variables were significant at the sample level (i.e. within forest) than at the plot level (i.e. between forests), which is likely to be due to greater variation in the conditions within a rich forest as opposed to lower variation between forests. This highlighted the importance of using a two-scale approach to understand the conditions affecting gastropod assemblage structure in a habitat that is seemingly homogenous on the macro scale, but diversified and mosaic in the micro scale. The negative effects of pine introduction and the positive significance of the multifactorial combination of habitat factors at the macro- and micro level appear as important guidelines for favourable biodiversity management in the Central European oak-hornbeam forest and in other broadleaved forests.

Comparison of field survey and remote sensing techniques for detection of bark beetle-infested trees

Detection in the early phase of bark beetle infestation is a vital task for proactive management strategies, as practiced in most Central European forests, to minimize economic losses due to bark beetle infestation and to mitigate their further spreading. For this work, remote sensing methods are coming to be in great demand as an objective approach to enable monitoring bark beetle infestation even at individual tree level.This case study monitored bark beetle (Ips typographus) activity at local level in Norway spruce forest in the Czech Republic. The main aim of this study was to compare the remote sensing methods against classical field survey conducted by forest workers in detecting newly infested trees.To compare these two methods, an extensive field and aerial campaign was conducted in the southern part of the Czech Republic during 2020. Bark beetle infestation was monitored by traditional methods (i.e. field survey) on a weekly basis from mid-March to mid-September. During the same period, aerial scans were performed once per month (seven in total) using a CASI-1500 hyperspectral sensor (visible and near-infrared, 400–1000 nm) with spatial resolution of 0.5 m. This work mapped transition from healthy up to red attack of 75 Norway spruce trees that were infested during the same week. The same number of healthy trees were added to the data set for hyperspectral data analysis. Both groups were analysed by vegetation indices, with emphasis on effect caused in the canopy by bark beetles.The success rate for bark beetle detection is always associated with acquisition time. In order to define the optimal time for data acquisition, we employed a phenology model for I. typographus (RITY 2.0) to take into consideration bark beetle development.The results of the experiment showed that classic field survey detected infested trees earlier than did analysis using remote sensing data from the visible and near-infrared region. The difference was 23 days for the most successful indices (i.e. REIP, PRI, and ANCB650–720) in our test. Nevertheless, both methods detected the infested trees within 6 weeks after infestation, which is the recommended period for taking measures to prevent bark beetles from spreading further, and thus hyperspectral imagery can be used as a valid information source for bark beetle detection.

Bird Response to Small- and Large-Scale Natural Disturbances in Mountain Spruce Forests in Central Europe

Bird Response to Small- and Large-Scale Natural Disturbances in Mountain Spruce Forests in Central Europe

Quantifying the Impact of Soil on Tree and Stand Growth in Semi-Natural Forests in Central Europe

Quantifying the Impact of Soil on Tree and Stand Growth in Semi-Natural Forests in Central Europe

Post-Fire Forest Floor Succession in a Central European Temperate Forest Depends on Organic Matter Input from Recovering Vegetation Rather than on Pyrogenic Carbon Input from Fire

Post-Fire Forest Floor Succession in a Central European Temperate Forest Depends on Organic Matter Input from Recovering Vegetation Rather than on Pyrogenic Carbon Input from Fire

A remote sensing-guided forest inventory concept using multispectral 3D and height information from ZiYuan-3 satellite data

AbstractIncreased frequencies of storms and droughts due to climate change are changing central European forests more rapidly than in previous decades. To monitor these changes, multispectral 3D remote sensing (RS) data can provide relevant information for forest management and inventory. In this case study, data of the multispectral 3D-capable satellite system ZiYuan-3 (ZY-3) were used in a RS-guided forest inventory concept to reduce the field sample size compared to the standard grid inventory. We first pre-stratified the forest area via the ZY-3 dataset into coniferous, broadleaved and mixed forest types using object-based image analysis. Each forest type was then split into three height strata using the ZY-3 stereo module-derived digital canopy height model (CHM). Due to limited sample sizes, we reduced the nine to six strata. Then, for each of the six strata, we randomly selected representative segments for inventory plot placement. We then conducted field inventories in these plots. The collected field data were used to calculate forest attributes, such as tree species composition, timber volume and canopy height at plot level (terrestrially measured tree height and height information from ZY-3 CHM). Subsequently, we compared the resulting forest attributes from the RS-guided inventory with the reference data from a grid inventory based only on field plots. The difference in mean timber volumes to the reference was +30.21 m3ha−1 (8.99 per cent) for the RS-guided inventory with terrestrial height and −11.32 m3ha−1 (−3.37 per cent) with height information from ZY-3 data. The relative efficiency (RE) indicator was used to compare the different sampling schemes. The RE as compared to a random reduction of the sample size was 1.22 for the RS-guided inventory with terrestrial height measurements and 1.85 with height information from ZY-3 data. The results show that the presented workflow based on 3D ZY-3 data is suitable to support forest inventories by reducing the sample size and hence potentially increase the inventory frequency.

