Relationships between tree size and occupancy by cavity-dependent arboreal marsupials

Lindenmayer, David B.; Blanchard, Wade; Blair, David; McBurney, Lachlan; Banks, Sam C.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2017.02.014

Cited by 46 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…S1) (9)(10)(11). This ecosystem supports the tallest flowering plants on Earth with large, old trees approaching 100 m in height (12). The Mountain Ash ecosystem provides habitat for species-rich animal and plant assemblages (including critically endangered taxa), generates most of the water for the ∼4.5 million people in Melbourne, stores large amounts of biomass carbon, and supports timber, pulpwood, and tourism industries (13).…”

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confidence: 99%

Hidden collapse is driven by fire and logging in a socioecological forest ecosystem

Lindenmayer

Sato

2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Increasing numbers of ecosystems globally are at risk of collapse. However, most descriptions of terrestrial ecosystem collapse are post hoc with few empirically based examples of ecosystems in the process of collapse. This limits learning about collapse and impedes development of effective early-warning indicators. Based on multidecadal and multifaceted monitoring, we present evidence that the Australian mainland Mountain Ash ecosystem is collapsing. Collapse is indicated by marked changes in ecosystem condition, particularly the rapid decline in populations of keystone ecosystem structures. There also has been significant decline in biodiversity strongly associated with these structures and disruptions of key ecosystem processes. In documenting the decline of the Mountain Ash ecosystem, we uncovered evidence of hidden collapse. This is where an ecosystem superficially appears to be relatively intact, but a prolonged period of decline coupled with long lag times for recovery of dominant ecosystem components mean that collapse is almost inevitable. In ecosystems susceptible to hidden collapse, management interventions will be required decades earlier than currently perceived by policy makers. Responding to hidden collapse is further complicated by our finding that different drivers produce different pathways to collapse, but these drivers can interact in ways that exacerbate and perpetuate collapse. Management must focus not only on reducing the number of critical stressors influencing an ecosystem but also on breaking feedbacks between stressors. We demonstrate the importance of multidecadal monitoring programs in measuring state variables that can inform quantitative predictions of collapse as well as help identify management responses that can avert system-wide collapse.

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confidence: 99%

Hidden collapse is driven by fire and logging in a socioecological forest ecosystem

Lindenmayer

Sato

2018

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Unfortunately, it has not been possible to determine if variable retention harvesting might be effective for enhancing the conservation of arboreal marsupials such as Leadbeater's possum. A key challenge for these animals is that the age of the trees in the retention islands is currently~80 years (having germinated after fires in 1939), but it will be 40-100 years before such trees begin developing cavities suitable for occupancy by cavity-dependent arboreal marsupials (Lindenmayer et al 2017). Notably, the generally positive outcomes from variable retention harvesting extend beyond green-tree logging operations to those where fire-disturbed areas are subject to salvage logging, at least for forest-dependent bird taxa (Lindenmayer et al 2018c) and most likely also for vascular plants (Blair et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variable retention harvesting in Victoria’s Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests (southeastern Australia)

2019

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Variable retention harvesting is a silvicultural system that focuses on retaining key elements of stand structure at the time of logging and is increasingly being used worldwide. We describe the design and establishment of a variable retention harvesting experiment established in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, southeastern Australia. The experiment was instigated in 2003, and the work to date has shown that it has environmental benefits for certain groups of small mammals, birds, and vascular plants. The experiment has been integrated with an ongoing long-term monitoring program as well as other experiments such as those in post-fire salvage-logged areas. Collectively, the results of various studies suggest that the potential value of variable retention harvesting extends beyond green-tree logging to post-fire salvage logging environments. We outline some of the challenges in, and new perspectives derived from, implementing and maintaining our experiment. This included difficulties protecting islands from high-intensity post-harvest regeneration burns and threat of declining funding undermining ongoing project viability. A critically important perspective concerns the ecological and economic context in which variable retention harvesting is implemented. In the particular case of Mountain Ash forests, assessments using formal IUCN criteria classify the ecosystem as being Critically Endangered under the Red Listed Ecosystem approach. As a result, Mountain Ash forests are at a high risk of ecosystem collapse. Further logging will increase that risk, making the basis for continued harvesting questionable. In addition, economic analyses suggest that the value of natural assets, like water production, far outweigh the value of the wood products harvested from the Mountain Ash ecosystem, again leading to questions about the viability of ongoing harvesting. We therefore conclude that whilst variable retention harvesting has the potential to contribute to biodiversity conservation in Mountain Ash forests, broader ecological and economic contextual issues (such as the values of competing resources like water yields and the heavily degraded state of the forest) may erode the case for its broader application.

