Linking forest history and conservation efforts: Long-term impact of low-intensity timber harvest on forest structure and wood-inhabiting fungi in northern Sweden

Sammanfattning

Throughout the northern hemisphere old forests with high abundance of dead wood are rare features in most landscapes today, and the loss of dead wood constitutes a serious threat to the existence of many species. This study, using field surveys and dendrochronology, examines the relationship between wood-inhabiting fungi and past forest utilisation along a gradient of early logging activity. Data were collected in three late-successional Scots pine forests in northern Sweden. Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling (NMS) was then used to assess differences in species composition among the forests. Our results show that minor forest logging (22-26 cut stumps ha(-1)) carried out a century ago may have continuing effects on forest characteristics, including dead wood dynamics and the wood-inhabiting fungal community especially the abundance of red-listed species. The most important effects are lower numbers of logs in early and intermediate stages of decomposition. Additionally, numbers of species (including red-listed species) can be high in forests that have been subject to low levels of logging. Overall, the high species numbers recorded in this study (n = 60-87) show that old, low-productivity pine forests harbour a considerable fraction of the total diversity of Basidiomycetes in northern Fennoscandian boreal forests. We conclude that the formation of a framework linking forest history and environmental data is vital for understanding the ecology and formulating goals for future management of these forests. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nyckelord

Forest history; Wood-inhabiting fungi; Logging; Conservation; CWD; Pinus sylvestris

Publicerad i

Biological Conservation
2010, volym: 143, nummer: 7, sidor: 1803-1811
Utgivare: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU författare

• Josefsson, Torbjörn

  • Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

• Östlund, Lars

  • Institutionen för skogens ekologi och skötsel, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

Globala målen (SDG)

SDG15 Ekosystem och biologisk mångfald

UKÄ forskningsämne

Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap
Skogsvetenskap
Ekologi

Publikationens identifierare

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2010.04.035

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/60757