Quantifying the recovery of old-growth attributes in forest reserves: A first reference for France

Paillet, Yoan; Pernot, C.E.E.; Boulanger, Vincent; Debaive, Nicolas; Fuhr, Marc; Gilg, Olivier; Gosselin, Frédéric

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2015.02.037

Cited by 99 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

114

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For birds and bats, management abandonment in forest reserves may provide favourable habitats but also low levels of human disturbance (Bouvet et al., ). Compared to previous results (Paillet et al., ), the negative result for saproxylic beetles is more surprising, but may be due to the fact that most of the reserves we studied are relatively young and display relatively small amounts of favourable habitats and features compared to other European references (Bouget, Parmain, et al., ; Paillet, Pernot, et al., ). As a consequence, stands may still be in an accumulation phase where light conditions are probably not diverse enough to favour both forest specialists and light‐demanding species at a small scale (see e.g., Bouget, Larrieu, et al., ; Seibold et al., for saproxylic beetles) and the potential effect of microhabitats or large structural elements may be masked by such unfavourable light conditions (Miklín et al., ).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

“…Hence, it is quite difficult to disentangle the respective roles of this management abandonment, following past harvesting in the present strict forest reserves, and large structural elements. Indeed, management abandonment generally induces higher occurrence and greater quantities of large structural elements (Bouget, Parmain, et al., ; Paillet et al., ; Vandekerkhove, De Keersmaeker, Menke, Meyer, & Verschelde, ). In turn, it is not clear whether management abandonment per se—as a complex combination of structure modifications, landscape features and low levels of human disturbance—or the modifications of the forest structure only, is responsible for the observed increase in the biodiversity of certain taxa (notably those dependent on deadwood, Paillet et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The indicator side of tree microhabitats: A multi‐taxon approach based on bats, birds and saproxylic beetles

Paillet

Archaux

Puy

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

Self Cite

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

National and international forest biodiversity assessments largely rely on indirect indicators, based on elements of forest structure that are used as surrogates for species diversity. These proxies are reputedly easier and cheaper to assess than biodiversity. Tree microhabitats—tree‐borne singularities such as cavities, conks of fungi or bark characteristics—have gained attention as potential forest biodiversity indicators. However, as with most biodiversity indicators, there is a lack of scientific evidence documenting their quantitative link with the biodiversity they are supposed to assess. We explored the link between microhabitat indices and the richness and abundance of three taxonomic groups: bats, birds and saproxylic beetles. Using a nation‐wide multi‐taxon sampling design in France, we compared 213 plots located inside and outside strict forest reserves. We hypothesized that the positive effect setting aside forest reserves has on biodiversity conservation is indirectly due to an increase in the proportion of large structural elements (e.g., living trees, standing and lying deadwood). These, in turn, are likely to favour the quantity and diversity of microhabitats. We analysed the relationship between the abundance and species richness of different groups and guilds (e.g., red‐listed species, forest specialists, cavity dwellers) and microhabitat density and diversity. We then used confirmatory structural equation models to assess the direct and indirect effects of management abandonment, large structural elements and microhabitats on the biodiversity of the target species. For several groups of birds and bats, the indirect effect of management abandonment and large structural elements on biodiversity was mediated by microhabitats. However, the magnitude of the link between microhabitat indices and biodiversity was moderate. In particular, saproxylic beetles’ biodiversity was poorly explained by microhabitats, large structural elements or management abandonment. Synthesis and applications. Tree microhabitats may serve as indicators for bats and birds, but they are not a universal biodiversity indicator. Rather, compared to large structural elements, they most likely have a complementary role to biodiversity. In terms of forest management and conservation, preserving diversity of microhabitats at the local scale benefits several groups of both bats and birds.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The indicator side of tree microhabitats: A multi‐taxon approach based on bats, birds and saproxylic beetles

