Dead wood in clearcuts of semi-natural forests in Estonia: site-type variation, degradation, and the influences of tree retention and slash harvest

Semi-natural forests, which naturally regenerate after timber harvesting, provide distinct opportunities for dead wood (DW) management for biodiversity. We described DW pool and sources of its variation during the first decade after final felling in Estonia, hemiboreal Europe. Depending on forest type, the mean post-harvest volumes of above-ground DW ranged from 70 to 119 m³ ha^?1. Final felling generally did not reduce downed coarse woody debris (CWD) because many sawn logs were left on-site, and soil scarification was rarely used. However, subsequent decay of downed CWD appears to be accelerated due to the increased ground contact of logs, so that even the relatively small inputs from live retention trees observed (5 m³ ha^?1 per decade) can be ecologically significant. While final felling greatly reduced snag abundance, the mortality of retained live trees generally balanced their later losses. The volumes of downed fine woody debris in conventional cutover sites were roughly double that of pre-harvest forests. Slash harvest caused an approximately twofold reduction in downed DW and resulted in CWD volumes that were below mature-forest levels. The results indicate that the habitat quality of cutovers critically depends both on the retention and on the post-harvest management of biological legacies. In Estonia, the necessary improvements include more careful retention of snags in final felling, selecting larger retention trees, focusing slash harvest on the fine debris of common tree species, and providing snags of late-successional tree species.     

缙云山常绿阔叶林粗木质残体储量及特征

【目的】实地调查缙云山常绿阔叶林粗木质残体(CWD)的储量和特征,分析其影响因素,为深入认识常绿阔叶林生态系统中与粗木质残体相关的物质循环等关键生态过程提供理论依据,并为全球碳汇及相关学科的研究提供基础数据。【方法】以缙云山常绿阔叶林内已建立的2块0.5 hm^2样地为对象,调查并分析样地CWD的储量、类型组成、分解等级、径级分布格局以及地形对CWD储量的影响。【结果】缙云山常绿阔叶林CWD储量为38.42 t·hm^-2,其中倒木、枯立木、大枯枝和木桩储量分别为27.70,4.91,2.91和2.90 t·hm^-2,倒木是CWD的主要组成部分; CWD的树种组成与群落优势树种的组成相似,栲占CWD总量的88.44%;从径级分布来看,直径>35 cm的倒木和枯立木是CWD的主体; CWD主要处于分解中后期,中级分解和高级分解CWD的比例分别为63.20%和23.01%;地形对CWD的分布具有显著影响,坡面和山脊CWD储量高于沟谷(P<0.01)。【结论】缙云山常绿阔叶林CWD储量较大,处于该类森林系统的前列; CWD主要以处于分解中后期的优势种大径级倒木和枯立木为主,并主要分布在坡面和沟谷。在森林管理中应降低对CWD的人为干扰和去除,维持森林中枯立木、倒木、大枯枝和树桩等组分的自然状态。     

森林粗木质物残体（CWD）的研究进展

森林粗木质物残体（CWD）在保持森林生态系统的完整性方面发挥着重要的生态功能,影响着系统内外相关的生物和非生物过程,不仅为微生物、节肢动物、鸟类以及哺乳动物提供栖息环境,也是生态系统中重要的碳库和养分库,而且在减少土壤侵蚀和森林水文生态方面具重要的作用．文章总结了CWD的研究历史及状况,系统地阐述了CWD的形成和来源、贮量、分解、碳元素和营养元素的贮藏功能以及CWD对森林的更新作用、对生物多样性的维持和水文生态功能等．对今后CWD研究的重点及方向提出了建议．     

Changes in quantitative patterns of dead wood in maritime pine plantations over time

Although the volume of dead wood is commonly acknowledged as an indicator of biodiversity in sustainable forest management schemes, only few data are available for plantation forests. To evaluate the volume and qualify the diversity of woody debris along a chronosequence of maritime pine plantations, we sampled downed woody debris, snags and stumps in 143 stands of different ages. To test the hypothesis that the pattern of dead wood accumulation mainly results from silvicultural operations, we developed a predictive model. It combined an empirical growth model evaluating the amount of dead wood produced by successive thinnings with a decay function that estimated the loss of dead wood with time.     

