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Forest certification is a voluntary conservation tool that aims to promote sustainable forest management. While research on forest certification has increased recently, there remains a significant gap in understanding how and to what extent certification can promote forest conservation. Mediterranean cork oak open woodlands are ecosystems of high conservation and socio-economic value. However, these ecosystems are threatened by increased adult oak mortality and regeneration failure, often due to inadequate management and the rise of pests and diseases, aggravated by climate change. Forest certification prescribes management practices intended to enhance tree regeneration and maintain stand health conditions. Therefore, it is anticipated that forest certification could mitigate the observed decline of oak trees in Mediterranean regions. Here, we investigate whether forest certification contributes to the ecological sustainability of Mediterranean cork oak open woodlands in Portugal. We compare the stand biometrics of non-certified and certified cork oak stands before and after certification implementation, using both National Forest Inventory data and field sampling from 2005 and 2020. Our findings indicate that the density of adult oak trees decreased by 16 % in certified estates and 28 % in non-certified estates between 2005 and 2020. Similarly, cork oak cover declined by 6 % tree cover in certified plots and 19 % in non-certified plots during the same period. Consequently, by 2020, tree density was 20 % higher in certified stands than in the non-certified ones, and tree cover was 36 % higher in certified stands. Tree diameter and height increased at similar rates in both certified and non-certified stands from 2005 to 2020.The age structure of the stands also remained consistent, showing a bell-shaped distribution of tree diameters in both years. However, results on oak regeneration were inconclusive. Our results suggest that cork oak decline, measured by the changes in density and cover of adult trees from 2005 to 2020, is slower in certified cork oak woodlands. Nonetheless, the increase in tree diameter and the age structure shape indicate potential regeneration issues in both certified and non-certified stands, needing further measures to address the aging of cork oak open woodlands. • Cork oak tree density decreased between 2005 and 2020 throughout the study area. • The decrease in cork oak density was greater in non-certified stands than in certified stands. • In 2020, certified cork oak stands had a higher tree density and cover. • Certification is contributing to mitigating the decline of cork oak woodlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal logging is one of the most ancient wood extraction methods and it is still applied in different parts of the world, including industrialised countries. Animal logging is often imagined as a low-impact method and sometimes, or rather often, it is recommended as a best-management practice. However, the literature findings depict a more complex scenario, and the goal of the present review is to shed light on the topic of environmental sustainability of logging operations performed by animals. Usually, animal logging causes less pollutant emissions and less damage to the residual stand in comparison to ground-based mechanised extraction methods. However, when applied in commercial forestry interventions such as coppicing, animal logging showed levels of soil compaction in line with those of ground-based machinery like tractors, skidders and forwarders. Specifically developed trials revealed that in the animal skid trails a strong disturbance to the soil microarthropod community occurred. Furthermore, the soil features in the animal trails seemed to get worse over time after logging, thus suggesting the possible presence of strong localised erosion along these trails. Despite the strong need to further investigate this topic, concerning the ecological aspects of forest soil which were generally neglected by the literature, the use of animal logging can be recommended in the case of small-scale forestry with wooden material sparsely located throughout the logging site. In the case of commercial logging on steep slopes instead it is recommended to replace animal logging with cable-based extraction systems. • Logging operations by the use of animals are still very common. • Animal logging causes lower emission and less damage to the residual trees than machinery. • Animal logging can cause disturbance to soil physicochemical and biological features. • Animal logging is recommended for isolated pockets of timber to be harvested. • Cable systems should be preferred to animal logging on steep slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Skidding and forwarding are the two options for ground-based forest operations. • Among practitioners, skidding is generally considered more impactful than forwarding. • Skidding in actually more impactful regarding the damages to residual stand. • Forwarding causes stronger soil compaction than skidding. • Application of Best Management Practices is fundamental to limit the impacts of both skidding and forwarding. The disturbance that ground-based extraction operations can imply on the forests ecosystem is an issue which demands more attention. Skidding and forwarding are the two most common ground-based extraction systems. While skidding implies to partially or fully dragging the logs on the ground, in forwarding, timber is transported on a deck thus avoiding direct contact with the soil. Generally, skidding is considered to be more impactful than forwarding in relation to the amount of disturbance on forest soil and residual stand. However, the framework depicted in current literature is not so strict. While skidding actually implies a higher level of damage to residual stand, the situation concerning disturbance to forest soil is much more complex. The dissimilarities in the results from various studies on this topic have shown the level of complexity. The lack of research investigating the consequences of the two extraction systems on the overall forest ecosystem is evident. Only a few studies were focused for example on the implications on biodiversity. However, the beneficial effects of best management practices, such as the application of snatch blocks during winching or positioning brush mats on the skid trails/strip roads to reduce soil compaction, have been clearly demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High functional diversity continued after intensive post-logging treatments. • Treated forests had similar dung beetle richness to primary and untreated logged forest. • Treated and untreated forest shared alike compositions distinct from primary communities. • Post-logging silviculture may return timber yields in a biodiversity-friendly way. Commercially logged tropical forests hold high conservation value but are rapidly being converted to lucrative low-diversity plantations. Post-logging interventions that accelerate forest timber and carbon recovery—such as enrichment planting and cutting of woody vines—may reduce both the spatial extent of logging and economic pressures to convert forests, delivering considerable conservation benefits. However, they could also seriously undermine logged forest biodiversity, simplifying forest structure and removing important wildlife microhabitats. To date, no study has investigated the impact of post-logging interventions on invertebrates. Focusing on dung beetles, we explore the effects of intensive vine-cutting and enrichment planting within a largescale post-logging silvicultural project in northern Borneo. We find that for four measures of functional diversity (the facet of diversity that accounts for species traits and functions) and for species richness, treated forest communities are similar to those in unlogged and naturally regenerating forest. Moreover, although community composition in treated forest remains distinct from old-growth forest, it is no different than that in naturally regenerating forest and in fact more closely resembles old-growth than naturally regenerating forest in terms of effective diversity. Our results indicate that logged forests continue to host diverse and functioning dung beetle communities even after silvicultural intensification. Post-logging interventions could therefore play an important role in forest and biodiversity conservation via their incorporation into emerging agendas including REDD+ and the Bonn Challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The impact of shelterwood (SW) cutting on understorey diversity was studied. • SW increases the species richness of vascular plants and bryophytes in pine forests. • The responses to different management practices were species group specific. • SW may be a suitable method to sustain the keystone forest floor species bilberry. Abstract Shelterwood (SW) cutting is considered a sustainable harvest method but its impact on understorey diversity of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests has not been thoroughly studied. Our aim was to clarify how uniform SW cutting in interactions with soil scarification, deposition of logging residues and altered light conditions affects the species richness and composition of vascular plants and bryophytes and how different species groups and individual species vary in their responses to SW practices. We monitored permanent vegetation plots in nine mature pine forests of hemiboreal Estonia before, shortly after and 3–4 years after SW harvesting. The results indicated that the effect of uniform SW harvesting was species group specific as the majority of vascular plant species groups as well as mosses and epigeic bryophytes increased in richness, however, the species richness of epiphytic and epixylic bryophytes decreased. Late-successional species showed two types of responses to SW harvesting: either reduction of cover or reduction followed by a recovery. Soil scarification favoured early-successional bryophyte species as well as the richness of tree seedlings and dwarf-shrubs but diminished the cover of Vaccinium myrtillus , Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Hylocomium splendens. The harvest-induced changes in the species composition were more pronounced for bryophyte communities than for vascular plants. Retention of green trees and dead-wood is important in SW harvesting for sustaining the vulnerable epixylic and epiphytic bryophyte species. To summarise, uniform SW harvesting increases the species richness of vascular plant and bryophyte communities in pine forests - at least in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Liana liberation on future crop trees represented ∼12% of the field crews daily time. • Trees liberated from lianas grew 38–63% faster that those that did not get liberated. • Average growth rate of released trees over 40 years will yield an average of 1.51 m3. • Volume gains of trees liberated from lianas offset the costs of the treatment. Abstract Lianas (woody climbing plants) often abound in tropical forests after selective logging and other disturbances. Liana cutting is an often-prescribed but seldom applied silvicultural treatment designed to foster the growth of future crop trees (hereafter: FCTs). Small-scale studies indicate that this treatment is effective, but little is known about its efficiency (i.e., proportions of lianas missed) or financial cost effectiveness at operational scales. To fill these gaps, we worked in a commercial forest concession in Belize where FCTs and trees to be felled were liberated from lianas in 500–1000 ha annual timber harvest blocks. We found that field crews assigned this and inventory-related tasks spent 11.8% of their time cutting lianas from FCTs at a cost of $0.11 per tree. Workers failed to cut 31.9% of the lianas that infested the 701 FCTs they were supposed to liberate; most of the missed lianas grew into the FCT crowns from neighbors or hung down far from the bole [an additional 48 FCTs (6%) were completely missed]. In a logging block treated 9-years prior to this study, 39% of the liberated Swietenia macrophylla FCTs 29–56 cm DBH were still liana-free