Biodiversity conservation and wood production in a Natura 2000 Mediterranean forest. A trade-off evaluation focused on the occurrence of microhabitats

Abstract

Biogeosciences and Forestry Biogeosciences and Forestry Biodiversity conservation and wood production in a Natura 2000 Mediterranean forest. A trade-off evaluation focused on the occurrence of microhabitats Giovanni Santopuoli (1-2-3) , Marco di Cristofaro (2) , Daniel Kraus (4) , Andreas Schuck (5) , Bruno Lasserre (2) , Marco Marchetti (1-2) The most significant European forest-related strategies highlight the importance of multifunctional forests for human wellbeing, due to the provision of a wide range of goods and services. However, managing competing aims, such as timber production, economic drivers and biodiversity conservation is often difficult for practitioners. In order to assess the loss and gain of ecosystem services caused by forestry, trade-off evaluation has been increasingly used to aid decision-making. In this study, four silvicultural scenarios are simulated using the Marteloscope approach to evaluate the trade-offs between biodiversity conservation and timber production. Tree-related Microhabitats (TreMs) are used as a proxy to evaluate forest habitat value, while timber production is assessed by the number of harvested trees, biomass removal and economic income. This study takes an innovative approach by investigating TreMs using the Marteloscope in mixed Mediterranean forest. The main findings from this paper confirm that tree-related microhabitats can be considered ecological indicators effective in identifying important habitat trees, to assess forest habitat value and support tree marking for thinning operations and management.

Resolving the trade-off between production and biodiversity conservation in integrated forest management: comparing tree selection practices of foresters and conservationists

“…In the group discussion, the conservationists argued that the oak trees, with a large DBH, already exhibit valuable TreMs and that they have the highest potential to develop even more valuable microhabitats in the future. This in line with scientific research showing an increase in the occurrence and abundance of TreMs with the increasing tree diameter (Asbeck et al 2019;Santopuoli et al 2019). Internal guidelines of biodiversity conservation organizations in the region recommend a minimum diameter of 70 cm for a habitat tree and its definition also encompasses standing deadwood (BSBRE 2014).…”

“…The timber value of such trees (e.g. oak trees) can still be considerable, though, and excluding them from the economic value chain through retention can imply a noticeable economic loss (Niedermann-Meier et al 2010;Santopuoli et al 2019). Furthermore, they might occupy growing space over several rotations ages, with increasing safety risks and thus cost implications also for nearby forestry operations.…”

“…Furthermore, they might occupy growing space over several rotations ages, with increasing safety risks and thus cost implications also for nearby forestry operations. Thus, selecting and retaining potential habitat trees in forest management in the context of continuous cover forestry impacts both economic viability of wood production and the conservation value of the remaining forest stand (Santopuoli et al 2019).…”

Diversity of saproxylic beetle communities in chestnut agroforestry systems

“…It is important to note that, although few MH forms were present in TO, they had a high frequency on each tree. The presence of large trees and the density of tree-related MHs significantly influenced the abundance of the different families of Coleoptera, suggesting a high variability between species that feed on deadwood or other substrates (Santopuoli et al 2019). We also observed that TO was characterized by frequent and abundant sap beetles (Nitidulidae) and by rare predators and xylophagous that were, by contrast, more frequently found in YC and MC.…”

The use of water-filled tree holes by vertebrates in temperate forests

“…This typology is an established tool (Asbeck et al 2019) for the selection of 'habitat trees', which have a long-lasting tradition in temperate Europe (Mölder et al 2020). Applications of the typology can be used to assess many aspects of forest biodiversity and tradeoffs between timber production and biodiversity conservation (Paillet et al 2019, Santopuoli et al 2019. Habitat trees and their conservation recently gained increasing attention in the context of retention forestry in temperate forests (Basile et al 2020, Gustafsson et al 2020.…”