Building wood debris piles benefits avian seed dispersers in burned and logged Mediterranean pine forests

Salvage logging is a common practice carried out in burned forests worldwide, and intended to mitigate the economic losses caused by wildfires. Logging implies an additional disturbance occurring shortly after fire, although its ecological effects can be somewhat mitigated by leaving wood debris on site. The composition of the bird community and its capacity to provide ecosystem services such as seed dispersal of fleshy-fruited plants have been shown to be affected by postfire logging. We assessed the effects of the habitat structure resulting from different postfire management practices on the bird community, in three burned pine forests in Catalonia (western Mediterranean). For this purpose, we focused on the group of species that is responsible for seed dispersal, a process which takes place primarily during the winter in the Mediterranean basin. In addition, we assessed microhabitat selection by seed disperser birds in such environments in relation to management practices. Our results showed a significant, positive relationship between the density of wood debris piles and the abundance of seed disperser birds. Furthermore, such piles were the preferred microhabitat of these species. This reveals an important effect of forest management on seed disperser birds, which is likely to affect the dynamics of bird-dependent seed dispersal. Thus, building wood debris piles can be a useful practice for the conservation of both the species and their ecosystem services, while also being compatible with timber harvesting.     

Dispersal of vascular plants by game in northern Germany. Part I: Roe deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Capreolus capreolus</Emphasis>) and wild boar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sus scrofa</Emphasis>)

The endozoochorous and epizoochorous dispersal of vascular plant species by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) was investigated in forest areas of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, Germany. The primary aim of this study was to learn about which plant species and in what numbers diaspores are dispersed by the two wild ungulate species. In particular, the significance of zoochory for species composition and biodiversity of forests was evaluated. Fresh faecal pellets were collected from April–November 2001 in the forests of the two study areas. In addition, the coats and hooves of shot roe deer and wild boar were brushed out. The number of viable seeds was determined by greenhouse germination (seedling emergence method). The samples were spread in trays over sterilized soil from the study forests and were kept under controlled conditions in the greenhouse for 12 months. A total of 2,473 individuals from 77 vascular plant species were recorded. While roe deer exceeded wild boar concerning seed contents in the faeces, the significance of roe deer for epizoochorous dispersal was relatively low compared with wild boar. An analysis of the habitat preference of the vascular plant species dispersed by the two ungulate species revealed a high proportion of species growing in forests as well as in the open landscape, and also of non-forest species, while woody plants and herbaceous species closely tied to forest habitats were severely underrepresented. We also discuss consequences for forest ecology and nature conservation.     

Bird community responses to a gradient of site preparation intensities in pine plantations in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina

Although intensively managed pine forests are common in the southeastern US, few studies describe how combinations of mechanical (MSP) and chemical site preparation (CSP) and herbaceous weed control (HWC) techniques affect bird communities that use early successional habitats within young pine forests. Therefore, we examined effects of six treatments of increasing management intensity via combinations of MSP (strip-shear and wide spacing or roller chop and narrow spacing) and CSP (application or no application) treatments with banded or broadcast HWC on bird communities in six loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA, for 8 years following site preparation. Wide pine spacing and strip-shear MSP increased bird abundance and species richness over narrow spacing and chopped MSP for 6 years after planting. Chemical SP reduced bird abundance in year 2, increased bird abundance in year 6, had no effect on abundance after year 7, and did not affect species richness in any year. Total bird abundance and species richness were similar between banded and broadcast HWC. Site preparation and HWC had no effect on bird diversity and bird communities were most similar in treatments of similar intensity. Site preparation and HWC had few or no effects on birds based upon migratory status, habitat association, or conservation value. The addition of chemical site preparation or HWC had little effect on birds beyond pine spacing, and bird abundance was not proportional to management intensity. Although we observed treatment effects, all treatments provided habitat used by a variety of bird species, and pine plantations may play an increasingly important role in bird conservation as forests become fragmented and converted to other land uses and as natural processes that create early successional habitat, such as fire, are suppressed.     

