The arthropod community of boreal Norway spruce forests responds variably to stump harvesting Kataja-aho, Saana; Hannonen, Paloma; Liukkonen, Titta; Rosten, Hertta; Koivula, Matti J.; Koponen, Seppo; Haimi, Jari Kataja-aho, S., Hannonen, P., Liukkonen, T., Rosten, H., Koivula, M. J., Koponen, S., & Haimi, J. (2016). The arthropod community of boreal Norway spruce forests responds variably to stump harvesting. Forest Ecology and Management, 371, 75-83. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2016 Forest fuel harvesting increases the need to collect not just logging residues but also tree 43 stumps from harvested stands. This biomass removal has raised concern over forest 44 biodiversity. Here, the effects of stump harvesting on spiders, ants, harvestmen, ground 45 beetles and epiedaphic springtails occupying boreal Norway spruce (Picea abies) forest 46 floor were studied two and five years after harvesting by comparing pitfall trap samples 47 from clear-cut sites with and without subsequent stump harvesting and from unharvested 48 mature forests in central Finland. At harvested sites, traps were placed both on intact and 49 exposed mineral soil surface. Open-habitat and generalist ground beetles benefitted from 50 the stump harvesting, but generally the numbers of arthropods between stump harvesting 51 treatments and different aged clear-cuts were rather similar. The intact forest floor hosted 52 more ants, springtails and harvestmen than did the exposed mineral soil. Moreover, the 53 community structure of spiders, ground beetles and springtails was affected by stump 54 harvesting, forest-floor quality (intact or exposed), and time elapsed since harvesting. 55Based on these results we recommend minimizing the exposure of mineral soil during 56 management practices. However, more long-term studies are required to document the 57 development of fauna in the harvested areas and the ecosystem-level impacts of 58 utilization of forest biomass for energy. 59 60