Paillet

Archaux

Puy

et al. 2018

Journal of Applied Ecology

Self Cite

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In that work, Christensen et al found a significant correlation with the age of the reserve. Other reports also indicated that the duration of conservation significantly affects deadwood accumulation (Vandekerkhove et al 2009;Bouget et al 2014;Paillet et al 2015). Although such a relationship was also expected to emerge in the present work, it was not confirmed directly, which is attributable to several factors.…”

Section: Duration Of Conservation and The Share Of Standing Deadwoodsupporting

confidence: 39%

Deadwood volume in strictly protected, natural, and primeval forests in Poland

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Standing and downed deadwood at different stages of decay provides a crucial habitat for a wide range of organisms. It is particularly abundant in unmanaged forests, such as strictly protected areas of national parks and nature reserves. The present work used the available data for such sites in Poland, analyzing a total of 113 studies concerning 79 sites to determine the causes contributing to variation in deadwood volume based on the duration of conservation, changes in deadwood volume over time (for those sites which were examined multiple times), elevation above sea level, forest type, stage of forest development, input of dead trees from the years preceding deadwood measurements, live tree volume, and the proportion of downed to standing deadwood). Depending on species composition and site altitude, most tree stands fell into one of four categories: subalpine spruce forests, montane beech-fir forests, low altitude beech-fir forests, or oak-hornbeam and riparian forests. The mean deadwood volume for all forest types amounted to 172.0 m 3 /ha. The mean volume of deadwood in montane beech-fir forests (223.9 m 3 /ha) was statistically significantly greater than in the other three forest types, for which it ranged from 103.5 to 142.5 m 3 /ha. A direct effect of the duration of conservation on deadwood volume was not identified. Nevertheless, analysis of repeated measurements on the same sample plots at 10-year intervals showed a consistent rise in mean deadwood volume. A linear regression model for all the analyzed factors reported from montane beech-fir forests and subalpine spruce forests showed that in addition to site altitude, another statistically significant variable was the input of dead trees (R 2 = 63.54%).

show abstract

“…Trees with DBH larger than 50 cm were 38.2 per hectare (87% of which were Quercus pubescens individuals) within the Fanuso wood, a value which is notably higher than the most frequently considered minimum threshold for European and Mediterranean forests, corresponding to at least 30 stems per hectare [38,66]. Such value exceeded the benchmark for temperate European old-growth forests [9], it is almost equal to that of other Mediterranean old-growth forests [66], and it is considerably higher than the average recorded in many forest reserves of France, including many oak species [67]. As expected, this value is far lower than the average recorded in Italian old-growth Fagus sylvatica forests, where more than 80 living trees per hectare with DBH larger than 50 cm are found [38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Badalamenti

Mantia

et al. 2017

Forests

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

For a long time, human impact has deeply simplified most of the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Here, forests have seldom had the chance to naturally develop a complex and multilayered structure, to host large and old trees and rich biological communities, approaching old-growth conditions. Also for this reason, limited information is currently available about Mediterranean old-growth forests, particularly with regard to deadwood. The main aim of this work is to help fill this critical knowledge gap. In Sicily (Italy), we identified a Quercus pubescens forest that seemed to show some typical old-growth features. Total living volume (360 m 3 ha −1 ) and basal area (34 m 2 ha −1 ) were, respectively, about 6 and 3 times higher than the averages recorded in the regional forest inventory for this forest type. Deadwood was particularly abundant, exceeding the threshold of 30 m 3 ha −1 , mainly represented by lying dead elements. Dead to live wood ratio reached 9%, a value close to the threshold of 10% considered for Mediterranean old-growth forests. As the investigated forest showed some typical old-growth traits, it deserves to be fully protected and could be a permanent monitoring area for studying deadwood and stand dynamics in mature Mediterranean stands.

show abstract

Quantifying the recovery of old-growth attributes in forest reserves: A first reference for France

Cited by 99 publications

References 36 publications

The indicator side of tree microhabitats: A multi‐taxon approach based on bats, birds and saproxylic beetles

The indicator side of tree microhabitats: A multi‐taxon approach based on bats, birds and saproxylic beetles

Deadwood volume in strictly protected, natural, and primeval forests in Poland

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About