余姚野生兰科植物资源的分布与生境调查

采用查阅文献资料与实地调查相结合的方法,对余姚市野生兰科植物资源的分布与生境进行了深入调查。结果表明:余姚市共有野生兰科植物17属25种,生活型较单一,只有地生兰和附生兰2个类型。其中又以地生兰为主,计12属20种,但只有春兰、蕙兰、大花无柱兰3种的资源分布较广,且资源储量较大。各种野生兰科植物的分布与海拔、坡向、坡度、坡位、植被等生境因子具有显著的相关性:海拔在500 m以上的南部山区是余姚野生兰科植物的集中分布区,中坡、下坡和谷地,红壤、黄壤和粗骨土,针叶林、阔叶林和粗放经营的毛竹林为本区野生兰科植物的主要生境;兰花分布与乔木层优势树种没有明显相关性,但与灌木树种有较显著的相关性。余姚野生兰科植物资源已表现出了急剧萎缩的态势,急需开展就地与迁地保护。     

Red-listed wood-inhabiting fungi in natural and managed forest landscapes adjacent to the timberline in central Sweden

Many wood-inhabiting fungi are today threatened as modern forestry practices drastically reduce the amount of dead wood available in various forest ecosystems. We investigated whether the occurrence of red-listed wood-inhabiting fungi differed between natural and managed forest landscapes adjacent to the timberline in the middle part of Sweden. We assessed whether environmental variables such as the degree of human impact, length of forest roads, dead wood volume and quality affected species richness and abundance. The effects of forestry on wood-inhabiting fungi have been assessed in several studies in lowland Swedish forests. Few studies have, however, been conducted in forest landscapes adjacent to the timberline in Sweden. This is potentially important since forests close to the Swedish mountains have been pointed out as one of few intact forest landscapes in Fennoscandia and they are subjected to increasing logging pressure. Similar to other studies, species numbers and abundances were positively correlated with larger volumes of logs in various decay stages. However, never shown previously, the length of forest roads was negatively correlated with species abundance and occurrence of red-listed species. We suggest that a low amount of forest roads can be used as a conservation indicator to localize still-intact forest landscapes.     

Influences of postfire salvage logging on forest birds in the Eastern Cascades,Oregon, USA

In coniferous forests of western North American, fire is an important disturbance that influences the structure and composition of floral and faunal communities. The impacts of postfire management, including salvage logging and replanting, on these forests are not well known. We compared densities and relative abundances of forest birds after fire in unsalvaged stands and stands subjected to one of two intensities of salvage logging (moderate, 30 snags retained per ha and heavy, 5–6 snags retained per ha) in mixed-conifer forests in central Oregon. We used analysis of variance with repeated measures to evaluate three hypotheses concerning the influence of different intensities of salvage on densities or relative abundances of sixteen species of birds, and two hypotheses concerning the influence of time since salvage logging on relative abundances or densities of birds. We also examined the relationship between vegetation and abundances of each bird species. We did not detect significant differences among treatments in densities or relative abundances for eight species and one genus of birds. We detected significant differences for seven species, though the patterns differed among species. Relative abundances or densities of the black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), hairy woodpecker (P. villosus), brown creeper (Certhia americana), western wood-pewee (Contopus sordidulus) and yellow-rumped warbler (Dendroica coronata) were lower in the heavy and moderate salvage treatment compared to the unsalvaged treatment, while densities of the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis) and fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca) were greater in the moderately and heavily salvaged stands than in the unsalvaged treatment. We detected significant differences between years for four species of birds. Our findings suggest that both cavity-nesting and cup-nesting species respond to salvage logging, and that some species respond uniquely to habitat features influenced by salvage logging. For species that responded negatively to salvage logging, the moderate salvage intensity did not appear to mitigate the negative influence of salvage logging. Areas of unlogged burned forest appear to provide important habitat for some species of birds following forest fires. Our findings parallel those of other recent studies of these species, suggesting robust patterns that transcend particular locations.     

Effect of stand age on bird communities in late-successional Macedonian pine forests in Bulgaria

To gain insight into the question of which vegetation characteristics have the most influence on avian assemblages in late-successional forests, the habitat preferences of bird-guilds in old-growth endemic forests of Macedonian pine were studied over 3 years in the Pirin National Park, Bulgaria. Bird–habitat relationships were investigated by comparing vegetation characteristics, and bird species richness, diversity, abundance, and guild structure of birds (determined according to food type, foraging and nesting sites) between mature (60–100 years old) and over-mature (>120 years old) Macedonian pine forest stands. Studied forest age-classes differed mainly by the density, height and diameter of trees, and the amount of dead wood. The first one of these parameters decreased and the latter two parameters increased with the forest succession. The difference in the vegetation structure affected the abundance of bird-guilds and thus, the overall bird abundance and the structure of avian assemblages within Macedonian pine forests. There was no significant difference in bird diversity among studied forest age-classes, but the overall bird abundance increased with forest maturation. Analyzed by study plots, species richness was higher in over-mature forests, but at cluster level, there was no significant difference between mature and over-mature forest age-classes. Half of the studied (insectivorous, hole- and ground-nesters, bark- and canopy-foraging bird species) guilds were more abundant in over-mature forests, while there was no bird-guild exhibiting a preference for mature forest stands. The abundances of bird-guilds were correlated with tree height, diameter at breast height and the amount of dead wood between the studied forest age-classes and this might explain their preferences for over-mature pine forests. Therefore, for future sustainable management of these endemic forests and the conservation of their avifauna, efforts should focus on protecting the remaining native old-growth forest stands and the importance of the structure of Macedonian pine forests on their bird assemblages should be considered in forestry practices.     