An Exploratory,Post-Harvest Comparison of Ecological and Economic Characteristics of Forest Stewardship Council Certified and Uncertified Northern Hardwood Stands∗

ABSTRACT

As more forest entities worldwide consider pursuing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, a critical question remains on whether stand-level management impacts differ between certified and uncertified forests. To begin to answer this question, we measured forest structure on three FSC-certified stands, three uncertified stands, and six adjacent unharvested reference stands (12 stands total) composed primarily of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) on non-industrial private properties in central Vermont, USA. The certified and uncertified partial harvests reduced total tree biomass and live tree carbon storage by one-third compared to reconstructed pre-harvest conditions. Both treatments also contained significantly lower densities of saplings and some mid-size trees compared to non-harvested references due to similar impacts from harvesting. The net present value of merchantable sugar maple over 10 year projections was consistently lower on certified than uncertified stands, but this difference was insignificant at discount rates from 4–8%. The certified stands contained significantly greater total residual volumes of coarse woody debris (standing and downed) than uncertified stands, although the debris was smaller than that found in unmanaged mature forests. Overall, our data suggest that FSC-certified harvested stands in northern hardwood forests have similar sugar maple timber value, aboveground live tree carbon storage value, similar live tree structure, and greater residual coarse woody debris than uncertified harvested stands.     

Carbon storage in old-growth and second growth fire-dependent western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) forests of the Inland Northwest,USA

There is limited understanding of the carbon (C) storage capacity and overall ecological structure of old-growth forests of western Montana, leaving little ability to evaluate the role of old-growth forests in regional C cycles and ecosystem level C storage capacity. To investigate the difference in C storage between equivalent stands of contrasting age classes and management histories, we surveyed paired old-growth and second growth western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt)–Douglas-fir (Pseudostuga menziesii var. glauca) stands in northwestern Montana. The specific objectives of this study were to: (1) estimate ecosystem C of old-growth and second growth western larch stands; (2) compare C storage of paired old-growth–second growth stands; and (3) assess differences in ecosystem function and structure between the two age classes, specifically measuring C associated with mineral soil, forest floor, coarse woody debris (CWD), understory, and overstory, as well as overall structure of vegetation. Stands were surveyed using a modified USFS FIA protocol, focusing on ecological components related to soil, forest floor, and overstory C. All downed wood, forest floor, and soil samples were then analyzed for total C and total nitrogen (N). Total ecosystem C in the old-growth forests was significantly greater than that in second growth forests, storing over 3 times the C. Average total mineral soil C was not significantly different in second growth stands compared to old-growth stands; however, total C of the forest floor was significantly greater in old-growth (23.8 Mg ha⁻¹) compared to second growth stands (4.9 Mg ha⁻¹). Overstory and coarse root biomass held the greatest differences in ecosystem C between the two stand types (old-growth, second growth), with nearly 7 times more C in old-growth trees than trees found on second growth stands (144.2 Mg ha⁻¹ vs. 23.8 Mg ha⁻¹). Total CWD on old-growth stands accounted for almost 19 times more C than CWD found in second growth stands. Soil bulk density was also significantly higher on second growth stands some 30+ years after harvest, demonstrating long-term impacts of harvest on soil. Results suggest ecological components specific to old-growth western larch forests, such as coarse root biomass, large amounts of CWD, and a thick forest floor layer are important contributors to long-term C storage within these ecosystems. This, combined with functional implications of contrasts in C distribution and dynamics, suggest that old-growth western larch/Douglas-fir forests are both functionally and structurally distinctive from their second growth counterparts.     

