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Predatory long-legged flies of the genus Medetera are important, but currently understudied, natural enemies of Scolytinae bark beetles such as Ips typographus. Medetera flies lay eggs on beetle-infested trees, where the developing larvae find their prey, but the chemical cues used by Medetera to locate infested trees are currently unknown. To identify odors attracting Medetera signaticornis, a species in Europe, headspace samples were collected at several time-points through different stages of I. typographus attacks on logs of Norway spruce (Picea abies). The headspace samples were analyzed using combined gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) to determine compounds that stimulate M. signaticornis antennae. Antennae of M. signaticornis males and females were found to detect (–)-cis-verbenol, (+)-trans-verbenol and myrtenol, which are known to be produced by bark beetles. Antennal responses were also observed for verbenene, isoterpinolene, α-pinene oxide, camphor, pinocamphone, terpinene-4-ol, myrtenal, borneol, α-terpineol, geranyl acetone, and verbenone, which are primarily produced by microorganisms, and α-pinene, α-fenchene, β-pinene, camphene, 3-carene, limonene, γ-terpinene, and terpinolene, known spruce tree compounds. In field experiments testing two synthetic blends containing 18 antennal active and two additional compounds 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol and ipsdienol we observed significant attraction of M. signaticornis within 24 h. These attractive blends can form the basis for development of Medetera monitoring lures for use in future forest and pest management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Europe, pathogens such as Heterobasidion annosum, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, Lophodermium seditiosum, and Phellinus tremulae cause extensive tree loss. Microorganisms used as biocontrol agents (BCAs) can be an eco-friendly alternative to chemical fungicides and thus help control pathogen growth and spread in a sustainable manner. Six fungi: Byssochlamys spectabilis, Talaromyces amestolkiae, Aspergillus salwaensis, Neocucurbitaria quercina, Meyerozyma guilliermondii, and Microstroma bacarum, were isolated from pedunculate English oak (Quercus robur L.), and together with bacteria Bacillus aryabhattai, Pseudomonas azotoformans, and Pseudomonas paralactis, as well as two strains of Pantoea agglomerans were tested in dual culture assays for their antagonism against these pathogens. Additionally, their abilities to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, solubilise potassium, organic and inorganic phosphates were determined. All the isolates produced IAA and solubilised phosphates. Only T. amestolkiae solubilised potassium, but this fungus and M. guilliermondii could not produce siderophores. M. guilliermondii, Pseudomonas spp., and Pantoea spp. expressed broad-spectrum antagonism. P. azotoformans showed the highest inhibition of P. tremulae (57.5%) and L. seditiosum (68.4%), B. spectabilis of H. fraxineus (59.8%), and M. guilliermondii of H. annosum (45.7%). Overall, these results will facilitate extensive BCA research for these forest pathogens and the potential BCA commercialisation and will promote sustainable forestry practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest biodiversity studies conducted across Europe use a multitude of forestry terms, often inconsistently. This hinders the comparability across studies and makes the assessment of the impacts of forest management on biodiversity highly context-dependent. Recent attempts to standardize forestry and stand description terminology mostly used a top-down approach that did not account for the perspectives and approaches of forest biodiversity experts. This work aims to establish common standards for silvicultural and vegetation definitions, creating a shared conceptual framework for a consistent study on the effects of forest management on biodiversity. We have identified both strengths and weaknesses of the silvicultural and vegetation information provided in forest biodiversity studies. While quantitative data on forest biomass and dominant tree species are frequently included, information on silvicultural activities and vegetation composition is often lacking, shallow, or based on broad and heterogeneous classifications. We discuss the existing classifications and their use in European forest biodiversity studies through a novel bottom-up and top-driven review process, and ultimately propose a common framework. This will enhance the comparability of forest biodiversity studies in Europe, and puts the basis for effective implementation and monitoring of sustainable forest management policies. The standards here proposed are potentially adaptable and applicable to other geographical areas and could be extended to other forest interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To satisfy the increasing demand for wood in central Europe during medieval times, a new system of forest management was developed, one far superior to simple coppicing. The adoption of a sophisticated, Coppice-with-Standards (CWS) management practice created a two-storey forest structure that could provide fuelwood as well as construction timber. Here we present a dendrochronological study of actively managed CWS forests in northern Bavaria to detect the radial growth response to cyclical understorey harvesting in overstorey oaks (Quercus sp.), so-called standards. All modern standards exhibit rapid growth releases every circa 30 years, most likely caused by regular understorey management. We further analyse