whereas in an untreated stand, 94% of similar-sized conspecific control FCTs were liana-infested. Based on tree ring data for the same 9-year period, the liberated FCTs grew 38–63% faster than control FCTs. If the mean growth benefit is sustained over the entire 40-year cutting cycle, each liberated FCT will yield an average of 1.51 m3 (639 board feet) more roundwood than comparable FCTs in unliberated forest. Over this 40-year period with an annual discount rate of 4.5%, this added volume gives the $0.11 investment per tree a net present value of US $161.38 and a profitability index of 1467 for export quality timber. These results argue for the application of this inexpensive and effective treatment in managed forests where lianas abound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Balancing conservation and small holder livelihoods in tropical forests is a multi-faceted challenge. • Ecology, management, policy, and economics factors were integrated into a community model. • Management allows for landscape species population recovery while improving economic viability. • Legalization may require more intense harvests to maintain competitive economic returns. Abstract Nearly 25% of world's poor are dependent on forests, with 0.5–1 billion smallholders managing trees. This extensive human use of forests points to the need for sustainable timber management (STM) at smallholder scales. Similar to other tropical regions, households in the Amazon Estuary have harvested timber informally with minimal management for decades. This research provides a comprehensive look at the ecological and economic sustainability of forest use by local smallholders by integrating detailed plant demography, microeconomic, management and land use models at a whole watershed and community scale. In terms of conservation outcomes, resulting models show that forest management results in extensive harvests that allow for faster tree population recovery. In terms of economic outcomes, management also improves the long-term viability of the local timber industry in all scenarios considered. However, with respect to harvest regulations, given the costs of legalizing these small informal operations, legalization may indirectly lead to heavier ecological impacts as households need to harvest more to keep economic returns similar to the predominant alternative land use in the region (açaí palm fruit agroforestry). Despite a fast-growing and resource-rich forest, an increasing extent of degraded forest area reduces the ecological and economic prospects for long-term management. Consequently, for this and other similar tropical forests, the viability of STM should not be evaluated as a binary and static yes or no response but instead as a moving window of opportunity that occurs when ecological, economic and policy conditions are met. Integrated model projections show that regionally-derived and ecologically-based sustainable management guidelines widen this window of opportunity by delivering the best ecological and economic outcomes under a range of scenarios considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Linear mixed models provide appropriate framework for modeling forest growth data. • Supervised logging with climber cutting (SLC) reduces recovery time. • SLC reduces Macaranga establishment compared to conventional logging (CL). • Double growth rate for dipterocarps in SLC compared to CL. Abstract To understand and predict the dynamics and productivity of the world's tropical rainforests after logging is a major challenge for ecologists and forest managers. Realistic forest-dynamics models for this biome are largely lacking. Using linear mixed models, we analyse basal area development for the commercially valuable tree species of dipterocarps and the fast-growing pioneer Macaranga spp., following two selective logging methods; supervised logging (SL) and conventional logging (CL) combined with- or without pre-harvest climber cutting (SLC and SL, and CLC and CL, respectively). After logging there was an initial period of about five years before recovery started. During the 18-year study period, the average stand basal area growth rates of the dipterocarp group in the SLC treatment was double that in the CL treatment, revealing a faster recovery. Eighteen years after logging, SL and SLC treatments recovered 93% and 84%, respectively, of the initial standing dipterocarp basal area, compared to 73% and 72% recovery for the CL and CLC treatments. SLC treatments reduced the overall establishment of pioneer species (Macaranga spp.) by about 45% in contrast to CL and CLC treatments. Our study provides a framework for evaluating and comparing growth rates in tropical forests for different logging methods. The results suggest that a combination of directional felling, pre-aligned skid trails and pre-harvest climber cutting can improve future yields in tropical rainforests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Suppressing either herbaceous-only or woody-only vegetation promoted competitive species and delayed understory maturation. • A single, second-season suppression of woody and herbaceous species favoured pine performance and understory recovery. • Silviculture prescriptions can be designed to balance multiple management objectives within eastern white pine plantations. Abstract Multiple-use land management is an important aspect of sustainable forest management and requires strategies that both promote sustainable fiber production and conserve biodiversity. Studies formally integrating these two aspects of forest management are needed to develop silviculture prescriptions capable of maintaining the delivery of multiple ecosystem goods and services. Techniques used to suppress vegetation that competes with young pine seedlings have become standard practice in the regeneration of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.), but they can cause changes in plant community composition. We compared white pine performance to understory development under five vegetation suppression treatments within three experimental white pine plantations. White pine performance was assessed in terms of basal stem diameter and the percentage of trees reaching an age 10 height target. Understory development was characterized in terms of understory plant functional composition using a complementary set of functional and taxonomic diversity metrics. Plantations included one clearcut site and two sites managed under a uniform shelterwood system. Our results show that after 10 years, plots treated with a single, second-season application of herbicide that temporarily suppressed both woody and herbaceous vegetation favoured rapid white pine growth, increased pine canopy cover, and allowed the understory community to recover towards a mature functional and taxonomic composition. Repetitive suppression of either only herbaceous or woody vegetation caused major shifts in community composition that were still evident after 10 years. These shifts were due to the prevalence of competitive species that formed dominant layers in these treatments. Impacts of treatments on tree performance and understory development observed in this study have important implications for forest management. Some treatments might create problems in the long-term by delaying understory maturation, while others appear capable of balancing multiple management objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Low levels of seedling recruitment were found in shelterwood-treated jarrah forest. • Recruitment was strongly linked to levels of canopy seed store and seed fall. • A minor positive effect of ashbed, particularly areas burnt to mineral soil, was found. • Adequate seedling recruitment following logging in jarrah forest may require more intense fire. Abstract Successful and adequate recruitment of seedlings is an essential ecological process in forest ecosystem dynamics and is a key principle underpinning sustainable timber harvesting. This is particularly so with the shelterwood silvicultural system used in the jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest of south-west Australia where partial cuts of overstorey are made followed by prescribed burning to stimulate seed fall and seedling establishment. There have been concerns over the lack of seedling recruitment in some shelterwood-treated areas of the jarrah forest, and hence this study was implemented to explore the roles of seed supply and seedbed conditions in limiting recruitment of jarrah seedlings. Low seedling densities were recorded across all six burnt study sites and were strongly correlated (at both broad and fine scales) with both canopy seed store and seed fall. Ample levels of post-burn seed fall only resulted in low seedling numbers suggesting that adequate seed supply did not coincide with seedbed conditions suitable for mass seedling regeneration. Conditions favourable for seedling recruitment were highly variable within sites, since both seed supply and seedbed conditions were spatially heterogeneous. Fine-scale areas burnt to mineral soil showed an additive influence to the overwhelmingly dominant factor of seed supply on seedling recruitment. However, the capacity of low intensity burns to produce these seedbed conditions at a broad scale appears to be limited. Results suggest that successful stocking of shelterwood-treated jarrah forest is not always feasible following a single silvicultural event, such as post-harvest burning under mild conditions. The chances of ample seed supply coinciding with broad-scale seedbed conditions favourable for mass germination, emergence and establishment appear to be low. Successful stocking of shelterwood-treated jarrah forest is more likely to be a longer term outcome achieved through episodic recruitment, especially when favourable environmental conditions coincide with optimal seedbed conditions. Such episodic recruitment strategies may be common in resource-limited systems such as jarrah forest and other dry eucalypt forest systems, where conditions controlling the regeneration niche are often variable and unpredictable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We estimated recruitment after logging using a transition matrix model and an individual-tree model. • Tree recruitment was adequately predicted by the two evaluated models. • Predicting recruitment is important for estimating the future development of forests. • The DII BAL (Basal Area of Larger trees) index more accurately estimates the mortality of recruited trees. Recruitment models in rainforests are important for studies on forest management sustainability and can guide the assessment of remaining stocks and timber harvesting. Therefore, the objective of this study was to estimate recruitment after Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) by using two categories of models: a distance-independent individual-tree model (ITM) and a matrix model of forest dynamics or transition matrix (TMM). Data from continuous inventories conducted in a Dense Ombrophilous Forest in Paragominas, Pará state, Brazil, were utilized. Two transects of 9 ha each were installed at an area with Reduced Impact Logging, the data was collected in 2005 (nine months after logging), then in 2006, 2008, 2010 and 2012. Considering a period of 8 years after RIL, the individual tree-based model and transition matrix give consistent predictions of the recruitment in the study area. However, we observed slight superiority by the ITM, which presented values closer to the real ones for the total number of trees per hectare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Viable populations of typical species indicate state of mire-forest landscapes. • Three species of declining forest grouse were mapped in seven Estonian landscapes. • The species were segregated by preferred Histosol sites. • All grouse species avoided recently thinned forests but did not avoid predators. • Grouse require large reserves and buffer habitats in drained peatland landscapes. Natural peatland forest landscapes have been transformed and fragmented by forestry and agriculture worldwide, which undermines their ecological functioning and resilience. In Northern Europe, such transformations are apparently linked