Effects of structural complexity enhancement on eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) populations in northern hardwood forests

Managing for stand structural complexity in northern hardwood forests has been proposed as a method for promoting microhabitat characteristics important to eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus). We evaluated the effects of alternate, structure-based silvicultural systems on red-backed salamander populations at two research sites in northwestern Vermont. Treatments included two uneven-aged approaches (single-tree selection and group-selection) and one unconventional approach, termed “structural complexity enhancement” (SCE), that promotes development of late-successional structure, including elevated levels of coarse woody debris (CWD). Treatments were applied to 2 ha units and were replicated two to four times depending on treatment. We surveyed red-backed salamanders with a natural cover search method of transects nested within vegetation plots 1 year after logging. Abundance estimates corrected for detection probability were calculated from survey data with a binomial mixture model. Abundance estimates differed between study areas and were influenced by forest structural characteristics. Model selection was conducted using Akaike Information Criteria, corrected for over-dispersed data and small sample size (QAIC_c). We found no difference in abundance as a response to treatment as a whole, suggesting that all of the uneven-aged silvicultural systems evaluated can maintain salamander populations after harvest. However, abundance was tied to specific structural habitat attributes associated with study plots within treatments. The most parsimonious model of habitat covariates included site, relative density of overstory trees, and density of more-decayed and less-decayed downed CWD. Abundance responded positively to the density of downed, well-decayed CWD and negatively to the density of poorly decayed CWD and to overstory relative density. CWD volume was not a strong predictor of salamander abundance. We conclude that structural complexity enhancement and the two uneven-aged approaches maintained important microhabitat characteristics for red-backed salamander populations in the short term. Over the long-term, given decay processes as a determinant of biological availability, forestry practices such as SCE that enhance CWD availability and recruitment may result in associated population responses.     

特大冰雪灾害干扰下大明山常绿阔叶林木质残体的贮量特征

以2008年初遭受特大冰雪灾害干扰的大明山国家级自然保护区常绿阔叶林为研究对象,采用样方收获法测定林地上的木质残体贮量及其腐解等级特征。结果表明:大明山常绿阔叶林木质残体的总贮量为37.249t·hm-2,其中粗木质残体和细木质残体的贮量分别为33.143和4.106t·hm-2,依次占林地木质残体总贮量的88.98%和11.02%;倒木和落枝是大明山常绿阔叶林木质残体贮量的主要贡献者,分别占木质残体总贮量的61.6%和34.6%;木质残体各腐解等级的贮量百分比序列为2级(69.22%)>4级(13.62%)>3级(12.98%)>5级(3.96%)>1级(0.22%);2008年初的特大冰雪灾害干扰对大明山常绿阔叶林木质残体输入量的有显著影响,导致腐解2级的贮量高达25.784t·hm-2。     

Decay dynamic of coarse and fine woody debris of a beech (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fagus sylvatica</Emphasis> L.) forest in Central Germany

Decay rates of woody debris were estimated and used to model the decay of various diameters of branches and stems in a beech stand in Central Germany. In addition, use of wood density, volume and mass loss to quantitatively describe the degree of decay was tested. The mass loss during decay could be described by a simple exponential function. Under the presented climatic conditions, beech coarse woody debris (CWD) with a diameter >10 cm decays completely in about 35 years. In the first 8 years of decay the mass loss is determined by the decrease in wood density, and subsequently by the loss in volume. Estimation of wood density allows the first three of the four classes of decay to be distinguished, while trees in the last two decay classes could be distinguished using wood volume. Beech fine woody debris with a diameter between 1 and 10 cm decays within about 18 years. The litter fraction of <1 cm is part of the humus layer after 4 years. If there are goals for the amounts, types and dimensions of woody debris to be provided for conservation of biological biodiversity and other ecological functions in managed beech forests, this study offer indications for how long existing woody debris can meet its functions and how frequent new input of CWD is required.     

Application of Choice Experiments to Determine Stakeholder Preferences for Woody Biomass Harvesting Guidelines

Biomass harvesting guidelines (BHGs) have been developed to address concerns about the sustainability of harvesting woody biomass. Assessing preferences among BHG stakeholders is important for designing operationally feasible and socially acceptable standards in different contexts. We used choice modeling to determine how foresters, loggers, and landowners perceived the relative importance of stumpage price, wildlife habitat quality, percentage of coarse woody debris (CWD) remaining, and distribution of CWD in their choices of BHG scenarios. Responses (N = 718) indicated stumpage price was nearly double the importance of wildlife habitat quality, and three times more important than debris distribution and debris remaining.     