Can the invasive ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus germanus withstand an unusually cold winter in the West Carpathian forest in Central Europe?

Abstract The capability of a non-native species to withstand adverse weather is indicative of its establishment in a novel area. An unusually cold winter of 2016/2017 that occurred in the West Carpathians of Slovakia and other regions within Europe provided an opportunity to indirectly assess survival of the invasive ambrosia beetle Xylosandrus germanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae). We compared trap captures of this species in the year preceding and succeeding the respective cold winter. Ethanol-baited traps were deployed in 24 oak dominated forest stands within the southern and central area from April to August 2016, and again from April to August 2017 to encompass the seasonal flight activity of X. germanus and to get acquainted with temporal changes in the abundance of this species in these two distant areas. Dispersing X. germanus were recorded in all surveyed stands before and after the aforementioned cold winter. Their total seasonal trap captures were lower in the southern area following low winter temperatures, but remained similar in the central area. Our results suggest that X. germanus can withstand adverse winter weather in oak dominated forests of the West Carpathians within altitudes of 171 and 450 m asl. It is likely that minimum winter temperatures will not reduce the establishment or further spread of this successful invader in forests in Central Europe.

Cumulative growth and stress responses to the 2018-2019 drought in a European floodplain forest.

Droughts increasingly threaten the world's forests and their potential to mitigate climate change. In 2018-2019, Central European forests were hit by two consecutive hotter drought years, an unprecedented phenomenon that is likely to occur more frequently with climate change. Here, we examine tree growth and physiological stress responses (increase in carbon isotope composition; Δδ13 C) to this consecutive drought based on tree rings of dominant tree species in a Central European floodplain forest. Tree growth was not reduced for most species in 2018, indicating that water supply in floodplain forests can partly buffer meteorological water deficits. Drought stress responses in 2018 were comparable to former single drought years but the hotter drought in 2018 induced drought legacies in tree growth while former droughts did not. We observed strong decreases in tree growth and increases in Δδ13 C across all tree species in 2019, which are likely driven by the cumulative stress both consecutive hotter droughts exerted. Our results show that consecutive hotter droughts pose a novel threat to forests under climate change, even in forest ecosystems with comparably high levels of water supply.

Forest margins provide favourable microclimatic niches to swarming bark beetles, but Norway spruce trees were not attacked by Ips typographus shortly after edge creation in a field experiment

Mass outbreaks of the European spruce bark beetle, Ips typographus, have caused devastating damage to Norway spruce-dominated forests in Central Europe. Biotic and abiotic natural disturbances as well as logging activities promote the fragmentation of forest stands, further increasing their susceptibility to damaging events. The creation of forest edges abruptly alters microclimatic conditions, such as trees suddenly being exposed to the sun. A common hypothesis is that trees remaining at the margins of clear cuts are initiation spots for spruce bark beetle infestation. This study comprehensively investigates the direct effects of forest edge establishment in spring on air and bark temperatures, soil water potential, tree sap flow, resin flow, bark defence compounds, and olfactometric cues for bark beetles provided by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in proximity to trees. Ips typographus host acceptance was tested in limited-choice (attack box) and non-choice (Eppendorf tubes) field bioassays.Bark surface temperatures and resin flow clearly increased in trees of the freshly cut forest edges in spring, while sap flow rates did not differ from those of shaded trees in the inner forest. Soil water potential was high throughout the study season owing to sufficient precipitation and decreased only in August. Contrary to similar amounts of monoterpenes in the phloem of inner forest and edge trees, VOC concentrations were enhanced in May and June at the forest margin, also due to the presence of fresh logging residuals. The increased bark surface temperatures and VOC concentrations near forest edge trees were observed simultaneously with enhanced moving activity of I. typographus in the attack box bioassays soon after edge establishment in May. The effectiveness of increased resin flow in spring as a contributor to defence of edge trees could not be evaluated in the attack box bioassays, as boring holes at both edge and inner forest trees were observed, mainly later in the season. We conclude that fresh forest edges are not more susceptible to I. typographus attack shortly after establishment than closed forest stands but that microclimatic conditions of forest margins and olfactory signals from standing edge trees and logging residuals favour beetle swarming. Spruce bark beetle infestation patterns in fragmented forests are likely dependent on population densities and timing of predisposing abiotic disturbance and harvesting events.