with observed long-term declines of forest dwelling grouse; those declines have not been effectively addressed by conservation. We asked how site factors, in combination with forest management and predation risk, shape grouse distributions in such landscapes in the breeding season. The data were collected by single-visit snapshot mapping of the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), hazel grouse (Tetrastes bonasia), and the signs of their potential predators across seven peatland forest areas (156 km2 in total) around large bogs in Estonia. We modelled the presence of grouse species in relation to landscape gradients, forest stand characteristics, and predator occurrence. The species were partly segregated along the bog-fen forest gradient (on different types of peat soils) and by stand composition; most capercaillie hens dispersed up to 2.5 km from lekking sites. All species avoided recently thinned forests, except breeding capercaillie in transitional mire sites (their preferred habitat). When the other factors were accounted for, the grouse neither avoided densely ditched areas nor predator vicinity at a forest scale (ca. 20-ha), which may expose the birds to unperceived risks. Our results indicate that conserving all three grouse species in peatland forest landscapes requires maintaining the edaphic and stand-structural diversity of the forests. Frequent thinning and dense predator populations are detrimental, and may require large refuge habitats to buffer their influence. Sustaining viable grouse populations serves as a clear target for ecosystem management in drained peatland landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Comprehensive Forest Area Density (FAD) data of Spain at five scale levels. • Differential profiles of forest types in response to Mediterranean condition. • Predictable FAD scaling relations by forest type; operational scale 5,300 ha. • Theoretical model based on actual FAD distributions across scale levels. • New multiscale fragmentation indicator for forest planning: sl50. This work contributes to the understanding of forest landscape ecology to support large-scale forest planning in Mediterranean forests. It examines the forest condition from a general perspective of habitat fragmentation in Spain. Our objective is to establish a framework for the assessment and comparison of the degree of forest fragmentation by generating reference curves of the Forest Area Density (FAD) metric, by forest type, and identifying multiscale fragmentation profiles at both the pixel and forest type level. To achieve this objective, pixel-level FAD values were produced in the entirety of Spain using a moving-window procedure and considering five scale levels and 20 forest types. Moreover, the results of this study inform useful operational scales and scaling relations, jointly providing a comprehensive national reference framework. We also propose a general theoretical model of fragmentation that derives from the relationship between the shape of the FAD reference curves and the considered scale levels. Based on this model, we define a new multiscale indicator for forest planning: the scale level (i.e., the size of the analysis window) at which the FAD metric takes a mean value of 50%. We expect this new indicator to be a useful tool for sustainable forest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Dead wood dynamics during whole shelterwood cutting cycle was studied in 70 stands. • Changes in dead wood composition increased with cutting intensity. • Shelterwood does not sustain larger dead-wood pools than clear-cutting system. • Shelterwood can stabilize total dead-wood volume, but its turnover is high. • Almost all snags were destroyed during regeneration cuttings. Abstract Shelterwood is commonly assumed to be a more nature-friendly silvicultural system than clear-cutting. However, dead-wood pools – a key characteristic of natural forest – have been seldom compared between these systems. We investigated how shelterwood harvesting influences the dynamics of different dead-wood fractions in Estonia, where the predominant forestry model is clear-cutting based but ‘seminatural’ (using native tree species and, to a significant extent, natural regeneration). We measured dead-wood pools in 49 Scots pine-dominated stands (representing all shelterwood harvesting stages), and in 11 pine-dominated and 10 Norway spruce-dominated stands as before-after experiments (1st stage only). We analysed dead-wood amounts in relation to site conditions and the proportion of timber harvested, and we compared the shelterwood impacts with published estimates from Estonian clear-cuts. Fine woody debris (5–9.9 cm) increased with the harvest. The volume of coarse woody debris was 19–27 m3 ha−1 in uniform shelterwood stands in pine forest (0–25 years after the first harvest); 63 m3 ha−1 in strip shelterwood stands in spruce forest (immediately post harvest). In before-after experiments, post-harvest dead-wood amounts depended on fraction and harvesting intensity, which determines the balance between the input of new debris (logs; stumps) and the loss of pre-existing standing and downed dead trees. After the first shelterwood harvesting, dead-wood pools remained relatively stable, which contrasts with the large fluctuations after clear-cutting. In the long term, however, shelterwood did not sustain generally larger dead-wood pools than the clear-cutting system in seminatural forestry setting. The issue to be resolved in both types of regeneration cuttings is the near-complete loss of standing dead trees, which probably requires new harvesting techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, considerable progress has been made in developing vulnerability assessment tools and in applying these methodologies to identify and implement climate change adaptation approaches for forest ecosystems and forest management organizations in Canada and the United States. However, given that adaptation processes are in early stages, evaluation of approaches across agency, organizational, and geographic boundaries is critical. Thus, we conducted a qualitative comparison of three conceptual frameworks for climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation efforts in the Canadian and United States forestry agency contexts. We focus our comparison on components of the conceptual frameworks, development process, intended users, similarities and differences in institutional contexts (geographic and organizational), and implementation. Finally, we present case studies to illustrate how the frameworks have been implemented on the ground and in different contexts. Despite different trajectories of development, the Canadian and US forest agencies have developed similar conceptual frameworks for vulnerability assessment and adaptation. We found that key components of the conceptual frameworks included: establishing a science-management partnership; evaluating current forest conditions and management objectives; conducting detailed science-based vulnerability assessments; developing adaptation approaches and on-the-ground tactics; implementing adaptation tactics; and monitoring outcomes and adjusting as needed. However, the contexts in which these frameworks are implemented vary considerably within and between countries, mostly because of differences in land ownership, management norms, and organizational cultures. On-the-ground applications, although slow to develop, are beginning to proliferate, providing examples that can be emulated by others. A strategy for accelerating implementation of adaptation in Canada and the United States is suggested, building on successes by federal agencies and extending to public, private, and crown lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable production of wood is one of the main services provided by forest systems. Site productivity in the case of forests is often evaluated through the site quality. However, most of the works addressing the site quality have been done at local or regional scale. In this work, we aim to develop site quality models for five dominant species in Spanish forests ( Fagus sylvatica , Pinus pinaster atlantica , Quercus pyrenaica , Pinus nigra , Pinus sylvestris ) and create site quality maps at a national-scale from these models. First, we develop site quality models using site form (height-diameter relationship) as the reference index and the Spanish National Forest Inventory as dataset. Then, we fit spatial additive models entering physiographic and climatic variables in order to predict the site quality over the whole country. Additionally, we plot site form maps for the five species in order to describe spatial pattern in site quality at a national scale. Altitude and aspect appeared to be fundamental variables in the assessment of site quality. The accuracy of the spatial additive models ranged from 38.2% to 47.9%. The correspondence between the predicted and observed maps of site qualities is clear. Our results provide a tool which could be used by forest managers in land use planning as well as in forest policy decision-making at a national scale. We suggest that this method could be used in other countries and that the maps could be expanded to the European scale to assessing the way in which site quality varies across Europe always considering that the relationships between forest productivity and environmental variables could vary among biogeoclimatic zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelterwood (SW) cutting is a silvicultural method for establishing natural tree regeneration. It is considered to be less destructive for forest biodiversity than intensive harvest methods. In boreal forests, bryophytes are an important taxonomic group, but are vulnerable to changes caused by intensive forest management. To date, the effect of SW cutting on bryophytes has been insufficiently tested, particularly if the entire cutting cycle and different forest-type groups are included. Bryophyte assemblages and forest structural features were surveyed at the stand scale in 30 dry and fresh boreal study sites to test which factors influence bryophyte species richness and composition in SW cuttings as compared to mature managed forests. Total species richness of bryophytes was generally higher in mature forests (123 species) compared to SW cuttings after the first (96 species) and final (90 species) stages of the cutting rotation, but the mean stand scale richness was similar among SW cuttings and mature stands. Independent of the management, a higher number of deciduous trees favoured richness of mosses and liverworts, the latter also positively influenced by the volume of well-decayed logs. Bryophyte assemblages of the first and completed SW cut sites were similar, but distinct from those of mature forests. This pattern also held if mosses and liverworts were analysed separately or if assemblages of the same substrate type (i.e. live trees, stumps, dead wood) were compared between management treatments. The general impact of SW cutting on bryophytes was mild in dry boreal sites, but destructive for species of conservation concern in fresh boreal sites. Retaining a higher density of coniferous and deciduous trees during the SW rotation, as well as careful retention of dead wood legacies (snags and logs), is critical to support bryophyte assemblages in SW post-cut sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, over 400 million hectares of tropical forests are set aside for timber production. Several certification schemes exist to ensure more sustainable exploitation and large areas of production forests are currently certified. Under such schemes, logging companies are required to evaluate whether species are not overexploited and, if necessary, adapt their logging activities. However, the data needed to project exploitation intensities – growth, mortality and regeneration rates of trees – are scarce or non-existent. Tree-ring analysis provides lifetime species-specific growth data that can be used to allow or improve the projections of timber availability during following logging cycles. In this study, we integrated growth data from tree rings with logging inventory data to forecast timber yields in the next