Mapping dead wood distribution in a temperate hardwood forest using high resolution airborne imagery

Dead wood, in the form of coarse woody debris and standing dead wood, or snags, is an essential structural component of forest ecosystems. It plays a key role in nutrient cycling, ecosystem functions and provision of habitat for a wide variety of species. In order to manage dead wood in a temperate hardwood forest, an understanding of its availability and spatial distribution is important. This research evaluates airborne digital camera remote sensing for mapping temperate forest dead wood across an area within Gatineau Park, Canada. Two approaches were evaluated: (1) direct detection and mapping of canopy dead wood (dead branches and tall snags) through the combination of three techniques in a hybrid classification: ISODATA clustering, object-based classification, and spectral unmixing, and (2) indirect modelling of coarse woody debris and snags using spectral and spatial predictor variables extracted from the imagery. Indirect modelling did not provide useful results while direct detection was successful with field validation showing 94% accuracy for detected canopy level dead wood objects (i.e. 94% of validation sites with canopy dead wood were detected correctly) and 90% accuracy for control sites (i.e. 90% of validation sites with no canopy level dead wood were identified correctly). The procedures presented in this paper are repeatable and could be used to monitor dead wood over time, potentially contributing to applications in forest carbon budget estimation, biodiversity management, and forest inventory.     

喜马拉雅山西部Askot野生动物保护区内粗木质残体沿山高度分布格局与现状

在印度Askot野生动物保护区Goriganga流域的3个分水岭(Charigad,Dogarhigad和upper Gosigad)内,沿着海拔高度900～2600m设置5条曲线调查样带(样带A、B、C、D和E),调查了粗木质残体的分布格局和状况.海拔高度每升高100 m设置一块1 hm2的样地.结果表明,不同演替阶段的粗木质残体百分比贡献率按降低顺序排列依次是:枯立木--相位Ⅰ>相位Ⅱ>相位Ⅳ>相位Ⅲ;而原木-相位Ⅲ>相位Ⅱ>相位Ⅳ.调查样带A内喜马拉雅长叶松(Pinus roxburghii)林内枯立木密度在1500m处较高,调查样带B通麦栎(Quercus lanata)林的枯立木密度在2300米处较高(10个/hm2).喜马拉雅长叶松林的枯立木和原木总获得量为13.9 t,其中枯立木和原木分别占41%和59%;而通麦栎林枯立木和原木总量仅为5.6 t,枯立木和原木分别占60%和40%.此外,粗木质残体的存在,有利于为当地生长的兰花营造良好的生长环境.在喜马拉雅长叶松林中等高度区域内,高密度的枯立木和原木导致该区内物种丰富度较低,地被物密度也较低.这主要是由于该区光线充足、土壤水分含量低,只有优势种才能占领这样生境.     

粗死木质残体的水土保育功能

近年来,粗死木质残体(CWD)的生态保育功能已引起国内外研究者的广泛重视,特别是对CWD的贮量、分解量(率)、养分贮量(C、N等)、动态变化过程及其特征,以及它对森林生态系统的更新演替和生物多样性的保护功能等方面都作了较多的论述和研究.但对它强大的水土保育功能(抑制水土流失、改善土壤质地),以及与水土保育相关联的幼苗保育功能等方面研究较少.文中简单地介绍了国内外CWD研究的现状,论述了CWD抑制水土流失、改善土壤质地保育幼苗幼树的机制与作用,并提出了充分利用和发挥CWD的水土保育和幼苗保育功能的措施与手段.     