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“…Large old trees are the primary nesting and denning habitat for cavity-dependent arboreal marsupials (Lindenmayer et al 2017a) and the paucity of these trees is a major contributing factor to the species declines in Mountain Ash forests (Keith et al 2017a). In addition, altered ecological processes such as recurrent high-severity wildfire is contributing to the loss of old growth forest (Lindenmayer et al 2015a), the loss of large old trees (Lindenmayer et al 2012), and the decline in populations of species (which are often absent from burned areas Lindenmayer et al 2013).…”

Section: Figure 1 Broad Location Of the Central Highlands Of Victoriamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large old hollow-bearing trees are a critical component of stand structural complexity in Mountain Ash forests. The trees occupied by arboreal marsupials of conservation concern are typically 190 or more years old (Lindenmayer et al 2017a). The increasing rarity of these trees and the prolonged period (> 120 years) before the natural recruitment of new cohorts of such trees (Lindenmayer et al 2012) means it is critical to protect all existing old hollowbearing trees.…”

Section: Conserve and Restore Key Attributes Of Stand Structural Compmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Places that support hollow-bearing trees within forest proposed for logging may provide anchor points for protection around which buffers of uncut forest would be established. There is evidence that variable retention harvesting can improve biodiversity outcomes for small mammals and birds (Lindenmayer et al 2010) (Lindenmayer et al 2015b) (Lindenmayer et al 2018), although its effectiveness for species such conservation concern like arboreal marsupials has yet to be demonstrated, in part because of the very long lead time required to recruit new cohorts of large old trees on which these kinds of cavity-dependent species are dependent (Lindenmayer et al 2017a). Moreover, a switch from clearcutting to variable retention harvesting would have detrimental impacts on biodiversity if it is not accompanied by a significant reduction in sustained yield.…”

Section: Conserve and Restore Key Attributes Of Stand Structural Compmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integrating forest biodiversity conservation and restoration ecology principles to recover natural forest ecosystems

Lindenmayer

2018

New Forests

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Effective conservation of forest biodiversity and effective forest restoration are two of the biggest challenges facing forest managers globally. I present four general principles to guide strategies aimed at meeting these challenges: (1) protect and restore populations of key species and their habitats, (2) conserve and restore key attributes of stand structural complexity, (3) maintain and restore natural patterns of landscape heterogeneity, and (4) maintain and restore key ecological processes. The complexity associated with these principles is that how they will be practically implemented on the ground will invariably be ecosystem specific as what constitutes stand structural complexity or landscape heterogeneity will vary between ecosystems. Here I demonstrate the practical application of the four general principles in a detailed case study of conservation and restoration in the Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of the Central Highlands of Victoria, southeastern Australia. These forests are characterized by declining species, loss of key elements of stand structural, loss of old growth forest, altered patterns of landscape heterogeneity, and altered ecosystem processes. I highlight how altered management practices in Mountain Ash forests that are guided by our four general principles can help conserve existing biodiversity and underpin effective forest restoration. Consideration of our general principles also can identify policy deficiencies that need to be addressed to enhance restoration and biodiversity conservation.

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Relationships between tree size and occupancy by cavity-dependent arboreal marsupials

Cited by 46 publications

References 33 publications

Hidden collapse is driven by fire and logging in a socioecological forest ecosystem

Hidden collapse is driven by fire and logging in a socioecological forest ecosystem

Variable retention harvesting in Victoria’s Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests (southeastern Australia)

Integrating forest biodiversity conservation and restoration ecology principles to recover natural forest ecosystems

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