harvest round for four timber species in Cameroon. We compared projections using tree-ring data with projections using fixed growth rates, as set by law and customarily applied in Cameroon. Additionally, we assessed the effect of increasing logging cycles and of using filed-based species-specific logging intensities on the next cycle’s yield projections. Under current logging practices, timber volumes available at next logging cycles are projected to be 21–36% of the volumes obtained at first harvest. Simulations using fixed rates often resulted in lower yields with lower volume ingrowth from trees that were below minimum cutting diameters in the first harvest. Lengthening the logging cycle increased yield predictions during the next harvests, but yields were still not sustained over time. This problem can be resolved by using species-specific logging intensities, which led to projected yields of up to 73% of the initial harvested volume. The growth data provided by tree-ring analysis allows conducting such species-specific projections and thus helps to provide the knowledge base necessary for sustainable forest management. Yet, the low overall yields are a concern to forest conservation, as loss of economic value may lead to conversion of forests to other land uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of managed tropical forests in climate change mitigation has made it important to find the sustainable sweet-spot for timber production, carbon retention, and the quick recovery of both. Here we focus on recovery of aboveground carbon and timber stocks over the first 32 years after selective logging with the CELOS Harvest System in Suriname. Our data are from twelve 1-ha permanent sample plots in which growth, survival, and recruitment of trees ≥15 cm diameter were monitored between 1978 and 2012. We evaluate plot-level changes in basal area, stem density, aboveground carbon, and timber stock in response to average timber harvests of 15, 23, and 46 m 3 ha −1 . We use a linear mixed-effects model in a Bayesian framework to quantify recovery time for aboveground carbon and timber stock, as well as annualized increments for both. Our statistical models accounted for the uncertainty associated with the height and biomass allometries used to estimate aboveground carbon and increased precision of annualized aboveground carbon increments by including data from forty-one plots located elsewhere on the Guiana Shield. The probabilities of aboveground carbon recovery to pre-logging levels 32 years after harvests of 15, 23 and 46 m 3 ha −1 were 45%, 40%, and 24%, respectively. Net aboveground carbon increment for logged forests across all harvest intensities was 0.64 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 , more than twice the rate observed in unlogged forests (0.26 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 ). The probabilities of timber stock recovery at the end of the 32-year period were highest after harvest intensities of 15 and 23 m 3 ha −1 (with 80% probability) and lowest after the harvest of 46 m 3 ha −1 (with 70% probability). Timber stock recovery across all harvest intensities was driven primarily by residual tree growth. Application of the legal cutting limit of 25 m 3 ha −1 will require more than 70 and 40 years to recover aboveground carbon and timber stocks, respectively, with 90% probability. Based on the low recruitment rates of the twelve species harvested, the 25 year cutting cycle currently implemented in Suriname is too short for long-term timber stock sustainability. We highlight the value of propagating uncertainty from individual tree measurements to statistical predictions of carbon stock recovery. Ultimately, our study reveals the trade-offs that must be made between timber and carbon services as well as the opportunity to use carbon payments to enable longer cutting rotations to capture carbon from forest regrowth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well-researched and sound integration of non-wood forest products into a forest management planning process presents an opportunity to understand the fundamental causative basis of forest dynamics through decision support systems (DSS). The aim of this study is to present a simulation-based mushroom integrated decision support system, ETÇAP Simulation model, and forecast the effects of forest management intensity on mushroom productivity and occurrence. This is conducted through five policy sets with different planning scenarios, representing timber-oriented forest management (T1), multipurpose forest management (M1, M4, M6), and no intervention (NI). The study area involves the Kızılcasu Planning unit from the northwestern part of Turkey. The spatial distribution and productivity models of Lactarius delisiosus and L. salmonicolor generated for the Kızılcasu Planning unit were used in the simulation based model. The results indicated that both minimum harvesting ages and the intensity of forest management interventions are very important for increasing mushroom productivity and occurrence in the case study area. Under the T1 forest management scenario, mushroom productivity is estimated to be approximately 12,469 tonnes. When the planning approach changes to NI, M1, M4 and M6, however, mushroom productivity experiences 86%, 28%, 26% and 33% reduction rates, respectively. Despite these reductions, spatial distribution of mushrooms has been positively affected by forest management interventions. Simulations with multipurpose management policy would probably lead lower estimations of spatial distribution areas and productivity of mushroom than timber-oriented forest management policy would. Multiple-use planning approach seems to contribute less to mushroom productivity and the occurrence than does timber-oriented approach. In fact, determining optimal harvesting ages and the intensity of forest management interventions for each forest value presents a great challenge for decision makers. The DSS tools like ETÇAPSimulation are of great importance to understand the long term effects of various management plans on forest dynamics. Active management of forest resources will be important for achieving simultaneous production of timber products and mushrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Non-timber tree species density was associated with post-logging NDVI change. • Horizontal understory cover was associated with post-logging NDVI change. • A. caerensis and J. mimosifolia endangered species were not recorded post-logging. • Post-logging there was a change in the species order regarding to the IVI. • A decrease in the first diameter classes could reduce timber productivity. Native forests are considered to be the main centers of terrestrial diversity in the world and they provide important ecosystem services for humanity. Unsustainable logging is currently-one of the greatest threats to the biodiversity of these forests. In northwestern Argentina, about 90 % of the piedmont forest in the Southern Yungas has been transformed and the remaining 10% is being intensively logged. The aim of this study was to identify post-logging changes in the structural and compositional attributes affecting the functionality of a dry forest in Argentina. In the control forest, we recorded 1559 individuals from 45 tree species and 22 families, and at post-logging forest, 1376 trees from 47 species and 25 families. Logging affected the forest structure by decreasing timber tree density and basal area. In addition, at the post-logging forest, we observed an increase in the density of non-timber trees and in the horizontal understory cover, which were associated with the normalized difference vegetation index, thus, affecting the forest functioning. The threatened timber species Amburana cearensis and Jacaranda mimosifolia were not recorded in the logged forest. In the control, four timber species had the highest importance value indexes (IVI): Phyllostilon rhamnoides , Anadenanthera colubrina , Calicophylum multiflorum , and Myracrodruon urundeuva. Additionally, in the logged forest there was a change in the species order regarding the IVI, with A. colubrina, P. rhamnoides, Cordia americana , and a non-valuable timber species (Ocotea puberula) being the most important tree species. In order to preserve the economic and ecological value of the piedmont forest, the density of non-timber tree species and the horizontal understory cover must be maintained at values close to the control forest. These guidelines can be implemented by applying low-impact logging techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High genetic diversity and significant fixation index in Oriental beech populations. • Oriental beech population have geographical genetic structure in Hyrcanian forest. • Shelterwood harvesting has not caused significant reduction in genetic diversity. • A trend of reduced genetic diversity, rare alleles and N e in managed populations. • Some genetic differentiation between the unmanaged and managed populations. Genetic diversity is essential for sustainability, adaptation and evolution of forest tree populations, especially under changed climate conditions. Maintenance of standing genetic diversity and effective population size (N e) in relict forest species is of special interest to preserve their genetic heritage. Forest harvesting and management practices can affect genetic diversity and population structure by affecting demography and several evolutionary processes. We examined the effect of shelterwood harvesting on genetic diversity, population structure and N e of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) populations in the relict Hyrcanian forest region by comparing pairwise unmanaged and manged populations at five locations using nuclear microsatellites. High levels of genetic diversity and significant levels of fixation index were observed, and the populations showed geographical genetic structure. There was a trend of reduced genetic diversity and N e in the managed compared to unmanaged populations, but the differences were not significant. The unmanaged populations had almost twice the number of private alleles that of the managed populations. The unmanaged populations were genetically differentiated from their managed counterparts to varying degrees. The two unmanaged populations from Asalem and Sangedeh which had other human disturbance of livestock grazing or illegal harvesting were genetically the most differentiated from their managed counterparts as well as all other populations. F ST estimates indicated similar levels of genetic differentiation among unmanaged and among managed populations. Overall, our study shows that shelterwood harvesting although does not significantly reduce genetic diversity and N e and increase inbreeding levels in the extant managed populations, which are only one generation apart from the unmanaged populations, it does cause some genetic diversity and N e erosion. Our study has implications and applications for sustainable management and conservation of genetic resources of Oriental beech inside and outside of the Hyrcanian forest as well as for other beech species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for tropical forest restoration has grown rapidly as the potential role of recovering secondary forests in sequestering carbon and enhancing biodiversity has been recognised. Active forest management is often prescribed to accelerate natural regeneration, but evidence for the efficacy of interventions is scarce for tropical forests. In this study we examine the hypothesis that the selective removal of abundant pioneers in the understory of recovering selectively logged forests can improve the composition of forest stands and accelerate succession. Four selective thinning treatments of increasing intensity were implemented in 8.75 ha compartments and replicated six times. Within each compartment, three monitoring plots were established and measured immediately after thinning and one year later to assess implementation of thinning treatments, growth and survival of stems, and changes in stand composition. Canopy openness was measured using hemispherical photography. Thinning treatments substantially reduced the abundance of