Floristic and structural habitat preferences of yellow-bellied gliders (Petaurus australis) and selective logging impacts in southeast Queensland,Australia

The floristic and structural habitat requirements of the yellow-bellied glider (Petaurus australis) and the influence of selective logging on habitat quality in the Maryborough District of southeast Queensland, Australia were determined. Yellow-bellied gliders showed a definite preference for forest associations which contained gum-barked and winter flowering species. Within these associations, abundance was correlated with microhabitat variables and a structural variable representing forest age and degree of disturbance using a Poisson regression analysis. The significant explanatory variables included the structural variable, site productivity and the number of dead hollow-bearing trees. These variables relate to the foraging and denning requirements of the yellow-bellied glider. Implications for forest management in southeast Queensland include the need to retain both mature gum-barked eucalypt species and live hollow-bearing trees during harvesting operations.     

Plant β-diversity in human-altered forest ecosystems: the importance of the structural,spatial, and topographical characteristics of stands in patterning plant species assemblages

An understanding of spatial patterns of plant species diversity and the factors that drive those patterns is critical for the development of appropriate biodiversity management in forest ecosystems. We studied the spatial organization of plant species in human-modified and managed oak forests (primarily, Quercus faginea) in the Central Pre-Pyrenees, Spain. To test whether plant community assemblages varied non-randomly across the spatial scales, we used multiplicative diversity partitioning based on a nested hierarchical design of three increasingly coarser spatial scales (transect, stand, region). To quantify the importance of the structural, spatial, and topographical characteristics of stands in patterning plant species assemblages and identify the determinants of plant diversity patterns, we used canonical ordination. We observed a high contribution of β-diversity to total γ-diversity and found β-diversity to be higher and α-diversity to be lower than expected by random distributions of individuals at different spatial scales. Results, however, partly depended on the weighting of rare and abundant species. Variables expressing the historical management intensities of the stand such as mean stand age, the abundance of the dominant tree species (Q. faginea), age structure of the stand, and stand size were the main factors that explained the compositional variation in plant communities. The results indicate that (1) the structural, spatial, and topographical characteristics of the forest stands have the greatest effect on diversity patterns, (2) forests in landscapes that have different land use histories are environmentally heterogeneous and, therefore, can experience high levels of compositional differentiation, even at local scales (e.g., within the same stand). Maintaining habitat heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales should be considered in the development of management plans for enhancing plant diversity and related functions in human-altered forests.     

The response of small mammals to natural and human-altered edges associated with Afromontane forests of South Africa

An increase in edge area reduces the effective size of habitat fragments and thus the area available for habitat-interior specialists. However, it is unclear how edge effects compare at different ecotones in the same system. We investigated the response of a small mammal community associated with Afromontane forests to edge effects at three different habitat transitions: natural forest to grassland (natural edge, structurally different vegetation types), natural forest to mature plantation (human-altered edge, structurally similar vegetation types) and natural forest to harvested plantation (human-altered edge, structurally different vegetation types). We predicted that edge effects should be less severe at natural ecotones and at similarly structured contiguous vegetation types than human-altered ecotones and differently structured contiguous vegetation types, respectively. We found that forest species seemed to avoid all habitat edges in our study area. Surprisingly, natural edges supported a less diverse small mammal community than human-altered forest edges. However, edge effects were observed deeper into native forests surrounded by mature alien plantations (and more so at harvested plantations) than into native forests surrounded by native grasslands. The net effect of mature plantations was therefore to reduce the functional size of the natural forest by creating a larger edge. We suggest that when plantations are established a buffer zone of natural vegetation be left between natural forests and newly established plantations to mitigate the negative effects of plantation forestry.     