Water retention of the organic soil horizon in a central European deciduous forest

Water retention of the organic soil horizon in a central European deciduous forest

Evaluating Recent and Future Climatic Suitability for the Cultivation of Norway Spruce in the Czech Republic in Comparison with Observed Tree Cover Loss between 2001 and 2020

The high portion of secondary Norway spruce in Central European forests constitutes a major problem because a significant part of these forests is moving further away from their original bioclimatic envelope. The precise evaluation and prediction of climatic suitability are needed for the implementation of forest adaptation strategies. We evaluated climatic suitability for the cultivation of Norway spruce in the Czech Republic forests, making use of the Random Forest combined learning statistical method. The evaluation presented was based on a comparison with the climatic normal period 1961–1990; change analysis was carried out for the period 1991–2014 and projected for 2021–2040 and 2041–2060. We found that suitable conditions for Norway spruce will remain only in 11.3% by area of Czech forests in the period 2041–2060 vs. 46.0% in the period 1961–1990. We also compared tree cover loss data (using Global Forest Watch) from 2001 to 2020 with statistics on salvage logging. In the period, the cover loss affected 19.5% of the area with more than 30% Norway spruce. The relationships between relative tree cover loss and the percentage of salvage logging caused by insects were conclusive and statistically significant.

Longer Growing Seasons Cause Hydrological Regime Shifts in Central European Forests

In this study, we present evidence for a hydrological regime shift in upland central European forests. Using a combination of long-term data, detailed field measurements and modelling, we show that there is a prolonged and persistent decline in annual runoff:precipitation ratios that is most likely linked to longer growing seasons. We performed a long term (1950–2018) water balance simulation for a Czech upland forest headwater catchment calibrated against measured streamflow and transpiration from deciduous and coniferous stands. Simulations were corroborated by long-term (1965–2018) borehole measurements and historical drought reports. A regime shift from positive to negative catchment water balances likely occurred in the early part of this century. Since 2007, annual runoff:precipitation ratios have been below the long-term average. Annual average temperatures have increased, but there have been no notable long term trends in precipitation. Since 1980, there has been a pronounced April warming, likely leading to earlier leaf out and higher annual transpiration, making water unavailable for runoff generation and/or soil moisture recharge. Our results suggest a regime shift due to second order effects of climate change where increased transpiration associated with a longer growing season leads to a shift from light to water limitation in central European forests. This will require new approaches to managing forests where water limitation has previously not been a problem.

Sub-fossil bark beetles as indicators of past disturbance events in temperate Picea abies mountain forests