pioneers, but there was only a slight increase in canopy openness (3.7–4.3%) relative to the control (1.8%) 8 months after implementation. Canopy openness increased dramatically across all treatments in the follow year due to the 2015–16 El Niño event and increased more in thinning treatments. Large (>10 cm dbh) and small (2–10 cm dbh) late-successional stems showed enhanced growth only in the low intensity thinning treatment, whereas the growth of small pioneer stems increased across the thinning intensity gradient. The cost of implementing thinning treatments was $US80 per ha or approximately 10% of the cost of planting treatments in the same forest. Our findings suggest that selective thinning of understory pioneer stems is a practical option for manipulating stand composition and potentially accelerating natural regeneration. Continued monitoring of the experiment should reveal the long-term impact and cost-effectiveness of treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns about the sustainability of tropical forestry motivated this study on post-logging timber and carbon dynamics over a 20-year period in Paragominas, Pará, Brazil. Previously unlogged forest was subjected to conventional logging (CL), reduced-impact logging (RIL), or was set aside as an unlogged control. All trees ⩾25 cm DBH and all trees of commercial species ⩾10 cm DBH were monitored in a 24.5 ha plot in each treatment, with a 5.25 ha subplot in each for monitoring all trees ⩾10 cm DBH. Above-ground biomass and bole volumes of merchantable species were tracked based on 10 inventories made between 1993 and 2014. Pre-logging biomass and bole volumes of commercial species were estimated as 237, 231, and 211 Mg ha −1 , and 78, 80, and 70 m 3 ha −1 , in the RIL, CL, and unlogged plots, respectively. One year after logging, biomass was reduced 14% by RIL and 24% by CL with corresponding merchantable species volume reductions of 21% and 31%. By 2014, biomass and bole volumes of commercial species had recovered 95% and 98% of their pre-logging stocks in the RIL plot but only 76% and 72% in the CL plot, respectively; timber volumes from large trees (⩾50 cm DBH) were only recovered to 81% in the RIL plot and to 53% in the CL plot. Over the first twenty years after logging, average volume increments from commercial species were substantially higher in the RIL plot (0.72 m 3 ha −1 year −1 ) than in the CL plot (0.08 m 3 ha −1 year −1 ). Recovery of both biomass and timber volumes were temporarily reversed between 2009 and 2014 due to a 4-fold increase in annual mortality rates in the RIL plot and a 5.5-fold increase in the CL plot (as well as a 3-fold increase in the control plot), all presumably related to the extreme drought of 2010. Our findings support the claim that use of RIL techniques accelerates rates of biomass and timber stock recovery after selective logging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important aspect of sustainable forest management is to assess the impact of forest operations on ecosystem services. This work analyzed the long-term effect of two standard thinning regimes on carbon stocks both in tree biomass and soil compartments as well as its effect on soil condition. The target population was a 90-year-old Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) stand in southwestern Europe. Soil condition was measured as dry mass of the forest floor and concentration of carbon, nutrients in the forest floor as well as exchangeable cations, effective cation exchange capacity, pH and bulk density in the mineral soil. Repeated thinnings from below in a southern European population of Scots pine led to a reduction in current on-site carbon stock in tree biomass of 28% in moderately thinned stands (D grade: average residual basal area of 65–79% relative to the control plots) which was consistent with an observed loss of volume production. However, the inclusion of the amount of carbon exported off-site with harvested biomass reduced the decrease in stock to 4.8%. Nutrient concentrations in the forest floor increased in moderate thinned stands (P, K, Mg and Mn) or were unchanged (C, N and Fe). The selected thinning regime did not alter mineral soil condition. A decreasing pattern of Ca and Mn stocks with depth was consistent with a high reduction of nutrient concentration of elements and higher bulk density with depth. However K, Mg and Na showed stable stocks across depths because of a much smaller reduction of nutrient concentrations in deeper layers relative to the surface layer. We hypothesized that this stable pattern with soil depth was due to leaching. The sustainability of forest thinning is a trade-off between loss of standing biomass and increasing stand stability as long as other indicators, like soil condition, do not significantly change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world’s forests provide fundamental protection of soil and water resources as well as multiple ecosystem services and cultural or spiritual values. We summarized the FRA 2015 data for protective functions and ecosystem services, and analyzed increasing or decreasing trends of protective areas. The global forest area managed for protection of soil and water was 1.002 billion ha as of 2015, which was 25.1% of all global forested areas. Protective forests have increased by 0.181 billion ha over the past 25 years mainly because more countries are now reporting protective forest areas (139 in 2015 vs 114 in 1990). However, average percentage of designated for protective forests did not change significantly from 1990 to 2015. Global forest area managed for ecosystem services is also now at 25.4% of global total forest area and has changed little over the past 25 years. Among the twelve categories of protective forests, flood control, public recreation, and cultural services increased both in terms of percentage of total forest area and the number of reporting countries. Public awareness of the importance of forest resources for functions and services other than production continues to increase as evidenced by the increase of protective forest designations and reporting in many countries. Percentages of total forest area designated for both protective forests and ecosystem services show a dual-peak distribution of numbers of countries concentrated at 0% and 100%. This suggests a socio-economic influence for the designations. We examined five case study countries (Australia, Canada, China, Kenya, and Russia). The most dramatic changes in the past 25 years have been in China where protective forests for soil and water resources increased from about 12% to 28% of forest area. The Russian Federation has also increased percentages of forest area devoted to soil and water resource protection and delivery of ecosystem services. Australia is now reporting in more protective forest categories whereas Kenya and Canada changed little. These five countries have their own classification of forest functions and recalculation methods of reporting for FRA 2015 were different. This demonstrates the difficulty in establishing a universal common designation scheme for multi-functions of forest. Production of more accurate assessments by further improvements in the reporting framework and data quality would help advance the value of FRA as the unique global database for forest functions integrated between forest ecosystems and social sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is many things to many people – yet a common thread is the production of forest goods and services for the present and future generations. The promise of sustainability is rooted in the two premises; first that ecosystems have the potential to renew themselves and second that economic activities and social perceptions or values that define human interaction with the environment are choices that can be modified to ensure the long term productivity and health of the ecosystem. SFM addresses a great challenge in matching the increasing demands of a growing human population while maintaining ecological functions of healthy forest ecosystems. This paper does not seek to define SFM, but rather provides analyses of key indicators for the national-scale enabling environment to gain a global insight into progress in implementing enabling and implementing SFM at the national and operational levels. Analyses of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 (FRA) country report data are used to provide insights into the current state of progress in implementing the enabling conditions for SFM. Over 2.17 billion ha of the world’s forest area are predicted by governments to remain in permanent forest land use, of which some 1.1 billion ha are covered by all of the SFM tools investigated in FRA 2015. At the global scale, SFM-related policies and regulations are reported to be in place on 97% of global forest area. While the number of countries with national forest inventories has increased over that past ten years from 48 to 112, only 37% of forests in low income countries are covered by forest inventories. Forest management planning and monitoring of plans has increased substantially as has forest management certification, which exceeded a total of over 430 million ha in 2014. However, 90% of internationally verified certification is in the boreal and temperate climatic domains – only 6% of permanent forests in the tropical domain have been certified as of 2014. Results show that more work is needed to expand the extent and depth of work on establishing the enabling conditions that support SFM over the long term and suggests where those needs are greatest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Global Forest Resources Assessment 2015 shows that deforestation has slowed and afforestation has increased globally during 1990–2015. Planted forests have increasingly provided goods and services hitherto derived from natural forests, and mosaic forests in agricultural landscapes are increasing. Forest gain is occurring at higher latitudes and in richer countries whilst forest loss continues in poor countries in the tropics. Some middle income tropical countries are now also transitioning to forest gain. These transition countries are characterised by reforms to forest management and improvements in agricultural practices but also by significant expansions of planted forest, which account for ∼25–100% of gains. Forest-area estimates of the FRA align with satellite-derived estimates, with deviations of ⩽±7% globally and ⩽±17% for the tropics. Mosaics comprised of trees outside forests, remnant forest patches, and young regenerating forests constitute a modest proportion of the tropical forest estate and are seemingly well inventoried by the FRA. Extensive areas of forest experienced partial canopy cover reduction since 2000, particularly in the tropics where their area is ∼6.5 times that deforested since 1990. The likelihood of the eventual loss of these forests and a decline in their capacity to provide goods and services is a matter of concern. Demand for industrial wood and fuelwood increased 35% in the tropics since 1990, principally in poorer countries, and growth in demand will accelerate into the future, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Notwithstanding significant increases in forests within protected areas since 1990 to 517 Mha (16.3%) globally and 379 Mha (26.6%) in the tropics, increasing demands for ecological services, forest products, and climate change mitigation is likely to be met from an expanding area of planted forests more than from the declining area of natural forests, particularly in Africa. The global rate of planted-forest expansion since 1990 is close to a target rate of 2.4% per annum necessary to replace wood supplied from natural forests in the medium term, though the expansion rate has declined to 1.5% since 2005. Multiple-use forests permitting both production and conservation account for 26% of the global forest area and 17% of the tropical forest area, and have increased by 81.8 Mha or 8.5% globally since 1990, with most gains in the tropics. Sustainable forest management in low-income and tropical countries remains modest, with only 37% low-income country forests covered by forest inventories. International support has proven effective at increasing this coverage since 2010. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Total N, C, extractable P, base cations maintained in top meter soil 35 yr after WTH. • After WTH, forest floor C and N were about 50% observed in unharvested forest. • 13C NMR analysis of SOC suggests downward translocation of SOC in soil. • Chesuncook catena soils may be able to support a bio-economy in northern Maine. Intensive harvesting of forest biomass for bioenergy has the potential to degrade forest soils and productivity if ecosystem carbon and other nutrients are depleted faster than replenished naturally or by management inputs. Climate change mitigation potential associated with bioenergy may be threatened if forest management operations reduce soil carbon stocks. Research reported here was initiated in 1979 to determine the effects of whole-tree harvesting on long-term site productivity and ecosystem carbon and nutrient pools and fluxes in a northeastern North American temperate balsam fir-red spruce forest. A sequence of harvesting and silvicultural treatments were applied from 1981 to 1993 using a paired-watershed experimental design. Treatments included whole-tree clearcutting, stem-only harvesting, simulated by return of chipped or lopped delimbing residue, conifer release by applying herbicide, and pre-commercial thinning and fertilizer application. Quantitative samples of the forest floor were excavated in 2016. Quantitative soil pits were sampled in 2017 to a depth of 50 cm below the forest floor, where possible; the basal till subsoil was sampled to a depth of 100 cm with an auger. Forest floor samples were analyzed for total carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and aluminum. Organic and mineral soil layer samples from the quantitative pits were analyzed for pH, short and long-lived soil carbon via 13C cross polarization magic angle spinning (CP-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), total carbon and nitrogen and extractable phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and aluminum. Forest floor carbon and nitrogen on whole-tree harvested plots 35 years after harvest were about 50% of the amount on the unharvested watershed. Stem-only harvesting partially mitigated the reduction, and gross losses were apparently offset by increases in the mineral soil solum to depth 50 cm, suggesting that downward translocation of soil organic matter was a significant ecosystem process during the 35 years since harvest. Accumulated forest floor and mineral soil stock of total carbon and nitrogen and extractable nutrients to depth 100 cm did not differ significantly between the harvested and unharvested watershed. A corresponding similarity in mineral soil pools of extractable phosphorus and non-acid cations in the two watersheds suggests that inputs from atmospheric deposition, primary and secondary mineral weathering, organic matter mineralization and litterfall balanced exports including leaching and plant uptake. Ecosystem stocks of extractable phosphorus, base cations, and total organic carbon and nitrogen were maintained 35 years after whole-tree harvesting of a primary spruce-fir forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Subtropical Atlantic Forest recovered little commercial timber in 20-years post-logging. • Above-ground biomass of all trees recovered faster after CL than after RIL. • Mortality rates were high (4.4–6.3 % year−1) the first-year post-logging regardless of the harvest system applied. • Logging in this Subtropical Atlantic Forest is not sustainable even with RIL. Long-term studies are key to understanding the dynamics of managed forests, especially as related to timber supplies. We evaluated 20 years of recovery of pre-harvest structure, biomass, and timber stocks of a Subtropical Atlantic Forest in Argentina subjected to either conventional selective logging (CL = ∼15 m3 ha−1) or reduced-impact logging (RIL = ∼11 m3 ha−1); we also monitored the dynamics of interspersed plots of unlogged forest (Control). All trees ≥10 cm DBH were measured before and at variable intervals for 20 years post-logging; the results are presented for all stems and for only those of species that provide commercial timber. After logging, basal areas and volume of all stems increased two-times faster after CL than after RIL, whereas biomass increments were similar between logged treatments. In contrast, commercial timber tree stocking did not recover regardless of the harvesting system applied. Mortality rates were high in both CL and RIL plots but also in unlogged Control plots (1.6–3.6 % year−1). The failure of timber stocks to recover was apparently due to high tree mortality rates coupled with the proliferation of understory bamboos. Alternative silvicultural methods are clearly needed to avoid degrading the remaining species-rich Subtropical Atlantic Forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Experts' assessed contribution of silvopastoral management practices (SMP) to ES. • The SMP addressed revealed multiple synergies on the overall provision of ES. • Livestock, biodiversity, and wildfire prevention were most enhanced by SMP. • A likely trade-off arose between wildfire prevention and erosion control. • Silvicultural and transversal practices generated ES bundles. Silvopastoral systems (SPS) emerge with a renewal interest in the Mediterranean for their promotion of multifunctionality through a variety of ecosystem services (ES). However, the understanding of how combined forestry and pastoral practices affect the ES delivery as well as the synergies and trade-off dynamics amongst them is still very limited. We applied the structured expert consultation Delphi method to assess the medium-term effect of relevant silvopastoral management practices (SMP) on the delivery of provision, regulation and maintenance and cultural ES in Mediterranean mid-mountain SPS in Spain. The deliberation process entailed two rounds and the Delphi panel was finally formed by 69 experts covering a broad spectrum of background and expertise. Results show that some practices, such as silvicultural treatments (e.g., thinning or coppice selection), play a multifunctional role contributing to ES delivery in bundles while some trade-offs are also identified between SMP, such as free animal grazing, and the provision of some ES. Synergies are also found between ES, such as livestock production and recreational hunting and between timber production and carbon sequestration, whereas possible trade-offs were particularly relevant between wildfire prevention and carbon sequestration. These findings can support decision-making processes towards sustainable and multifunctional silvopastoral management in the northern Mediterranean basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity conservation is a key objective for sustainable forest management, but the multi-dimensional and multi-scale character of biodiversity renders full assessment difficult at large scale. Therefore, indicators are often used to monitor biodiversity. Important cost-benefit synergies can be achieved if indicators are derived from existing data. In this study, a model for classifying forest stand structures was developed and tested as an indicator of overall plant species diversity at stand level. The model combines four stand structure parameters: canopy coverage, age of canopy trees, tree species composition and canopy stratification. Using data from the National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden and General Linear Mixed Model, plant species diversity (Shannon diversity index, SHDI) and composition (Sørensen-Dice index, SDI) were tested between 26 different stand structure types and nine soil classes. The results showed that mature stands with a stratified canopy had the highest plant species diversity across the soil classes, particularly if they comprised mixed coniferous and broadleaved species with a semi-open canopy. In contrast, young (<30 years) single-layered stands had consistently low species diversity. Of the four stand structure parameters in the model, age of canopy trees was most influential for SHDI value, followed by canopy stratification, tree species composition and canopy coverage. According to the SDI values, different stand structure types represented different species composition regardless of soil class and species diversity (SHDI value). However, most SDI values were higher than 0.5, indicating that fewer than 50% of the species changed between stand structure types. The stand parameters included in the model can probably be extracted from national forest inventories in many countries and understood without specialist taxonomic knowledge, making the model applicable in practice to support forest management decision-making on enhancing forest biodiversity at stand level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of tree age-size relationships is essential towards evaluating the sustainability of harvest regulations that include minimum diameter cutting limits and fixed-length cutting cycles. Although many tropical trees form annual growth rings and can be aged from discs or cores, destructive sampling is not always an option for valuable or threatened species. We used an individual-based population model developed for big-leaf mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla , Meliaceae) in southeast Amazonia, Brazil to simulate stem age-size relationships and examine forest management implications of mortality and diameter increment growth. Growth trajectories of 10,000 simulated mahogany trees were consistent with growth trajectories reconstructed from 32 mahogany discs with annual rings. Trajectories were highly variable and strongly autocorrelated; diameter was a poor predictor of tree age even when accounting for up to 10 years of previous growth history. Commercial-sized trees (60 cm diameter) ranged in age from 33 to 180 years (74 yr median). Only 12.5% of seedlings survived to this size, but survival and time to reach commercial size depended strongly on early growth history (first 10 years of life). A tree grown at the 75th percentile growth rate throughout its lifetime requires 70 years to attain commercial size, but Brazilian forest management regulations imply a rotation length of 60 years. These results demonstrate that individual-based models parameterized with typical census data can incorporate individual variation and growth autocorrelation and realistically simulate tree growth and mortality. In the absence of tree ring data, such models can be used to evaluate the consequences of long-term growth and mortality for sustainable management. In the case of mahogany, our results suggest that non-detrimental harvests cannot be achieved without lengthening cutting cycles, increasing commercial tree retention rates, and regularly applying silvicultural treatments designed to increase stem diameter growth rates. Forest managers can have the greatest effect on the rate of commercial recruitment in the first 10 years after a harvest by implementing treatments ensuring that adequate numbers of new stems establish and recruit to dominant positions in recovering canopy gaps. Regrettably, sustainable mahogany management systems developed based on understanding of the species’ ecology will not be as simple as current harvest regulations in Brazil imply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Key biodiversity parameters by EFTs enable question-driven monitoring in SFM. [•] Data are interpreted taking into account ecological differences between EFTs. [•] Forest area dominated by native vs. introduced tree species is tracked over time. [•] Baselines calibrated to EFTs allow to monitor progress in biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maintaining biodiversity is a key goal of global forest policy which promotes ecosystem health and resilience in the face of changing land use and climate. Sustainable management of forest ecosystems is essential to the social and economic services that forests provide, is an important component of the environmental policies of national governments, and is a specific focus of the Conventional on Biological Diversity. Sustainable forest management supports