tree-ring width patterns in 2120 oak timbers from historical buildings and archaeological excavations in southern Germany and north-eastern France, dating between 300 and 2015 CE, and succeeded in identifying CWS growth patterns throughout the medieval period. Several potential CWS standards even date to the first millennium CE, suggesting CWS management has been in practice long before its first mention in historical documents. Our dendrochronological approach should be expanded routinely to indentify the signature of past forest management practices in archaeological and historical oak wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are currently competing demands on Europe's forests and the finite resources and services that they can offer. Forestry intensification that aims at mitigating climate change and biodiversity conservation is one example. Whether or not these two objectives compete can be evaluated by comparative studies of forest landscapes with different histories. We test the hypothesis that indicators of wood production and biodiversity conservation are inversely related in a gradient of long to short forestry intensification histories. Forest management data containing stand age, volume and tree species were used to model the opportunity for wood production and biodiversity conservation in five north European forest regions representing a gradient in landscape history from very long in the West and short in the East. Wood production indicators captured the supply of coniferous wood and total biomass, as well as current accessibility by transport infrastructure. Biodiversity conservation indicators were based on modelling habitat network functionality for focal bird species dependent on different combinations of stand age and tree species composition representing naturally dynamic forests. In each region we randomly sampled 25 individual 100-km 2 areas with contiguous forest cover. Regarding wood production, Sweden's Bergslagen region had the largest areas of coniferous wood, followed by Vitebsk in Belarus and Zemgale in Latvia. NW Russia's case study regions in Pskov and Komi had the lowest values, except for the biomass indicator. The addition of forest accessibility for transportation made the Belarusian and Swedish study region most suitable for wood and biomass production, followed by Latvia and two study regions in NW Russian. Regarding biodiversity conservation, the overall rank among regions was opposite. Mixed and deciduous habitats were functional in Russia, Belarus and Latvia. Old Scots pine and Norway spruce habitats were only functional in Komi. Thus, different regional forest histories provide different challenges in terms of satisfying both wood production and biodiversity conservation objectives in a forest management unit. These regional differences in northern Europe create opportunities for exchanging experiences among different regional contexts about how to achieve both objectives. We discuss this in the context of land-sharing versus land-sparing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Northern Europe, human activities have caused a substantial decrease in the number of old deciduous trees over the last two centuries, leading to a decline in species populations associated with this habitat. One way to mitigate this trend is to increase the abundance of mature and old deciduous trees in commercial forests, such as by tree retention at final harvest. We analysed the biodiversity value of retained mature oaks in the production forests of Norway spruce in southern Sweden, using oaks in pastures as reference. The forest oaks were grown in two different levels of shade. We analysed two categories of saproxylic (i.e. dead wood-dependent) beetles: those utilizing oaks (Group I) and those utilizing oak but not spruce (Group II, which was, therefore, a subcategory of Group I). We found that forest oaks sustained high beetle diversity, in particular, Group I beetles, which were significantly more abundant in forest oaks in heavily thinned patches, as compared with pasture oaks and oaks in moderately thinned patches. For both beetle groups, the composition differed between the forest oaks and pasture oaks, indicating that the forest oaks can be a complementary habitat to that of pasture oaks. There was a positive relationship between oak dead branch diameter and beetle biodiversity, but only for older oaks (∼200 years old). We conclude that retaining oaks in production spruce forests can increase the diversity of oak-associated beetles at the landscape scale. Since many oak associated species depend on relatively high levels of insolation, management of retained oaks in production forests should include periodic removal of encroaching trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The European continent still has a rich heritage of rural landscapes built up over thousands of years. The UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration of 2014, describes it as being predominantly a biocultural landscape, as it assimilates economic, social, cultural, and environmental processes in time and space. This definition also includes the forests, which have been affected by several centuries of human action and are also a part of the European cultural heritage. However, an approach to forest landscapes often employing the same tools used for nature conservation has led to a definition of management tools mostly based on ecological characteristics. The origin of forests and woodlands is rarely interpreted as the result of human activities and protected and managed accordingly. The three pillars on which Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in Europe