Vital rates can provide important insights into management effects on wildlife populations. However, for many North American birds, especially woodpeckers (Picidae), vital rates are not well ...documented. Here, we estimated adult annual survival of the White-headed Woodpecker {Dryobates albolarvatus) across a 10 year period (2011-2021) in managed ponderosa pine (Pimts ponderosa) forests along the eastern slope of the Cascade Range in Washington. USA. We banded male and female woodpeckers with unique color band combinations and resighted them on breeding territories from March to July in each year. We banded 116 woodpeckers, most of which we aged as hatch-year (n = 49) or second-year (n = 32) when banded, and all were past the critical dependence period when mortality is highest. We estimated recapture and annual survival probabilities for 33 breeding males and 24 breeding females using open-population Cormack-Jolly-Seber models that included 2 covariates: age at first capture (AGE) and sex (SEX). We combined birds into 3 AGE classes: class 1 (hatchyear), class 2 (second-year and after hatch-year), and class 3 (> after second-year). Female recapture probabilities were higher than males, although both were >0.85. AGE class 1 birds had the lowest recapture probabilities, but the estimates were imprecise. Survival probabilities were >0.X0 for all birds, regardless of which model we evaluated. These survival estimates could be inflated because some adults that are nonbreeders and dispersed from the study area may have lower rates of survival. We did not find any evidence of differences in survival probabilities by SEX or AGE. Our results suggested that, despite managed ponderosa pine stands having trees smaller in diameter and greater in density than historical stands. Whiteheaded Woodpeckers had a high probability of surviving year to year in this forest type. Received 6 February 2022. Accepted 27 April 21)22.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
22.
Where are Europe's last primary forests? Sabatini, Francesco Maria; Burrascano, Sabina; Keeton, William S. ...
Diversity & distributions,
October 2018, Letnik:
24, Številka:
9/10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Aim: Primary forests have high conservation value but are rare in Europe due to historic land use. Yet many primary forest patches remain unmapped, and it is unclear to what extent they are ...effectively protected. Our aim was to (1) compile the most comprehensive European-scale map of currently known primary forests, (2) analyse the spatial determinants characterizing their location and (3) locate areas where so far unmapped primary forests likely occur. Location: Europe. Methods: We aggregated data from a literature review, online questionnaires and 32 datasets of primary forests. We used boosted regression trees to explore which biophysical, socio-economic and forest-related variables explain the current distribution of primary forests. Finally, we predicted and mapped the relative likelihood of primary forest occurrence at a 1-km resolution across Europe. Results: Data on primary forests were frequently incomplete or inconsistent among countries. Known primary forests covered 1.4 Mha in 32 countries (0.7% of Europe's forest area). Most of these forests were protected (89%), but only 46% of them strictly. Primary forests mostly occurred in mountain and boreal areas and were unevenly distributed across countries, biogeographical regions and forest types. Unmapped primary forests likely occur in the least accessible and populated areas, where forests cover a greater share of land, but wood demand historically has been low. Main conclusions: Despite their outstanding conservation value, primary forests are rare and their current distribution is the result of centuries of land use and forest management. The conservation outlook for primary forests is uncertain as many are not strictly protected and most are small and fragmented, making them prone to extinction debt and human disturbance. Predicting where unmapped primary forests likely occur could guide conservation efforts, especially in Eastern Europe where large areas of primary forest still exist but are being lost at an alarming pace.
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•Oak forests are of great economic and conservation importance.•We identify integrative management options for forestry and nature conservation.•Light availability is a strong link ...between forestry and conservation demands.•There is an urgent need for integrative oak forest planning approaches.•Ecological continuity should be secured in structural “sustainability units”.
Central European temperate oak woodlands are highly valued for their rich biodiversity. They are also of great economic importance and forest management aims to produce high quality timber, which demands high investments. The aim of this literature review is to identify management options for forestry and nature conservation that sustain both the ecological value of oak forests and the economic viability of oak silviculture.
We addressed three main questions: (a) Oaks and close-to-nature forestry – what are the key silvicultural challenges and options?, (b) What is the particular significance of ecological continuity and which structural features are of importance for biodiversity conservation in oak forests?, (c) What are the key elements and possible strategies of forest management that sustain the ecological values in oak forests in combination with viable forestry?
Light availability appeared to be a conspicuous link connecting the conservation and the silvicultural aspects of multifunctional oak forest management: Both young oak trees and multiple oak woodland specialist species are characterized by their need for increased sunlight exposure. This common denominator provides a sound basis for integrative management practices for forestry and nature conservation. The concept of retention forestry offers purposeful approaches. So the harvest of valuable timber oaks or the creation of canopy gaps for oak regeneration can be used to release the crowns and trunks of habitat oaks from shading and competition. When looking at the management of oak woodland biodiversity hotspots, the re-establishment of (modified) historical forest management techniques, which increase stand openness and create transitional habitats that provide suitable oak regeneration niches, seems to be necessary.
