A quantitative comparison of the structural complexity of managed, lately unmanaged and primary European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests

Stiers, Melissa; Willim, Katharina; Seidel, Dominik; Ehbrecht, Martin; Kabal, Myroslav; Ammer, Christian; Annighöfer, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2018.08.039

Cited by 57 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The authors concluded that the longer the period since forest management cessation, the lower the drought sensitivity of mature beech trees. In studies using a gradient of forest management intensity, it is, therefore, not only relevant that forest stands are no longer managed-so as to cover the "low-intensity" end of the gradient-but rather that both short-term and long-term unmanaged stands should be included in such analyses [20,21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Abandonment of Forest Management Has a Strong Impact on Tree Morphology and Wood Volume Allocation Pattern of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Georgi

Kunz

Fichtner

et al. 2018

Forests

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The three-dimensional (3D) morphology of individual trees is critical for light interception, growth, stability and interactions with the local environment. Forest management intensity is a key driver of tree morphology, but how the long-term abandonment of silvicultural measures impacts trunk and crown morphological traits is not fully understood. Here, we take advantage of a long management intensity gradient combined with a high-resolution terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) approach to explore how management history affects the 3D structure of mature beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees. The management gradient ranged from long-term (>50 years) and short-term (>20 years) unmanaged to extensively and intensively managed beech stands. We determined 28 morphological traits and quantified the vertical distribution of wood volume along the trunk. We evaluated the differences in tree morphological traits between study stands using Tukey's HSD test. Our results show that 93% of the investigated morphological traits differed significantly between the study stands. Significant differences, however, emerged most strongly in the stand where forest management had ceased >50 years ago. Furthermore, we found that the vertical distribution of trunk wood volume was highly responsive between stands with different management intensity, leading to a 67% higher taper top height and 30% lower taper of beech trees growing in long-term unmanaged stands compared to those in short-term unmanaged or managed stands. These results have important implications for management intensity decisions. It is suggested that the economic value of individual beech trees from long-term unmanaged forests can be expected to be very high. This might also translate to beech forests that are extensively managed, but we found that a few decades of implementation of such a silvicultural system is not sufficient to cause significant differences when compared to intensively managed stands. Furthermore, TLS-based high-resolution analyses of trunk and crown traits play a crucial role in the ability to better understand or predict tree growth responses to the current drivers of global change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term Abandonment of Forest Management Has a Strong Impact on Tree Morphology and Wood Volume Allocation Pattern of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Georgi

Kunz

Fichtner

et al. 2018

Forests

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“…The other was in Uholka in the Ukrainian Uholka-Shyrokoluzhansky area, belonging to the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve. More information on the sites can be found in Stiers et al [35] and Willim et al [36]. [35]) in relation to the potential natural vegetation (grey) of European beech without human influence according to the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) [37].…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the selected stands, canopy gaps and associated regeneration patches were detected and recorded following pre-defined transect lines [35,36]. To ensure comparability between different regeneration patches, the age of the regeneration was estimated by counting internodes and was not to exceed 10-15 years.…”

Section: Sampling Design and Data Collection (Terrestrial Laser Scannmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For both instruments, scan settings were set to cover a field of view of 360° in horizontal and 300° in vertical direction with an angular resolution of 10.240 points per 360° with the scanner mounted on a tripod at breast height (1.30 m). Using phase-difference technology Stiers et al [35]) in relation to the potential natural vegetation (grey) of European beech without human influence according to the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) [37]. Within the selected stands, canopy gaps and associated regeneration patches were detected and recorded following pre-defined transect lines [35,36].…”

Section: Sampling Design and Data Collection (Terrestrial Laser Scannmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using phase-difference technology Stiers et al [35]) in relation to the potential natural vegetation (grey) of European beech without human influence according to the European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN) [37]. Within the selected stands, canopy gaps and associated regeneration patches were detected and recorded following pre-defined transect lines [35,36]. To ensure comparability between different regeneration patches, the age of the regeneration was estimated by counting internodes and was not to exceed 10-15 years.…”

Section: Sampling Design and Data Collection (Terrestrial Laser Scannmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Analyzing Spatial Distribution Patterns of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Regeneration in Dependence of Canopy Openings