Forest management conditioning ground ant community structure and composition in temperate conifer forests in the Pyrenees Mountains

The search for indicators to monitor management impact on biodiversity is a crucial question because management practices promote changes in community structure and composition of different animal groups. This study explores the effect of widely conducted management practices (forest logging and livestock) in Pinus uncinata forests in the Pyrenees range (NE Spain) on the structure and composition of ground ant communities compared to those of old-growth stands. Forest structure clearly differed in stands with different forest managements. These stands managed for different uses also showed marked differences in structure and composition of ground ant communities. There was a great dominance of a single species, Formica lugubris, which accounted for 99% of ants collected in pitfall traps. Rarefaction curves indicated that species richness was highest in old-growth stands and lowest in even-aged ones, with woodland pasture stands showing an intermediate value. Classification methods allowed us to identify two groups of species: six species related to old-growth plots and three species (including F. lugubris) associated to managed stands. Habitat structure played an important role in determining the structure of ant communities: forests with high tree density but low basal area were the most favourable forest type for F. lugubris, while the abundance of the remaining ant species was negatively affected by the abundance of F. lugubris and by tree cover.     

Avian assemblages in eucalypt forests,plantations and pastures in northern NSW,Australia

Eucalypt plantations are expanding rapidly in Australia, and their value for native fauna requires investigation. The relative conservation value of young eucalypt plantations was investigated through assessment of avifauna richness, abundance and composition using transect surveys incorporating point counts in five broad habitat types—dryland forests, riparian forests, dryland plantations, riparian plantations, and riparian pastures (strips of riparian vegetation surrounded by pastures). A total of 73 species were recorded during formal surveys. Species richness and abundance were comparable among all habitat types except dryland plantations, which supported fewer species and in lower numbers. The avifauna assemblage differed according to broad habitat types. Forest habitats (dryland and riparian) harboured more forest- and woodland-dependent species, and a greater abundance of nectarivores and insectivores. Riparian plantations supported a similar number of forest- and woodland-dependent species to forest habitats, but also retained some open-country species. Riparian pastures had the highest cumulative species richness, reflecting a diverse mix of forest- and woodland-dependent birds and open-country species. It was the preferred habitat type for granivores and vertebrate eaters. Dryland plantations were dominated by common species and omnivores, and supported fewer forest- and woodland-dependent birds, insectivores and frugivores compared with other habitat types. The presence of riparian strips increased avifauna diversity and abundance in plantations and pastures to a greater extent than predicted by the proportional area of riparian habitat. The importance of riparian habitats needs to be recognised and incorporated into management policies if biodiversity conservation is to be an objective of plantation establishment.     

Evaluation of an odor repellent for protecting crops from wild boar damage

Wild boar populations have dramatically increased in the past decades and the species has spread all over Europe. As the wild boar expanded its activity range into agricultural land, conflicts with humans have intensified. Today, the damage caused by wild boar amounts to millions of dollars every year. In Switzerland, farmers usually protect fields with electric fences, which have proven to be effective in preventing damage, but are also expensive. Alternatively, various cheaper deterrents and repellents are commercially available. However, most of them lack scientific proof of efficacy. In the present study, we investigated the effectiveness of the odor repellent “Wildschwein-Stopp^®” against wild boar. We conducted field experiments with free-ranging wild boars at baited luring sites, which were placed in three different regions of the Canton Basel-Land, Northwest Switzerland. The odor repellent was not able to prevent the wild boars from entering our luring sites. We recorded a minimal and non-significant deterrent effect of 0.4%. Our results lead to the conclusion that the repellent is ineffective and, therefore, not recommendable for crop protection. On the basis of the present study we generally doubt fear-inducing repellents to be effective against wild boars and feral pigs. Our findings may indicate seasonal variation in wild boar activity outside forests since the probability of wild boar visits at the luring sites differed according to the season. The visits at the luring sites peaked in spring and fall which coincides with the occurrence of damage to agricultural land.     