Not only the continuity of oak woodland cover and natural site conditions, but also the uninterrupted temporal continuity and availability of wood-related structural features turned out to be of particular importance for oak woodland specialist species. We identified an urgent need for systematic forest planning approaches that secure the long-term availability of these structural features within areas or “sustainability units” that are large enough to maintain viable populations of oak woodland specialist species. In particular, conservation-oriented forestry measures should mainly be implemented in those areas, where the greatest effectiveness is to be expected. In the sustainability units, oak regeneration measures ought to take place either in close vicinity to old oak stands or directly in these stands. The choice of one of these options should be based on a careful consideration of the needs and possibilities of both silvicultural and nature conservation management.
Oak open woodlands (dehesas) have outstanding socioeconomic and ecological values, sustain traditional agro-silvo-pastoral uses, provide high-value ecosystem services, and constitute key biodiversity ...hotspots. Cerambyx cerdo and Cerambyx welensii are two large, oak-living, wood-boring, sympatric longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that may reach pest status in SW Spain, contributing to oak decline. Understanding species-specific habitat requirements determining occupancy-abundance patterns is needed to develop management or control strategies. We conducted a large-scale, four-year study using 1650 feeding traps to ascertain longhorn abundance and species-specific habitat suitability in relation to 18 ecological variables, 9 biotic (oak species, forest mass, trunk diameter, tree density, basal area, forest cover, shrub cover, ground cover, oak renewal), and 9 abiotic (bedrock outcrops, altitude, ground slope, aspect, mean temperature: annual/July/January, annual precipitation, insolation). Results showed that longhorn abundance was sensitive to most ecological variables and to many interactions between them. Interestingly, interactions between ecological variables and longhorn species were widespread, signifying that responses were species-specific and therefore predictive Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were different between species. Our research contributes to the understanding of the ecological factors that shape longhorn species-specific occupancy-abundance patterns, delves into their sympatric relationship, and contributes toward improving sustainable forest practices that will mitigate longhorn impact in oak open forests.
► Old-growth forests showed global commonalities when compared to mature stands. ► Old-growth showed higher amounts of large living trees, aboveground biomass and CWD. ► Stand age correlates to basal ...area, large living trees and aboveground biomass. ► Geographical, compositional and climatic influences most structural variables. ► There is a lack of studies on temperate forests in Russia, Western and Central Asia.
Temperate forests have been fundamentally altered by land use and other stressors globally; these have reduced the abundance of primary and old-growth forests in particular. Despite many regional studies, the literature lacks a global synthesis of temperate old-growth structural characteristics. In this study we compare literature derived data on mature and old-growth moist temperate forests with the aim of: (i) exploring global commonalities; (ii) investigating sources of variability among systems; and (iii) highlighting data gaps and research needs. We compiled a dataset of 147 records from 93 papers, and analyzed a set of structural indicators: basal area, stem density, large living trees, live aboveground biomass, quadratic mean diameter, and coarse woody debris volume. These indicators were contrasted between mature and old-growth age classes at a global level and across continents and broad forest types, testing for significance through Monte-Carlo permutation procedure. We also related structural indicators to age, climatic and geographical descriptors. Our results suggest that all structural indicators vary across systems in relation to geographical, compositional, and climatic influences. However old-growth forests showed global commonalities in structure when compared to mature forests: significantly higher densities of large living trees, higher quadratic mean diameter, and higher amounts of live aboveground biomass and coarse woody debris. Furthermore we found inconsistency in the structural variables reported by different papers; lack of studies on temperate forests in Russia, and Western and Central Asia. The findings improve our understanding of old-growth structure and function, and will help inform sustainable forest management and conservation approaches world-wide.
Based on a village study in Tanzania, the effects of decentralized forest management on forest conservation, rural livelihoods and good governance are evaluated. Tree growth is estimated to exceed ...harvest, and forest utilization appears effectively controlled. Forest revenues cover the costs of management and finance local public services, but the underlying taxes and regulations have made the poorest worse off. Governance outcomes are also ambiguous. Revenues are administered transparently, but village leaders are coercive toward forest dependent minorities. The case provides a rare example of how decentralized forest management works in Africa when meaningful powers are devolved to local communities.
Remote sensing is revolutionizing the way we study forests, and recent technological advances mean we are now able – for the first time – to identify and measure the crown dimensions of individual ...trees from airborne imagery. Yet to make full use of these data for quantifying forest carbon stocks and dynamics, a new generation of allometric tools which have tree height and crown size at their centre are needed. Here, we compile a global database of 108753 trees for which stem diameter, height and crown diameter have all been measured, including 2395 trees harvested to measure aboveground biomass. Using this database, we develop general allometric models for estimating both the diameter and aboveground biomass of trees from attributes which can be remotely sensed – specifically height and crown diameter. We show that tree height and crown diameter jointly quantify the aboveground biomass of individual trees and find that a single equation predicts stem diameter from these two variables across the world's forests. These new allometric models provide an intuitive way of integrating remote sensing imagery into large‐scale forest monitoring programmes and will be of key importance for parameterizing the next generation of dynamic vegetation models.