Stiers

Willim

Seidel

et al. 2019

Forests

Self Cite

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The use of natural regeneration techniques is one of the key elements of modern (close-to-nature) forestry. In natural forests, changes in canopy cover, such as the emergence and successive re-closure of canopy gaps are particularly important, as they influence the light availability on the forest floor. Creating canopy gaps of different size is a promising silvicultural tool allowing the regulation of the light availability in managed forests in order to control regeneration composition and development. In this study, we used terrestrial laser scanning data to investigate the relationship between canopy-gap dimensions and emerging natural regeneration along a gradient of management in forests dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). We analyzed the spatial distribution and height of regeneration patches in dependence of gap characteristics. Mean regeneration height decreases progressively from the gap polygon over a transition zone towards the area under the canopy, while the tallest regeneration plants were placed in positions midway between center and gap edge, and not directly in the gap center as we initially assumed. The centers of regeneration patches were not displaced when compared to the associated canopy gap centers, as has been reported in other studies conducted on the northern hemisphere for various tree species. The observed patterns did not depend on management strategies, indicating that regeneration responded equally to naturally created gaps and gaps that were caused by logging. We conclude that establishment and development of shade-tolerant European beech regeneration in forest stands is driven by gap openings, but not necessarily direct radiation. If at all, pronounced direct radiation mainly occurs at the northern edge of large gaps. Neither regeneration patch center, nor regeneration tree height pointed in that direction. Our study suggests that in the investigated beech-dominated forests the effect of increased light availability at the northern edge of a gap is overruled by other factors increasing towards the gap edge, such as increased belowground competition of the overstory trees.

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Effects of stand structure and ungulates on understory vegetation in managed and unmanaged forests

Chevaux

Mårell

Baltzinger

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Conventional conservation policies in Europe notably rely on the passive restoration of natural forest dynamics by setting aside forest areas to preserve forest biodiversity. However, since forest reserves cover only a small proportion of the territory, conservation policies also require complementary conservation efforts in managed forests in order to achieve the biodiversity targets set up in the Convention on Biological Diversity. Conservation measures also raise the question of large herbivore management in and around set‐asides, particularly regarding their impact on understory vegetation. Although many studies have separately analyzed the effects of forest management, management abandonment, and ungulate pressure on forest biodiversity, their joint effects have rarely been studied in a correlative framework. We studied 212 plots located in 15 strict forest reserves paired with adjacent managed forests in European France. We applied structural equation models to test the effects of management abandonment, stand structure, and ungulate pressure on the abundance, species richness, and diversity of herbaceous vascular plants and terricolous bryophytes. We showed that stand structure indices and plot‐level browsing pressure had direct and opposite effects on herbaceous vascular plant species diversity; these effects were linked with the light tolerance of the different species groups. Increasing canopy cover had an overall negative effect on herbaceous vascular plant abundance and species diversity. The effect was two to three times greater in magnitude than the positive effects of browsing pressure on herbaceous plants diversity. On the other hand, a high stand density index had a positive effect on the species richness and diversity of bryophytes, while browsing had no effect. Forest management abandonment had few direct effects on understory plant communities, and mainly indirectly affected herbaceous vascular plant and bryophyte abundance and species richness and diversity through changes in vertical stand structure. Our results show that conservation biologists should rely on foresters and hunters to lead the preservation of understory vegetation communities in managed forests since, respectively, they manipulate stand structure and regulate ungulate pressure. Their management actions should be adapted to the taxa at stake, since bryophytes and vascular plants respond differently to stand and ungulate factors.

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A quantitative comparison of the structural complexity of managed, lately unmanaged and primary European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests

Cited by 57 publications

References 34 publications

Long-Term Abandonment of Forest Management Has a Strong Impact on Tree Morphology and Wood Volume Allocation Pattern of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Long-Term Abandonment of Forest Management Has a Strong Impact on Tree Morphology and Wood Volume Allocation Pattern of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Analyzing Spatial Distribution Patterns of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Regeneration in Dependence of Canopy Openings

Effects of stand structure and ungulates on understory vegetation in managed and unmanaged forests

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