are based are ecological values, economic values, and sociocultural values. However, no political resolutions requiring countries to develop strategies and carry out actions for the preservation of cultural forests have been developed so far. The fact that cultural values currently play a limited role in SFM indicates the scant consideration given to the role of culture and history, as well as the lack of a comprehensive landscape approach. Failure to effectively and coherently address culture and history may very well be an emerging weakness that needs to be reconciled, especially now that the landscape approach is proposed on a global scale as a new perspective for sustainable development. One of the consequences of this failure has been the widespread application of an idea of 'naturalness' to places that are not natural, threatening the conservation of the cultural identity of local populations and the historical values of forests, and favoring processes of abandonment and renaturalization. The present paper advocates the practical implementation of existing tools for protecting cultural forest landscapes, such as the MCPFE Guidelines for Social and Cultural Values in SFM and the UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides general information about forests and forestry in Poland against a background of other EU Member States. Based on the data published in various international sources of statistical data it presents the information of forest resources, forest health condition, protection of forests, occurrence of forest fires, employment in forestry and related sectors, as well as selected aspects of production and trade of wood and wood products and also generation and use of renewable energy. The paper concludes that Poland is characterized by vast forest and timber resources, however in view of a large area of the country and large population share of forest lands in the total area of the country and the average forest area per inhabitant are low. The high share of protected areas makes Poland one of the leaders in forest protection, however Polish forests are very vulnerable to fires. Poland is a significant producer of wood-based panels, sawnwood and pulpwood, as well as paper and cardboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Keeping European temperate forests on acidic soils sustainable is challenging for forest management and wood production. Nutrient budgets are a diagnostic tool that assesses forest sustainability by adding up nutrient inputs (atmospheric dissolved deposition and soil weathering) and outputs (losses in drainage water and by wood harvesting). In these forests, nutrient budgets of essential nutrients are often unbalanced, especially for the base cations Ca, Mg and K, meaning that these nutrients deplete from the ecosystem, what threatens forest sustainability. Whereas Aeolian dust deposition (ADD) is recognized as a significant nutrient input in various ecosystems, particularly in oceans, it is not taken into account in usual nutrient budgets of European forests. ADD has been characterized in different places in the world, however, little is known in European forests and about ADD impacts on their biogeochemical cycles. To fill this gap, this review aims at (i) synthesizing data on ADD characteristics in European forests to put forward a deposition model over Europe and calculate nutrient fluxes, (ii) highlighting the contribution of ADD to plant tissues in two ecosystems with an isotopic approach, (iii) evaluating the contribution of ADD to the total nutrient inputs, and (iv) assessing the impacts of ADD on European nutrient budgets of forests concerning Ca, Mg and K. Aeolian dust in Europe is either long-distance transported from arid regions such as Sahara or short-distance from the erosion of local soils. It was estimated to deposit between 41 and 129kgha−1 year−1 throughout Europe. Its mineralogical composition reveals nutrient bearing minerals, silicates and nonsilicates (carbonates, oxides, hydroxides, sulphates, phosphates, halides). This suggests Aeolian dust may contribute as high as 30% of total nutrient inputs, so that it may significantly shift upwards nutrient budgets of European forests under latitude 52°N. Further investigations are therefore needed to inform about accurate ADD rates below the tree canopy and to take account of the total nutrient inputs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Forest biomass is an important energy source in Sweden and some other European countries. In this paper we estimate the physically available (i.e., total potential) forest biomass for energy from annual forest harvesting (1970--2008) or in the total standing stock (2008) in Sweden. To place Sweden's forest resources into perspective we relate this to an estimated need for renewable energy sources in Europe. As Swedish forests supply a range of goods and ecosystem services, and as forest biomass is often bulky and expensive to procure, we also discuss issues that affect the amount of forest biomass that is actually available for energy production. We conclude that forests will contribute to Sweden's renewable energy potential, but to a limited extent and expectations must be realistic and take techno-economical and environmental issues into consideration. To meet future energy needs in Sweden and Europe, a full suite of renewable energy resources will be needed, along with efficient conversion systems. A long-term sustainable supply of forest resources for energy and other uses can be obtained if future harvest levels are increased until they are equal to the annual growth increment. Delivering more than this would require increasing forest