森林生态系统粗木质残体生态功能研究

粗木质残体(CWD)是森林生态系统中重要的结构性与功能性单元。本文在对国内外CWD 研究历史进行简要回顾的基础上,对其生态功能及其分解过程进行了系统分析。指出了目前CWD 研究的热点及存在的问题,并建议加强对CWD生态服务功能的定量化研究,为其在维持生物多样性、生产力和其它生态过程方面的经营管理提供科学指导。参57。     

Structural changes and potential vertebrate responses following simulated partial harvesting of boreal mixedwood stands

Partial harvesting, where different numbers and arrangements of live trees are retained in forest stands, has been proposed for maintaining late-successional structure and associated vertebrate species within managed boreal forests. Using the stand dynamics model SORTIE-ND, we examined 80-year patterns of structural change in response to different intensities (30-70% basal area removal) and spatial patterns (22-273 m² mean patch size) of harvesting. We also applied habitat models for seven late-successional vertebrates to the structural conditions present after harvesting to assess potential species responses.Partial harvesting increased understory and downed woody debris (DWD) cover and decreased overstory structure for the first 25 years after harvest, in comparison to unharvested stands, with this effect subsequently reversing as harvest-induced regeneration reached the canopy. Although harvesting enhanced long-term structural development in this regard, large trees, large snags, and large DWD all remained below unharvested levels throughout the simulation period. Harvesting also produced transient increases in early-decay DWD and ground exposure. Most changes in structural attributes increased in proportion to harvest intensity, but structural differences among harvest patterns were generally small. Dispersed harvesting induced somewhat less pronounced decreases in vertical structure, and produced more post-harvest slash, than aggregated harvesting.All seven vertebrate species decreased in abundance as harvest intensity increased from 30 to 70%. In comparison to their pre-harvest abundances in old stands, vertebrates associated with DWD (redback salamander, marten, red-backed vole) showed neutral or positive responses at one or more harvest intensities, whereas those associated with large trees and snags (brown creeper, flying squirrel) consistently exhibited substantial adverse impacts.     

Effects of forest management on structural features important for biodiversity in mixed-age hardwood forests in Australia's subtropics

The contiguous forest landscapes of the Brigalow Belt Bioregion in Australia's subtropics, known as ‘the western hardwood forests’ are thought to be important for biodiversity conservation through the provision of continuous habitat features in an otherwise extensively cleared region. However, these forests have a long management history, as they are also important for timber production and stock grazing. Knowledge of the effect of these and other disturbances on the distribution and abundance of key structural or habitat features are limited and forest management activities thus continue uninformed. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the effects of prescribed and non-prescribed disturbances on the distribution and abundance of six key habitat features (live and dead trees with hollows, large mature live trees, shrub abundance, downed coarse woody debris and litter cover) at 120 sites located in spotted gum Corymbia citriodora dominant forests within the western hardwoods.     

Decay progression and classification in two old-growth forests in Atlantic Canada

This paper investigates the relationship between visually apparent stage of decay of coarse woody debris (CWD) and time since death of decaying balsam fir (Abies balsamea L.) and black spruce (Picea mariana [P. Mill]) in old-growth forests in western Newfoundland and in the Cape Breton Highlands (CBH) of Nova Scotia. These sites are two of the least disturbed old-growth forest locations remaining in Atlantic Canada. In Newfoundland, a total of 42 detrital samples were collected from downed logs and standing snags, of which 36 had their mortality dates determined. In the CBH, 50 detrital samples were collected, of which death dates for 44 samples were obtained. For both sites, samples represented all visually discernable classes of decay. In Newfoundland, these visual decay classes were separated by approximately 17 years for a minimum decay time of 85 years. In CBH, a faster rate of decomposition was apparent, with 12-year classes and a minimum decay time of logs of 60 years. Evidence points toward a climate-driven decay regime in both locations, with the longer time frame evident in Newfoundland thought to result from lower temperatures and fewer snow-free days than in CBH.     

Multistage point relascope and randomized branch sampling for downed coarse woody debris estimation

New sampling methods have recently been introduced that allow estimation of downed coarse woody debris using an angle gauge, or relascope. The theory behind these methods is based on sampling straight pieces of downed coarse woody debris. When pieces deviate from this ideal situation, auxillary methods must be employed. We describe a two-stage procedure where the relascope is used to select pieces of downed coarse woody debris in the first stage. If the pieces so chosen on the first stage have multiple branches and detailed estimates are required for the entire piece, then a second stage sample is advocated using the randomized branch technique. Both techniques are reviewed and an example is given examining possible surrogate variables for the second stage.