Effect of forest shape on habitat selection of birds in a plantation-dominant landscape across seasons: comparison between continuous and strip forests

Conversion of natural forests to other land use results not only in a decrease of forest area but also in the degradation of remnant forests as a habitat for forest animals. Although such degradation due to an increase of forest edges has been studied most intensively, other factors such as forest shape may also contribute to the degradation. In this study, we compared bird abundance and species richness between irregular-shaped and relatively continuous forests in the breeding and migratory seasons. Since the forests were surrounded by tree plantations rather than open lands, the edge effect may have been weak at the study site. Our results suggested that the irregular forest shape negatively affected forest bird abundance and species richness in the breeding season, but not in the migratory season. The response of birds varied with bird traits: migrants avoided the irregular-shaped forest, but residents did not. Among the residents, small ones preferred or tolerate the irregular-shaped forest whereas large ones avoided it. This study indicates that careful consideration of various factors such as seasonality and bird traits is needed to understand the consequences of land use changes on forest birds.     

Structure and diversity of small-mammal communities of lowland forests in the rural central European landscape

Small-mammal communities were monitored over 4 years in South Moravian rural lowland forests in order to study relationships with various forest habitat types. Early successional sites (plantations) and forest edges maintained communities with higher abundance and diversity. Lowest total abundance was observed in unmanaged lowland forest and highest abundance in plantations with irregular undergrowth management. Low diversity was typical of non-fruiting monocultures. In plantations, both diversity and abundance were affected by herb layer removal, with sites subject to regular cutting, displaying lower levels. Significant differences in diversity and species richness were only detected between early and late successional sites, with the former showing higher values. Two basic small-mammal community groups were determined; (1) those inhabiting sites with a thick herb undergrowth and an open tree canopy (plantation) and (2) those inhabiting stands with sparse or no herb layer and a closed canopy (high forest). Forest stands support long-term populations of dominant small forest-dwelling mammal species and, as such, serve as reservoirs, even in rural landscapes dominated by intensive arable farming. Managed early succession lowland forests represent important refuges for a number of small open-habitat mammals negatively affected by intensive farming.     

The influence of reproductive traits on liana abundance 10 years after conventional and reduced-impacts logging in the eastern Brazilian Amazon

Balancing timber production and conservation in tropical forests requires an understanding of the impacts of silvicultural manipulations on specific groups of organisms. Lianas are characteristic of many tropical forests, where they contribute to species diversity, ecosystem functioning, and biomass. However, lianas can also impede timber production by increasing logging damage and slowing tree growth. Cutting lianas prior to logging can mitigate the negative effects, but may adversely affect a forest's value for conservation. To evaluate the effects of forest management activities on lianas, this study assessed the impacts of logging, both with and without pre-logging liana cutting, on the relative abundance and population structure of five species of lianas that differed in primary reproductive strategies.Inventories of the five study species were conducted 10 years following logging in 4.4 ha plots in three adjacent treatment areas: (1) an old-growth forest reserve, (2) a selectively-logged forest that used conventional practices for the region, and (3) a forest that was logged using reduced-impact logging (RIL) techniques including complete liana cutting prior to logging. Liana species responses to logging varied according to their primary modes of reproduction. Croton ascendens, a pioneer species with a persistent seed bank, had a higher abundance in the two logging treatments relative to the old-growth forest, while Serjania caracasana, an early successional species lacking a persistent seed bank, showed abundant regeneration following conventional logging but negligible regeneration following RIL. In contrast, Acacia multipinnata, also an early successional species, showed abundant regeneration following RIL owing to the sprouting of persistent prostrate stems present on the forest floor prior to logging. In both logged areas, Bauhinia guianensis recruited abundant climbing stems from self-supporting seedlings that were present prior to logging, but it showed greatly reduced seedling density following RIL. By sprouting profusely from both fallen stems and stumps, Memora schomburgkii recruited abundant small-diameter climbing stems in both of the logging treatments. The results of this study demonstrate that there are interspecific differences in liana responses to different types of logging and that knowing species’ primary modes of reproduction is a valuable first step toward predicting those responses.     

Avian population and community processes in forest ecosystems: Long-term research in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest

Long-term studies in relatively undisturbed forest ecosystems, such as occur in many of the USFS’ Experimental Forests, provide valuable insight into bird population and community processes, information pertinent to forest management and bird conservation. Major findings from 40 years of research in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in north-central New Hampshire reviewed here show that the distributions and abundances of bird species are dynamic, even within well-developed and mature forests, and that species respond differently to habitat (vegetation) structure, food availability, and other features of the forest environment. At the local scale, bird population demography is most affected by factors that influence fecundity and recruitment, mainly food availability, weather, nest predators, and density dependent processes. Fecundity is strongly correlated with subsequent recruitment and is critical for maintaining breeding population size. Events in the non-breeding season, however, also influence the abundance and demography of breeding populations, indicating the need to assess factors operating throughout the species’ annual cycle. At the landscape scale, populations in temperate forests are spatially structured by each species’ response to habitat and environmental patterns, but also by social interactions such as competition and conspecific attraction. Settlement patterns and ultimately reproductive performance depend on habitat quality, based on vegetation structure, food availability and nest predator effects that vary across the landscape. Results from these long-term studies centered at Hubbard Brook provide a mechanistic understanding of avian population dynamics and community responses. The results provide a framework for predicting how future changes in habitat quality, climate, and other environmental threats may influence bird populations and communities in north-temperate forests.     