productivity through more intensive management. The new management regimes would have to begin now because it takes a long time to change annual production in temperate and boreal forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic diversity is indispensable for long-term forest sustainability and is therefore mentioned in numerous binding and nonbinding political covenants calling for action. Nevertheless, there are significant obstacles to the conservation of forest genetic resources. We discuss hindrances to genetic conservation, mainly in Europe. We identified impediments by reviewing the literature and on the basis of the experiences of the authors in this field and their participation in related political processes. The impediments include (1) difficulties in assessing and monitoring genetic erosion and human impacts (e.g., by the lack of markers showing adaptive variation and the lack of record keeping on the use and transfer of forest-tree germplasm), (2) complexities of European national structures that make the development of a common strategy toward forest genetic conservation problematic, (3) lack of effective forest governance in many parts of the world, (4) the general unattractiveness of genes as flagships in raising public awareness, (5) lack of integration of genetic aspects into biodiversity conservation, and (6) the fact that scientists and politicians are often at cross-purposes. To overcome these impediments, forest geneticists and their peers in species conservation have to participate more actively in decision making. In doing so, they must be prepared to face challenges on 2 fronts: participating in political processes and the provision of significant research findings to ensure that decisions with respect to forest genetic diversity are politically implementable and effectively address targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many parts of the world’s forests, intensive management has resulted in habitat loss for several species. Among these, specialised woodpeckers (Aves: Picidae) have been affected negatively due to their high requirements for resources that are scarce in managed forests. We used the gradient of anthropogenic impact on forests in northern Europe’s Baltic Sea region to (1) assess the relationship between the presence of four focal woodpecker species and forest naturalness and (2) quantify their requirements regarding specific resources in four different areas (south-central Sweden, southern Sweden, Lithuania and northeastern Poland). This study focused on specialised woodpecker species of the Dendropicini tribe: the three-toed (Picoides tridactylus), middle spotted (Dendrocopos medius), white-backed (Dendrocopos leucotos) and lesser spotted (Dendrocopos minor) woodpeckers. The occurrence of these species in landscape units of 100ha was generally related positively to the degree of forest naturalness and to the amounts of resources considered critical for the suitability of their respective habitats. For the middle spotted woodpecker, basal areas ⩾1.0m2/ha of large-diameter deciduous trees (DBH⩾40cm) were associated with a high probability of occurrence (⩾0.9). For the white-backed woodpecker, the same probability of occurrence was found for basal areas ⩾1.4m2/ha of deciduous snags (DBH⩾10cm). Relationships between the occurrence of the three-toed and lesser spotted woodpeckers and snag abundance were more variable among study areas. The results suggest that specialised woodpeckers would benefit from an increase in the area of forest with natural properties. Moreover, they allow defining tentative quantitative targets for sustainable forest management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sustainable forest management (SFM) is presently widely accepted as the overriding objective for forest policy and practice. Regional processes are in progress all over the world to develop and implement criteria and indicators of SFM. In continental Europe, a set of 35 Pan-European indicators has been endorsed under the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE) to measure progress towards SFM in the 44 countries of the region. The formulation of seven indicators (forest area, growing stock, age structure/diameter distribution, deadwood, tree species composition, damaging agents, naturalness) requires national data to be reported by forest types. Within the vast European forest area the values taken by these indicators show a considerable range of variation, due to variable natural conditions and anthropogenic influences. Given this variability, it is very difficult to grasp the meaning of these indicators when taken out of their ecological background. The paper discusses the concepts behind, and the requirements of, a classification more soundly ecologically framed and suitable for MCPFE reporting than the three (un-informative) classes adopted so far: broadleaved forest, coniferous forest, mixed broadleaved and coniferous forest. We propose a European Forest Types scheme structured into a reasonably higher number of classes, that would improve the specificity of the indicators reported under the MCPFE process and its understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the recent Council Regulation of the European Union (EU) to prevent the international trade of illegally harvested timber. The Regulation ensures a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) license scheme for the EU and timber producing countries aimed at controlling the consumption of illegally produced timber products. The effectiveness of FLEGT license scheme will depend on the countries willing to adopt the regulation and sustainable forest development.