Purpose of Review
This review provides perspectives and insights of forest researchers from four continents representing a range of geo-regions, with examples from diverse and dynamic use of forest ...products that are undervalued and often misrepresented. A comprehensive discussion of the subject provides special attention to property, tenancy, public goods and access rights to non-wood forest products (NWFP), seen as forest ecosystem services in a framework for forest management decisions. The overall purpose is to provide a logical argument for transitioning to sustainable management of forests for timber and NWFP.
Recent Findings
Multifunctional ecosystem-based approaches are transforming our understanding of forests. The prevailing economic relevance of NWFP for trade and sustenance requires their operative integration into forest management. Integration of NWFP will shift a traditional timber-oriented management paradigm towards an inclusive ecosystem forest management approach. We show that the impact of NWFP resources on livelihoods provides multiple benefits to all sectors of global society. Policy and property rights affect the availability and sustainability of the resource, while regulations, restrictions and prohibitions target the sustainable harvest of NWFP under growing demand. Official reporting of production volumes of NWFP is sparse, erratic or inaccurate due to a complex system that is opaque and with inadequately understood value chains, yet research is underway to better understand all NWFP sectors.
Summary
A shift from command-and-control forest management to broader governance schemes is observed, yet despite a growing awareness of their importance, NWFP and their potential for a bio-based economy require more research. A conceptual framework for transitioning to sustainable co-production management of timber and NWFP is presented. Such a transition is needed to ensure long-term forest security, health and resilience.
•We test forest stand structure as indicators for plant species diversity/composition.•Stand structure and diversity/composition relations were consistent over soil types.•Species diversity was ...highest in mature mixed stands with stratified semiopen canopy.•Species diversity was lowest in young coniferous stands with 1-layered closed canopy.•Foreststand structures represent different plant species diversity and composition.
Biodiversity conservation is a key objective for sustainable forest management, but the multi-dimensional and multi-scale character of biodiversity renders full assessment difficult at large scale. Therefore, indicators are often used to monitor biodiversity. Important cost-benefit synergies can be achieved if indicators are derived from existing data. In this study, a model for classifying forest stand structures was developed and tested as an indicator of overall plant species diversity at stand level. The model combines four stand structure parameters: canopy coverage, age of canopy trees, tree species composition and canopy stratification. Using data from the National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden and General Linear Mixed Model, plant species diversity (Shannon diversity index, SHDI) and composition (Sørensen-Dice index, SDI) were tested between 26 different stand structure types and nine soil classes. The results showed that mature stands with a stratified canopy had the highest plant species diversity across the soil classes, particularly if they comprised mixed coniferous and broadleaved species with a semi-open canopy. In contrast, young (<30years) single-layered stands had consistently low species diversity. Of the four stand structure parameters in the model, age of canopy trees was most influential for SHDI value, followed by canopy stratification, tree species composition and canopy coverage. According to the SDI values, different stand structure types represented different species composition regardless of soil class and species diversity (SHDI value). However, most SDI values were higher than 0.5, indicating that fewer than 50% of the species changed between stand structure types. The stand parameters included in the model can probably be extracted from national forest inventories in many countries and understood without specialist taxonomic knowledge, making the model applicable in practice to support forest management decision-making on enhancing forest biodiversity at stand level.
Extensive and recurrent severe wildfires present complex challenges for policy makers. This is highlighted by extensive wildfires around the globe, ranging from western North America and Europe to ...the Amazon and Arctic, and, most recently, the 2019–2020 fires in eastern Australia. In many jurisdictions, discussions after significant losses of life, property, and vegetation are sometimes conducted in the absence of nuanced debates about key aspects of climate, land, and resource management policy. Improved insights that have significant implications for policies and management can be derived from spatial and temporal analyses of fires. Here, we demonstrate the importance of such analyses using a case study of large-scale, recurrent severe wildfires over the past two decades in the Australian state of Victoria. We overlaid the location of current and past fires with ecosystem types, land use, and conservation values. Our analyses revealed 1) the large spatial extent of current fires, 2) the extensive and frequent reburning of recently and previously fire-damaged areas, 3) the magnitude of resource loss for industries such as timber and pulplog production, and 4) major impacts on high conservation value areas and biodiversity. These analyses contain evidence to support policy reforms that alter the mode of forest management, target the protection of key natural assets including unburnt areas, manage repeatedly damaged and potentially collapsed ecosystems, and expand the conservation estate. Our mapping approach should have applicability to other environments subject to large-scale fires, although the particular details of policy reforms would be jurisdiction, ecosystem, and context specific.
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