全球森林管理的趋势及对碳储量的影响

全球森林日益受到土地利用变化、分散化、管理目标变化和退化的影响。运用管理强度描述全球森林动态变化趋势,并概述了与森林管理相关的全球碳库变化。讨论了对“管理”的不同解释,并强调了一些重要的核算和分析问题。全球森林面积自1990 年以来下降了3％,但全球各地人工林面积都有所增加,截止2010 年已占全球森林面积的近7％。由于人为因素造成的栖息地破碎和退化,使得占所有林地34％的原始森林面积正在下降,尤其是南美洲和非洲。同时,自然再生林面积也有所下降。由于管理强度的增加,1990 年以来,非施业林面积（通常被定义为缺乏人类管理计划或保护状态的土地）大幅度下降,截止2010 年仅占全球森林的21％,而用于水土保持、生物多样性保护和提供生态系统服务等非木质林产品用地面积大幅增加。从全球来看,木材生产自1990 年以来一直相对稳定,但非木质林产品用地面积越来越多,表明林业采伐面积占森林总面积的比例较小。根据管理森林和区域研究领域的发展趋势可知,历史上和现在的森林管理是当前碳储量的一个非常重要的决定因素。目前,已建成的森林抵消了来自使用化石燃料释放二氧化碳的约30％,而减少森林的砍伐可能会将陆地碳地面总吸收量从大约4.0 t 升至每年6.2 t。然而,研究结果表明,多样化使用森林土地可能对维持或提高目前的陆地碳汇有重大影响。未来,诸如大气二氧化碳的增加和气候变化等间接的人类影响,以及土地管理的直接影响和木材生物燃料的日益增长的需求,都将成为影响土地管理战略规划和森林生态系统全球碳循环的重要因素。     

Hazel Grouse occurrence in fragmented forests: habitat quantity and configuration is more important than quality

Forest fragmentation has led to a decline in the population of many forest specialists, especially those with limited dispersal abilities. However, some of these species also occur in fragmented forests, and their response to fragmentation is crucial to understand the impact of this process in maintaining forest biodiversity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of habitat quality, quantity and configuration on the occurrence of Hazel Grouse as the model species. Studies were performed in the Carpathian Foothills (900?km², 15?% forested). Between 2000 and 2010, Hazel Grouse were detected in 25 out of 53 forest patches with high repeatability over time. Among the indices of habitat quality, the most important factors were the presence of bilberries, clearings and pioneer trees. Greater number and length of valleys also had a positive effect on the occurrence of grouse. All habitat quantity and landscape configuration variables influenced the presence of grouse positively (related to forest connectivity) or negatively (related to forest isolation). Among the explanatory variables considered, habitat quantity and landscape variables were much more important in explaining the occurrence of Hazel Grouse than variables related to habitat quality. The study shows that habitat acreage and its connectivity are crucial for the conservation and management of Hazel Grouse populations in fragmented landscapes, and therefore, it is necessary to sustain wooded corridors between larger forest patches.     

Climate Change Effects on Mediterranean Forests and Preventive Measures

This paper synthesizes and reviews literature concerning climate change effects on Mediterranean forest ecology and management as well as the restorative techniques necessary to maintain forest health, forest yield and biodiversity. Climate change compounded with trends of rural abandonment are likely to diminish forested areas within the Mediterranean basin that will be replaced by fire prone shrub communities. This could be favoured by outbreaks of pathogens, fire and other large-scale disturbances. Landscape fragmentation is expected to impede species migration. Annual increments and subsequent income from forests are expected to decrease. Reafforestations are necessary to ensure the presence of propagules of forest species and their site-specific varieties best adapted to future climatic conditions even though they may be different from the present forest-plant community. Current challenges in biodiversity conservation can only be met by afforestations whose main objective is to maintain ecosystem functioning. A new silviculture must emerge encompassing these habitat displacement and economic concerns while maximizing carbon sequestration.