Lowland oak forests host high biodiversity throughout Europe, and to maintain their high biodiversity potential we need to understand how current silviculture practices influence these ecosystems. The most common harvest approach in oak woodlands remains clear-cutting followed by site preparation for reforestation. The site preparation can vary in intensity and possibly affect forest biodiversity in various ways. We studied the impact of site preparation intensity on ground-dwelling arthropod predators and detritivores in commercial oak woodlands. The intensive management included mechanical site preparation with soil milling, stump removal, and herbicide application. The extensive management consisted of natural succession after reforestation with only such slight disturbances as regular hand-provided mowing of vegetation. We recorded 120 spider species, 92 species of ground beetles, 10 species of centipedes, 17 species of millipedes, and 7 species of woodlice, including a relatively large number of threatened species. We found that intensive post-logging management strongly homogenized the habitat structure, and this led to low multi-trophic taxonomic and functional diversity in comparison to that under extensive management. At sites with extensive management, there was not only high functional diversity but also high functional redundancy. Species of conservation concern almost vanished from clearings under intensive management. The high multi-trophic diversity and functional redundancy indicate that extensive site preparation may enhance ecosystem multi-functionality, including primary productivity and ecosystem resilience. Extensive post-harvest management is therefore strongly preferable, and it is also economically more feasible. Intensive post-harvest management should be prohibited in lowland forests within transition zones to localities under nature protection or in natural oak forests. • The effect of management practices on oak forest arthropods was studied. • Intensive post-logging management strongly homogenized the habitat complexity. • Soil milling significantly decreased taxonomic and functional multi-trophic diversity. • Species of conservation concern diminished in forest clearings under soil milling. • Extensively managed clearings can enhance biodiversity of commercial forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A healthy soil is a healthy ecosystem because humans, animals, plants, and water highly depend upon it. Soil pollution by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) is a serious concern for humankind. The study is aimed at (i) assessing the concentrations of PTEs in soils under a long-term heavily industrialized region for coal and textiles, (ii) modeling and mapping the spatial and vertical distributions of PTEs using a GIS-based ordinary kriging technique, and (iii) identifying the possible sources of these PTEs in the Jizerské Mountains (Jizera Mts.) using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. Four hundred and forty-two (442) soil samples were analyzed by applying the aqua regia method. To assess the PTE contents, the level of pollution, and the distribution pattern in soil, the contamination factor (CF) and the pollution load index load (PLI) were applied. ArcGIS-based ordinary kriging interpolation was used for the spatial analysis of PTEs. The results of the analysis revealed that the variation in the coefficient (CV) of PTEs in the organic soil was highest in Cr (96.36%), followed by Cu (54.94%) and Pb (49.40%). On the other hand, the mineral soil had Cu (96.88%), Cr (66.70%), and Pb (64.48%) as the highest in CV. The PTEs in both the organic soil and the mineral soil revealed a high heterogeneous variability. Though the study area lies within the "Black Triangle", which is a historic industrial site in Central Europe, this result did not show a substantial influence of the contamination of PTEs in the area. In spite of the rate of pollution in this area being very low based on the findings, there may be a need for intermittent assessment of the soil. This helps to curtail any excessive accumulation and escalation in future. The results may serve as baseline information for pollution assessment. It might support policy-developers in sustainable farming and forestry for the health of an ecosystem towards food security, forest safety, as well as animal and human welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Four bioclimatic clusters determine black locust distribution in Europe. • The eastern cluster overlaps with climatically suitable area in current and future distribution. • The black locust highlighted spatially and temporally variable climate sensitivity. • The plasticity in secondary growth may increase the black locust's invasive potential. As a consequence of native tree species decline and distribution range contraction in Europe, acclimation of the non-native tree species at the edge of their distribution is gaining importance. Although non-native tree species may