Temperate mountain forests have experienced an increase in frequency and severity of natural disturbances (e.g., droughts, fires, windstorms and insect outbreaks) in recent decades due to climate and environmental change. Outbreaks of bark beetles have caused significant dieback of conifer forests in Central Europe and it is essential to model and predict the potential severity of future bark beetle outbreaks. However, to predict future bark beetle activity, historical baseline information is required to contextualize the magnitude of current and potential future outbreaks. A fossil beetle record from a forest hollow in the Tatra Mountains, Slovakia; one of the best-preserved national parks in Central Europe, was produced to identify insect outbreaks during the last millennia. Sub-fossil bark beetle remains were compared with parallel pollen and charcoal to assess whether peaks in conifer bark beetle remains correspond with indications of disturbance documented in historical or sedimentary fossil records. Three peaks in bark beetle remains were detected (1) post-2004, (2) AD 1140–1440, and (3) AD 930–1030. The abundance of species Pityogenes chalcographus and Pityophthorus pityographus in the two top samples can be linked directly to large bark beetle outbreaks in the High Tatra Mountains after 2004. P. chalcographus and P. pityographus are also the abundant species in the second peak (AD 1140–1440) while the third peak (AD 930–1030) consists of the species Polygraphus poligraphus. The most prominent conifer bark beetle in Central Europe, Ips typographus, was found to be present in most of the samples but always at very low numbers. It is plausible that P. chalcographus and P. pityographus fossils might be useful proxies for past conifer bark beetle outbreaks in Central Europe, as they occur together with fossils of I. typographus but appear to be well-preserved. A significant correlation was found between primary bark beetles and macroscopic charcoal densities in the sediment, highlighting the complex interactions between disturbance agents, bark beetles and fire, in this long-term regime of natural disturbances. Our 1400-year disturbance record shows how bark beetle outbreaks have been an important component of the regional natural disturbance regime for over a millennium and have intensified with increasing anthropogenic activity. Bark beetle outbreaks are likely one of the drivers promoting the future ecological stability of the temperate conifer ecosystem over decades to centuries.

Tree Species Classification in a Temperate Mixed Mountain Forest Landscape Using Random Forest and Multiple Datasets

For monitoring protected forest landscapes over time it is essential to follow changes in tree species composition and forest dynamics. Data driven remote sensing methods provide valuable options if terrestrial approaches for forest inventories and monitoring activities cannot be applied efficiently due to restrictions or the size of the study area. We demonstrate how species can be detected at a single tree level utilizing a Random Forest (RF) model using the Black Forest National Park as an example of a Central European forest landscape with complex relief. The classes were European silver fir (Abies alba, AA), Norway spruce (Picea abies, PA), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris, PS), European larch (Larix decidua including Larix kampferii, LD), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii, PM), deciduous broadleaved species (DB) and standing dead trees (snags, WD). Based on a multi-temporal (leaf-on and leaf-off phenophase) and multi-spectral mosaic (R-G-B-NIR) with 10 cm spatial resolution, digital elevation models (DTM, DSM, CHM) with 40 cm spatial resolution and a LiDAR dataset with 25 pulses per m2, 126 variables were derived and used to train the RF algorithm with 1130 individual trees. The main objective was to determine a subset of meaningful variables for the RF model classification on four heterogeneous test sites. Using feature selection techniques, mainly passive optical variables from the leaf-off phenophase were considered due to their ability to differentiate between conifers and the two broader classes. An examination of the two phenological phases (using the difference of the respective NDVIs) is important to clearly distinguish deciduous trees from other classes including snags (WD). We also found that the variables of the first derivation of NIR and the tree metrics play a crucial role in discriminating PA und PS. With this unique set of variables some classes can be differentiated more reliably, especially LD and DB but also AA, PA and WD, whereas difficulties exist in identifying PM and PS. Overall, the non-parametric object-based approach has proved to be highly suitable for accurately detecting (OA: 89.5%) of the analyzed classes. Finally, the successful classification of complex 265 km2 study area substantiates our findings.

Influence of Selected Environmental Parameters on Rove Beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Communities in Central European Floodplain Forests

Wetlands and especially floodplain forests belong to the most endangered ecosystems in Europe, characterized by complex dynamics of flood and dry periods and providing specific irreplaceable habitats for many organisms, including bioindicators. Many rove beetle species, for instance, are well-known detectors in monitoring ecological change, however, their use in environmental assessment requires to expand the insufficient knowledge on ecological environmental particularities of their assemblages. Therefore, we compared the rove beetle communities in eight habitats of floodplain forests from 2015 to 2016. Staphylinids were sampled by pitfall trapping. We compared the rove beetle taxocoenoses in the floodplain forests and their ecotones alongside three rivers (Danube, Tisa and Begej). We evaluated the impact of plant diversity and cover of vegetation layers, area, circumference and age of forest stands, distance to the forest edge, thickness of the litter layer, physical and chemical properties of soil and leaf litter (conductivity, pH, P, N, H, C) and anthropogenic impact on structure of rove beetle communities. We recorded significant interactions between total dynamic activity of rove beetles and number of plant species in shrub vegetation layer. Species richness was significantly positively correlated with number of plant species in shrub vegetation layer and soil pH, and negatively with relative H content of soil. We did not find any significant correlation between Shannon diversity, but evenness was negatively linked with species richness of plant communities in shrub layer.

