Short-term response of the herbaceous layer within leave patches after harvest

Leave patches, uncut areas in a harvested forest, may conserve herbaceous layer species that decline after forest clearcutting. They may also serve to maintain source populations for the recolonization of the harvest area. The main objective of this study is to characterize the short-term response of the herbaceous layer to clearcut harvesting disturbance within and adjacent to leave patches. Four experimental 1 ha patches and two uncut references were established. Within each patch or reference, belts of five 1 m² quadrats were placed at 50 m and 5 m outside the patch, at 0 m (edge), and at 25 m, 35 m, and 50 m (centre) inside. These belts of quadrats were replicated at all four aspects (North, South, East, and West). Ground vegetation was sampled yearly for 1 year before harvest and 3 years after harvest in the experimental patches and for 2 consecutive years in the references. Some common residual species declined significantly in the clearcuts, but remained stable inside the patches in the short term (3 years after harvest). Overall species composition changed little in the patch interior and edge after harvest. Colonizing species (those that appeared in quadrats after harvest) in the patch exterior were predominantly early-seral species, whereas colonizers in the patch interior tended to be shade-tolerant forest species. Species were grouped a priori based on two habitat preferences (amounts of canopy cover and disturbed substrate). Species characteristic of a habitat with closed canopy and undisturbed substrates that decreased significantly over time in the patch exterior were negatively correlated with the amount of exposed mineral soil and open canopy. Species characteristic of a habitat with open canopy and disturbed substrates that increased significantly at the patch exterior showed a positive correlation with the amount of exposed mineral soil and open canopy. No species’ habitat preference groups declined significantly in the patch interior or edge over time. Based on species’ responses to forest operations, it appears that at least the common forest species are maintained in the short term within leave patches.