the maintenance and enhancement of biodiversity, and relies on evidence based research to underpin associated policies and practices. Studies that take a focussed approach are particularly helpful in this regard where they identify mechanisms of ecological change in forest habitats, and predictors appropriate to determining the impact of management practices. Observational research can suggest likely mechanisms for ecological change, which can be tested and confirmed through experimental research. Predictors based on long-term research, on the mechanisms underlying ecological relationships, or on modelling approaches can be used to infer information about existing forests and to forecast future trends. This special issue presents a selection of papers which were first presented at the second international IUFRO conference on biodiversity in forest ecosystems and landscapes at University College Cork, Ireland in August 2012. The aim of this conference series is to ‘share knowledge, discuss new trends, reflect on future directions in biodiversity management for sustainable forestry, and provide a stronger scientific basis for biodiversity management in forest landscapes in the light of climate change’. The selected papers exemplify the use of observational and experimental approaches to identify mechanisms of ecological change in forests, and the use of indicators to predict current and future patterns of biodiversity. Trends in forest biodiversity were examined and discussed, drawing on what we know about forests to reconstruct ancient forested landscapes and to identify strategies for the management of forests into the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] The statistical estimation of a volume recovery index is demonstrated with data for three timber species. [•] The new index is both accurate and precise, improving on the current marketing coefficient. [•] The index is important for assessing the ecological and socioeconomic sustainability of logging. [•] Ecological, management, economic, and policy constraints are examined for alleviation. [•] The index is relevant to carbon storage studies, through its systematic tally of volume waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We integrated an ensemble of polypore occurrence models to stand simulations. [•] Decomposing harvest residues have high importance to biodiversity in managed stands. [•] A spruce stand faced mid-rotation depression of diversity driven by lack of deadwood. [•] Mixtures of naturalness to conventional management facilitated many species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] This is a study of extensive historical records from 1883 to 1960. [•] It is common knowledge that the era of clear-cutting in northern Sweden began 1950. [•] This is a too simplistic view of the development of clear-cutting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Forest ecosystems play an important role in water conservation yet forest plantations are considered detrimental because of their high water use. The current worldwide trends of reduction in natural forest and expansion of forest plantations increases the need for forest managers to contribute to water conservation, implementing management plans that integrate economic (productivity and growth), social (equity of access to water and land-use conflicts) and environmental (climate change and biodiversity impacts) factors. In this paper, we show examples of forest management alternatives at macro- and meso-scales that could contribute to improve water conservation in forest plantation landscapes. At the macroscale, we assess water use in different forest plantation areas in Brazil by analyzing the theoretical thresholds for the management of evapotranspiration. Then, using data from an experimental catchment, we modeled water yield reduction by a forest plantation over multiple years and assessed how different meso-scale forest plantation management alternatives affected water flow regulation. Results show that at a macroscale it is important to consider the natural climatic constraints of water availability. Evidence shows that forest plantations in the tropics use water according to its availability, and the appropriate choice of species/varieties and associated forest management options are crucial for water conservation. At the meso-scale we found that the proportion of native forest plays an important role in the reduction and regulation of water use, and therefore a system of mosaic management may be able to stabilize water flow across plantation landscapes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the context of global climate change, it is critical to study how different forest management practices affect forest carbon sequestration. This is especially important for forest managers and policy makers who will have to design and implement appropriate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Previous research has focused on coniferous plantations with rare examination of plantations of evergreen broadleaved species. Phoebe bournei (Hemsley) Yang, as one of the representative species of subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests in Asia, has a unique potential to increase forest carbon sink. In this study, field data were combined with the forest ecosystem management model FORECAST to estimate the impacts of different forest management strategies (combinations of planting densities from 1000 to 4000treesha−1, rotation lengths from 20 to 80years, and different harvesting intensities: stem-only, whole-tree and complete-tree) on carbon sequestration of P. bournei plantations in south-eastern China. Field and previously published data were used to calibrate the model for stand biomass pools accumulation, stand density and mortality, light response curves, photosynthetic efficiency, and data on soil nutrient pools, for three different site conditions. The results showed that the most suitable planting density to maximize carbon sequestration in P. bournei plantations is 2000–3000treesha−1. Longer rotations (e.g., 80years) are better than shorter rotations (20 or 30years) for the long-term maintenance of site productivity, though the recommended rotation length for maximizing carbon sequestration and maintaining forest productivity is 40–60years. As for harvesting intensity, stem-only harvesting is the most suitable strategy to manage for carbon sequestration when maintaining long-term site productivity, with whole-tree and complete-tree harvesting constituting less optimal options. Our modeling exercise indicates that P. bournei plantations have great potential for carbon sequestration if they are managed under sustainable and ecologically-based strategies. Given that forests are important in the global carbon cycle, it is recommended that afforestation efforts in relevant subtropical regions use appropriate broad-leaved species that can help resolve ecological and socio-economic challenges. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Temperate forests have been fundamentally altered by land use and other stressors globally; these have reduced the abundance of primary and old-growth forests in particular. Despite many regional studies, the literature lacks a global synthesis of temperate old-growth structural characteristics. In this study we compare literature derived data on mature and old-growth moist temperate forests with the aim of: (i) exploring global commonalities; (ii) investigating sources of variability among systems; and (iii) highlighting data gaps and research needs. We compiled a dataset of 147 records from 93 papers, and analyzed a set of structural indicators: basal area, stem density, large living trees, live aboveground biomass, quadratic mean diameter, and coarse woody debris volume. These indicators were contrasted between mature and old-growth age classes at a global level and across continents and broad forest types, testing for significance through Monte-Carlo permutation procedure. We also related structural indicators to age, climatic and geographical descriptors. Our results suggest that all structural indicators vary across systems in relation to geographical, compositional, and climatic influences. However old-growth forests showed global commonalities in structure when compared to mature forests: significantly higher densities of large living trees, higher quadratic mean diameter, and higher amounts of live aboveground biomass and coarse woody debris. Furthermore we found inconsistency in the structural variables reported by different papers; lack of studies on temperate forests in Russia, and Western and Central Asia. The findings improve our understanding of old-growth structure and function, and will help inform sustainable forest management and conservation approaches world-wide. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Diameter distribution and temporal and spatial patterns of a Cedrus atlantica forest were studied across a management gradient (undisturbed, logged and highly disturbed) in Ifrane National Park, Morocco. Forest structure and regeneration dynamics showed significant differences among management levels. The diameter distribution in undisturbed and logged stands indicated the presence of few young individuals, and a poor regeneration status in highly disturbed stands. Variance in diameter was larger in natural stands compared to managed ones. There was a seedling establishment pulse during the time period between 1910 and 1990 at three sites, but a lack of sapling and juveniles occurred at undisturbed and logged forests in the last century, which might be attributed to competition between C. atlantica and Quercus ilex. Nevertheless, cedar trees persistently recruited to all forests during the last 50years, but cedar density was significantly higher in the highly disturbed forest areas. Spatial analysis shows a general trend toward aggregation for all species involved. This pattern was observed among C. atlantica trees in undisturbed and highly disturbed stands but was not significant in logged stands. Differences in management may promote variation in stand structure and regeneration dynamics of the subalpine cedar forests along the management gradient in the Middle Atlas, Morocco. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Criteria and indicators (C & I) to evaluate the sustainability of forest management have been proposed by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe. Although primarily defined at the national scale, these C & I also have implications at scales ranging from forest stands to the forest management unit. In this paper, we review existing forest growth and ecosystem models from the point of view of applicability to prediction of indicators of sustainable management, focusing on stand scale models and management. To do this, we first present a conceptual framework for understanding the role of models in assessing forest management at the stand level in the context of sustainability criteria and indicators. We classify the criteria into those predictable using models operating at the stand scale, and those derivable either through scaling up or as solutions of a multi-objective management optimisation problem. We conclude that to date, no comprehensive models exist that could be used to predict all the indicators simultaneously. The most promising approach seems to be a modular system where different models are combined and run simultaneously, with shared inputs and well defined mutual links. More modelling efforts are needed especially regarding the state of the soil, including carbon, nitrogen and water balances and physical effects. Models also need development in their ability to deal with heterogeneous stand structures and with non-woody forest products such as berries, mushrooms or cork. The outputs of the models need to be developed in a direction where they can be interpreted in terms of the recreational or biodiversity value of the forest. Data requirements are most pronounced on the same issues as the gaps in model availability. It would be important to consider amending the national forest inventories and other similar standard data collection protocols with variables required for sustainability