Water’s path from moss to soil: A multi-methodological study on water absorption and evaporation of soil-moss combinations

Abstract Mosses are often overlooked; however, they are important for soil-atmosphere interfaces with regard to water exchange. This study investigated the influence of moss structural traits on maximum water storage capacities (WSCmax) and evaporation rates, and species-specific effects on water absorption and evaporation patterns in moss layers, moss-soil-interfaces and soil substrates using biocrust wetness probes. Five moss species typical for Central European temperate forests were selected: field-collected Brachythecium rutabulum, Eurhynchium striatum, Oxyrrhynchium hians and Plagiomnium undulatum; and laboratory-cultivated Amblystegium serpens and Oxyrrhynchium hians. WSCmax ranged from 14.10 g g−1 for Amblystegium serpens (Lab) to 7.31 g g−1 for Plagiomnium undulatum when immersed in water, and 11.04 g g−1 for Oxyrrhynchium hians (Lab) to 7.90 g g−1 for Oxyrrhynchium hians when sprayed, due to different morphologies depending on the growing location. Structural traits such as high leaf frequencies and small leaf areas increased WSCmax. In terms of evaporation, leaf frequency displayed a positive correlation with evaporation, while leaf area index showed a negative correlation. Moisture alterations during watering and desiccation were largely controlled by species/substrate-specific patterns. Generally, moss cover prevented desiccation of soil surfaces and was not a barrier to infiltration. To understand water’s path from moss to soil, this study made a first contribution.

Competitive ability of natural Douglas fir regeneration in central European close-to-nature forests

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has regenerated naturally in European forests since the middle of the 20th century. Some cases of an invasive character of the species have been reported under specific site conditions, but systematic data on the extent of natural regeneration and spread of Douglas fir across different forest communities are largely lacking. Due to its potential tolerance to increasing summer droughts, Douglas fir has been suggested as a sustainable future tree species for Central European forests. In this study, we investigated natural regeneration of Douglas fir in comparison to native tree species in 39 forest stands in Switzerland belonging to different forest communities. We analyzed the regeneration success of Douglas fir, Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba), and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) with respect to ecological site conditions. The proportion of Douglas fir seedlings (<130 cm height) was <5% in the majority of stands; but in four stands, Douglas fir was the most abundant species among seedlings. In most other stands, Norway spruce (occurring in 37 stands/dominant in 10 stands), silver fir (38/2 stands) and beech seedlings (35/10 stands) were more abundant than Douglas fir seedlings. Saplings (≥130 cm height but <12 cm diameter at breast height) of Douglas fir were observed in five stands with proportions between 10% and 23% and in eight stands with proportions of <10%, in particular in stands with a high proportion of Douglas fir seed trees. Beech saplings occurred in 28 stands and were most abundant in eleven stands. Saplings of silver fir (24/3 stands) and Norway spruce (19/6 stands) were less frequent. The abundance of Douglas fir seedlings correlated positively with the proximity to seed trees and light transmission of the canopy, but negatively with understory vegetation cover and litter abundance. Ungulate browsing did not significantly affect the regeneration of any tree species in the study stands. On the Central Plateau, Douglas fir was mainly planted in productive beech forest communities where it is strongly limited due to its low competitiveness compared to beech and other fast-growing deciduous tree species. On dry and less productive sites, where the canopy is not closed, Douglas fir is able to establish successfully. On such sites, a close monitoring of Douglas fir regeneration and the potential implementation of control measures is recommended.

