Spatio-temporal variation of coarse woody debris input in woodland key habitats in central Sweden

Abstract

The persistence of many saproxylic (wood-living) species depends on a readily available supply of coarse woody debris (CWD). Most studies of CWD inputs address stand-level patterns, despite the fact that many saproxylic species depend on landscape-level supplies of CWD. In the present study we used dated CWD inputs (tree mortality events) at each of 14 Norway spruce (Picea abies) dominated woodland key habitat sites to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of CWD additions between 1950 and 2002 within a small landscape in central Sweden. We found that inputs were episodic within sites, where local windstorms created pulses in CWD input. Pulses occurred simultaneously in many sites, yielding landscape-level synchrony of CWD input. These synchronous pulses, and importantly, the breaks between pulses, may have negative implications for saproxylic species that are dependent on large volume inputs of freshly killed Norway spruce. In addition, the inherent small size and relative isolation of these sites may further increase extinction risks due to stochastic events. However, background CWD input rates occurring between pulses varied substantially among sites, presumably the result of the sites' varied histories and structural characteristics. This finding suggests that the different sites have varied abilities to provide habitat for saproxylic species during periods with low landscape-level input of CWD.

Disturbance, life history traits, and dynamics in an old‐growth forest landscape of southeastern Europe

“…In forests dominated by beech, for example, the importance of large old trees and sufficient amounts of dead wood for maintaining myriad species dependent on these structures is well documented (Brunet et al 2010, Gossner et al 2013. Periodic, intermediate-severity disturbances, similar to those documented in this work, result in pulses of dead wood input in old-growth forests , and are likely to play an important role in the population dynamics of species dependent on these structural elements (Jo¨nsson et al 2011). For example, a conservative estimate of the amount of dead wood added to the Tunjemir-2 plot following the single windthrow event in the 1950s totals about 240 m 3 /ha (i.e., 50 trees with mean dbh of 64 cm), more than an order of magnitude greater than the average amount found in managed forests of Europe (Forest Europe, UNECE and FAO 2011).…”

Carbon stocks and changes of dead organic matter in China's forests

“…Few studies have focused on the relationships between the driving factors and C stocks of DOM at the regional scale, except some work has been performed at the local scale 11 – 13 . Only a few country-scale studies have assessed the impacts of various driving forces on DOM C stocks 7 , 14 , 15 .…”

Relationships between economic profitability and habitat quality of Siberian jay in uneven-aged Norway spruce forest

“…Jönsson et al, 2001), it is now recommended that retention trees should be left in clear-cut areas, so as to become coarse woody debris (Bader et al, 1995). For the same reason, retention trees should also be left in uneven-aged management.…”