assessment. Importantly, combining different models in a modular system and with variable data sources requires advanced model parameterisation and evaluation methods and assessment of parameter and model uncertainty. The probabilistic, Bayesian approaches hold a lot of promise in this respect. Predictions using several different models or model systems, with systematic analysis of e.g. inter-model variability, could also be considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The potential contribution of plantation forests to the conservation of woodland plant diversity needs to be assessed in order for commitments to Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) to be fulfilled. To this end, the plant communities of mature Sitka spruce, Norway spruce, Japanese larch and ash plantations were compared with those of semi-natural oak and ash woodlands at 75 sites across the island of Ireland. A number of different plant communities were recognized in plantations, with only one resembling either of the semi-natural woodland types studied. The exception was a community of ash plantations on base-rich soils, on or adjacent to historic woodland, which was similar to the semi-natural ash woodland community. Despite supporting a plant community similar to semi-natural ash woodlands, the ash plantations supported significantly fewer woodland species. While none of the other plantation communities strongly resembled either the semi-natural oak or ash communities, they had the potential to support high numbers of woodland species. A range of forestry (forest type, canopy cover, grazing), geographic (elevation, historic woodland) and edaphic variables (soil pH, drainage) were found to be important in determining the types of plant communities and numbers of woodland species supported. While geographic and edaphic factors are either impossible or difficult to control, considerable scope exists for enhancing the plant diversity of plantation forests through changes in forest planning and management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable forest management (SFM) for wildlife conservation, we investigated the abundances of medium to large ground-dwelling vertebrates in a forest management unit in Borneo by camera trapping. The forest management unit (FMU), Deramakot Forest Reserve (55,083ha), has applied SFM for the past 15years. We established 15 plots in preharvested areas and five plots in postharvested areas over the FMU. Plots in the postharvested areas had been subject to reduced-impact logging from 2 to 13years ago. We obtained photos of ground-dwelling vertebrates with infrared sensor cameras set at 12 random points in each plot. Based on the numbers of photos taken over 770 camera days in each plot, we calculated the mean trapping rate (MTR) of each species for each plot. Over the 20 plots, we obtained 5444 photos of 39 medium-to-large vertebrates (i.e., mammals, birds, and monitor lizards); these included many elusive and endangered species. Among the 39 species, no species showed a significant difference in MTR between the pre- and postharvested areas. Furthermore, species composition was not significantly different between the pre- and postharvested areas. Our results support the idea that implementation of SFM can be an effective investment in wildlife conservation in tropical rainforests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The potential for combining timber and non-timber forest product extraction has been examined in the context of diversified forest management. Many tropical forests are exploited both commercially for timber and by forest-dependent communities for non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Divergences between these two uses may have significant implications for forest-dependent livelihoods. This article gathers existing examples of conflicts and complementarities between selective logging and non-timber uses of forest from the livelihood perspective. Additionally it draws on three case studies from Brazil, Cameroon and Indonesia to examine by what mechanisms, and to what extent, logging impacts forest resources of livelihood importance, as well as to consider how factors such as logging regime and forest management system may mediate such influences. By doing so we aim to shed further light on a relatively unacknowledged issue in tropical forest management and conservation. Four specific mechanisms were identified; conflict of use and the indirect impacts of logging being those most commonly implicated in negative effects on livelihood-relevant NTFPs. Eighty two percent of reviewed articles highlighted negative impacts on NTFP availability. Examples of positive impacts were restricted to light demanding species that respond to the opening of forest structure and typically represent a small subset of those of livelihood value. Despite considerable impacts on livelihoods, in all three case studies we found evidence to support the potential for enhanced compatibility between timber extraction and the subsistence use of NTFPs. Drawing on this evidence, and findings from our review, we make specific recommendations for research, policy and management implementation. These findings have significant implications for reconciling timber and non-timber uses of tropical forests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Two commonly used silvicultural herbicides (triclopyr and glyphosate) were examined for their effects on lichens in northeastern Ontario. One hundred 1m2 plots were randomly established throughout a single, open canopy forest stand with tree cover dominated by Picea mariana and Pinus banksiana and ground cover dominated by lichens. Herbicides were applied to the plots along a gradient of concentrations ranging from 0.71 to 6.72kg acid equivalent ha−1. The pre- and 1 year post-application abundance (percent cover) of 25 lichen species in 1m2 plots were compared. Triclopyr and glyphosate reduced the abundance of 40% and 56% of the lichen species studied, respectively. Tolerance to these herbicides varied among lichen species and a cluster analysis was used to define four tolerance classes. Analysis of variance was used to compare lichen abundance among the tolerance classes and multivariate analysis (canonical correspondence) was used to explore variation in lichen abundance as constrained by species traits post-herbicide application. Except for Trapeliopsis granulosa, the most herbicide sensitive species were richly branched. The species with the highest mortality were Bryoria furcellata, Cladonia uncialis, and T. granulosa. In general, lichen response to herbicide treatments cannot be assessed using ecological units; species must be considered individually or, as proposed here, by tolerance class. Study results provide forest managers with improved understanding of the effects of herbicide applications on non-target organisms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Forest biodiversity is highly linked with the occurrence of certain forest development phases (fdp) within the forest life cycle. Generally, the disintegration phase provides the highest biodiversity. The objective of the study was to test different existing forest life cycle assessment approaches aiming at developing a common reliable fdp assessment method. We tested and compared three approaches to record fdp in beech, mixed beech and spruce forests, in managed and unmanaged forests, and in four different plot sizes ranging from 125 to 2000m2. The main results of the fdp comparison are as follows: [(1)] In approximately two thirds of the cases the three considered methods did not yield a corresponding fdp record. [(2)] Generally, the larger the plot sizes, the larger the average fdp deviation in forest reserves. [(3)] The fdp deviation is stronger in beech or spruce dominated forest reserves than in mixed beech forest reserves. [(4)] Plots of 500m2 show most distinct numbers of microhabitats corresponding to the fdp sequence within the forest life cycle. [(5)] Furthermore, the managed forests mostly show lower fdp deviation than the forest reserves. One approach resulted in the most differentiated portrayal of the studied forest structures compared to the other two as shown by the facts that, (a) the studied forests are seen to be divided up into more fdp than when applying the other two methods, and that (b) the dominant fdp changed depending on the forest community and plot size reflecting different growth conditions and probabilities to meet large dimensioned trees during records, respectively, and (c) considering the distribution of microhabitats which are crucial for xylobiontic (saproxylic) organisms, this approach resulted in the assumed biodiversity patterns with increasing microhabitat numbers up to the disintegration phase thus it was used as a basis for the creation of an optimized fdp assessment method as a tool for common and standardized use in forest ecology and biodiversity research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The eastern Canadian boreal forest exhibits a specific disturbance regime where forest fires are less frequent than in the western part. This particularity may explain the abundance of irregular stands with distinct ecological features. To ensure sustainable forest management, these characteristics require the implementation of an adapted silviculture regime. In this context, two selection cutting methods were developed and compared with more conventional techniques, initially designed for cutting more regular stands of the boreal forest (cutting leaving small merchantable stems, careful logging preserving advance regeneration). The comparison focused on the capacity of treatments to maintain the primary attributes of irregular boreal forests, including complex vertical structure, abundant tree cover, species composition, and an abundance of dead wood. Mortality and regeneration processes were also compared. The experiment includes three sectors dominated by irregular black spruce (Picea mariana)-balsam fir (Abies balsamea) stands. Treatments were replicated in each sector in 0.25ha plots. Stand characteristics were sampled pre-harvest and monitored for 3 years after cutting. Initial results indicate an important treatment effect on residual structure. Selection cutting maintains an inverse (irregular) J-shaped structure, typical of natural stands. Also, selection cutting does not seem to produce a significant effect on tree species composition (no undesired balsam fir enrichment) and does not modify the abundance of coarse woody debris. From a sustainable forest management perspective, the selection methods tested appear efficient in maintaining the main attributes and processes of the boreal irregular stands over the short term. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The relationships between the structural complexity of coniferous forests and the epiphytic lichen communities that inhabit them were examined in 51 conifer-dominated stands in southwestern Nova Scotia. One hundred and fifteen lichen species were studied in stands in the age range of 50–300 years. Environmental variables shaping the structural complexity of each forest stand were measured and their relationship with lichen species were assessed using a canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The CCA revealed that the considerable variation in lichen community composition can be explained by several environmental variables associated with forest structure. The stand orientation on the first axis of the CCA found the most important variables for lichen richness to be stand age, tree stem density and snag stem density. The stand orientation on the second axis is strongly correlated with deciduous stem density and abundance including specific deciduous tree species such as Acer rubrum abundance. The analysis indicates that the greater the structural complexity in the forest, and thus the more microhabitats available, the greater the lichen species richness. These results should provide forest managers with a better understanding of the environmental variables that influence lichen diversity, and contribute to the development of more sustainable forest management strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]