provide sustainable ecosystem services, as a potentially invasive species they may be a threat to local ecosystems as well. In Europe, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) a non-native species, seems to meet the condition of acclimation as a multi-generational process. The acclimatization, however, may have consequences not only for growth performance but also for the species' invasive potential. This study investigates the spatiotemporal pattern of secondary growth and climate sensitivity among six black locust stands along continentality gradient in Eastern Europe with the respect to bioclimatic conditions of the species distribution in Europe. Despite comparable bioclimatic conditions, climate sensitivity of black locust stands is highly variable, both temporally and spatially. The winter and spring temperatures are a key climatic driver of the growth pattern in southern and western Poland. Growth response to previous winter and current summer precipitation distinguished stands in western and eastern Poland. A significant increase in the mean annual temperature during the last 70 years likely triggered temporal instability of the black locusts' climate signal. In general, drought conditions were found to be the main limiting factor at the edge sites within the black locust gradient. Thus, the climate sensitivity of black locust stands reflects rather site-specific microclimatic conditions then bioclimatically-based clustering pattern. Despite climate-related limiting factors, black locust seems to be characterized by high potential for acclimatization to Eastern European climatic conditions, suggesting high invasive potential. Thus, the replacement of native species by black locust or the conversion of local habitats into monocultures for biomass production should not be recommended, while species management should follow proactive measures to reduce the risk of uncontrolled spread of the species. Divergent growth reaction of black locust stands implies high plasticity of secondary growth and thus high probability of acclimatization to future climate. Given the expected range expansion to the East in Europe, we call for expanding dendroclimatic studies to the areas of future species expansion in order to test its climatic and edaphic limitations. This seems to be crucial for formulating non-native species management strategies in line with sustainable forestry, preventing the uncontrolled expansion of the species that threatens vulnerable habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural range of variation of ecosystems provides reference conditions for sustainable management and biodiversity conservation. We review how the understanding of natural reference conditions of boreal forests in northern Europe has changed from earlier perceptions of even-aged dynamics driven by stand-replacing disturbances towards current understanding highlighting the role of non-stand-replacing disturbances and the resultant complex forest dynamics and structures. We show how earlier views and conceptual models of forest disturbance dynamics, including the influential ASIO model, provide estimates of reference conditions that are outside the natural range of variation. Based on a research synthesis, we present a revised forest reference model incorporating the observed complexity of ecosystem dynamics and the prevalence of old forests. Finally, we outline a management model and demonstrate its use in forest ecosystem management and show how regional conservation area needs can be estimated. We conclude that attaining favourable conservation status in northern Europe's boreal forests requires increasing emphasis on ecosystem management and conservation for old forest characteristics.

Reports on the Pan-European forest certification program which was launched in June 1999. Aim of providing a framework for the mutual recognition of compatible national forest certification programs; Names of participating countries; Criteria for sustainable forest management in Europe; Contact information.

Following the introduction of planned forestry and the regular high forest system more than 250 years ago, forests in Central Europe became increasingly shaped by plantation silviculture. Many natural woodlands were replaced by planted forests, and forest plantations are still being established through afforestation of extensive land areas. Nowadays, forests are managed for many different purposes, including wood production, recreation, ecological, cultural, and amenity values,biodiversity, and soil and groundwater protection. This brings new challenges to forest management and silviculture. To reach a sustainable forestry, in the sense of Brundtland (WCED 1987), we are now reshaping European forestry toward a more nature oriented silviculture. Maybe forestry in the United States and elsewhere can benefit from the mistakes made in Europe during the last two centuries and take a shortcut toward sustainable forestry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]