Climate warming-induced replacement of mesic beech by thermophilic oak forests will reduce the carbon storage potential in aboveground biomass and soil

Key messageClimate-warming related replacement of beech by oak forests in the course of natural forest succession or silvicultural decisions may considerably reduce ecosystem carbon storage of central European woodlands.ContextClimate warming may change the carbon (C) storage in forest biomass and soil through future shifts in tree species composition. With a projected warming by 2–3 K over the twenty-first century, silvicultural adaptation measures and natural succession might lead to the replacement of European beech forests by thermophilic oak forests in drought- and heat-affected regions of central and south-eastern Europe, but the consequences for ecosystem C storage of this species shift are not clear.AimsTo quantify the change in C storage in biomass and soil with a shift from beech (Fagus sylvatica) to oak forest (Quercus petraea, Q. frainetto, Q. cerris), we measured the aboveground biomass (AGC) and soil C pools (SOC).MethodsAGC pools and SOC stocks to − 100 cm depth were calculated from forest inventory and volume-related SOC content data for beech, mixed beech-oak and oak forests in three transects in the natural beech-oak ecotone of western Romania, where beech occurs at its heat- and drought-induced distribution limit.ResultsFrom the cooler, more humid beech forests to the warmer, more xeric oak forests, which are 1–2 K warmer, AGC and SOC pools decreased by about 22% (40 Mg C ha−1) and 20% (17 Mg C ha−1), respectively. The likely main drivers are indirect temperature effects acting through tree species and management in the case of AGC, but direct temperature effects for SOC.ConclusionIf drought- and heat-affected beech forests in Central Europe are replaced by thermophilic oak forests in future, this will lead to carbon losses of ~ 50–60 Mg ha−1, thus reducing ecosystem carbon storage substantially.

Summer temperatures reach the thermal tolerance threshold of photosynthetic decline in temperate conifers.

Climate change-related environmental stress has been recognized as a driving force in accelerating forest mortality over the last decades in Central Europe. Here, we aim to elucidate the thermal sensitivity of three native conifer species, namely Norway spruce (Picea abies), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and silver fir (Abies alba), and three non-native species, namely Austrian pine (Pinus nigra), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica). Thermal sensitivity, defined here as a decline of the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv /Fm ) with increasing temperature, was measured under varying levels of heat stress and compared with the turgor loss point (πtlp ) as a drought resistance trait. We calculated three different leaf thermotolerance traits: the temperature at the onset (5%) of the Fv /Fm decline (T5), the temperature at which Fv /Fm was half the maximum value (T50) and the temperature at which only 5% Fv /Fm remained (T95). T5 ranged from 38.5 ± 0.8 °C to 43.1 ± 0.6 °C across all species, while T50 values were at least 9 to 11 degrees above the maximum air temperatures on record for all species. Only Austrian pine had a notably higher T5 value than recorded maximum air temperatures. Species with higher T5 values were characterized by a less negative πtlp compared to species with lower T5. The six species could be divided into 'drought-tolerant heat-sensitive' and 'drought-sensitive heat-tolerant' groups. Exposure to short-term high temperatures thus exhibits a considerable threat to conifer species in Central European forest production systems.

Exploring land snails’ response to habitat characteristics and their potential as bioindicators of riparian forest quality

Riparian ecosystems are crucial for landscape-level biodiversity, especially in highly anthropic and agricultural areas. Although the low mobility of snails reduces their dispersal capacity and makes them vulnerable to habitat degradation, they are less commonly used as indicators. We evaluated the potential of land snails as bioindicators of riparian forest quality in central European riparian forests by surveying snail communities in relation to habitat characteristics that characterize its quality. Habitat characteristics were found to affect both snail abundance and species richness. The abundance of snail species increased with the forest continuity, forest width and abundance of leaf litter and decreased with the cover of ruderal plant species and presence of household waste deposits. Snail diversity was positively influenced by habitat continuity, forest width, and abundance of dead wood. The community composition was also sensitive to habitat characteristics, most species having their optimum in habitats with high amounts of decaying dead wood and litter. Many species responded positively to habitat continuity, demonstrating that fragmentation is the main factor affecting abundance of land snail communities. Both total abundance of land snail communities and species richness were good predictors of habitat quality, snail abundance being more powerful than diversity. Aegopinella epipedostoma, Perforatella bidentata, and Helix pomatia were best at discriminating among high and poor quality forest habitats among individual species. Our study showed that among the parameters describing habitat quality, spatial and temporal continuity of riparian forest are the main factors affecting snail communities. Habitat fragmentation and the absence of suitable microhabitats for snail species preferring decaying wood lead to lower abundance and diversity of land snail communities confirming the potential of land snails as bioindicators of riparian forest quality.