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The rotation forestry system provides high biomass production, but could also have a negative impact on species sensitive to disturbance. Continuous cover forestry (CCF) could contribute to solving these conflicting goals, but its feasibility in nutrient limited boreal forests is yet unresolved. In a unique experiment, we simultaneously assessed the short-term effect of single-tree selection on both biomass production and biodiversity (vascular plants, bryophytes, wood-inhabiting fungi), and tested fertilization as a way to mediate growth-biodiversity trade-offs. We found that unharvested stands and stands subjected to single-tree selection had a similar species assemblage of vascular plants, bryophytes, and wood-inhabiting fungi. Fertilization increased growth by 37% and induced shifts in two understory species (favoring the grass Avenella flexuosa and disfavoring the bryophyte Hylocomium splendens). We conclude that single-tree selection may become a useful tool to enhance biodiversity in managed forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-scale approach to conserving forest biodiversity has been used in Sweden since the 1980s, a period defined by increased reserve area and conservation actions within production forests. However, two thousand forest-associated species remain on Sweden's red-list, and Sweden's 2020 goals for sustainable forests are not being met. We argue that ongoing changes in the production forest matrix require more consideration, and that multi-scale conservation must be adapted to, and integrated with, production forest development. To make this case, we summarize trends in habitat provision by Sweden's protected and production forests, and the variety of ways silviculture can affect biodiversity. We discuss how different forestry trajectories affect the type and extent of conservation approaches needed to secure biodiversity, and suggest leverage points for aiding the adoption of diversified silviculture. Sweden's long-term experience with multi-scale conservation and intensive forestry provides insights for other countries trying to conserve species within production landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of forest for wood production has altered ecosystem structures and processes and led to habitat loss and species extinctions, worldwide. Deadwood is a key resource supporting forest biodiversity, and commonly declines following forest management. However, different forest management methods affect dead wood differently. For example, uneven-aged silviculture maintains an age-stratified forest with ongoing dead wood production, while even-aged silviculture breaks forest continuity, leading to long periods without large trees. We asked how deadwood-dependent beetles respond to different silvicultural practices and if their responses depend on deadwood volume, and beetles preference for decay stages of deadwood. We compared beetle assemblages in five boreal forest types with different management strategies: clearcutting and thinning (both representing even-aged silviculture), selective felling (representing uneven-aged silviculture), reference and old growth forest (both uneven-aged controls without a recent history [~50 years] of management, but the latter with high conservation values). We collected beetles using window traps and by sieving the bark from experimental logs (bolts). Beetle assemblages on clear-cuts differed from all other stand types, regardless of trapping method or decay stage preference. Thinning differed from reference stands, indicating incomplete recovery after clear-cutting, while selective felling differed only from clear-cuts. In contrast to our predictions, early and late successional species responded similarly to different silvicultural practices. However, there were indications of marginal assemblage differences both between thinned stands and selective felling and between thinned and old growth stands (p = 0.10). The stand volume of early decay stage wood influenced assemblage composition of early, but not late successional species. Uneven-aged silviculture maintained species assemblages similar to those of the reference and old growth stands and might therefore be a better management option when considering biodiversity conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Continuous Cover Forestry is highly debated. • We reviewed long-term yield and biodiversity between two silviculture systems. • Comparative studies between silviculture systems are inconclusive. • Species sensitive to clearcutting may benefit from Continuous Cover Forestry. • More long-term experiments are needed, especially on conservation species. There is an increasing interest in implementing Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) as a tool to mitigate negative effects of the traditional rotation forestry system on biodiversity. However, the effects of CCF on forest growth and yield and on biodiversity is still poorly known. In this qualitative review, we compare biodiversity and long-term yield between the selection system, which is a type of CCF practiced in full-storied forests, and the traditional rotation forestry system. We specifically focus on forests dominated by Picea abies , which is a tree species of high economic relevance. Our literature search resulted in 17 publications on stand growth and yield and 21 publications on biodiversity. A majority of simulation studies found a higher long-term yield in the rotation forestry system, but it is challenging to conclude which system is the most productive. The magnitude of the difference in yield between systems, and how it varies across different environmental conditions, remains to be determined. For biodiversity, comparisons of species assemblage and individual species were only made to certain phases of the rotation cycle (recent clearcuts and middle-aged stands). Nevertheless, two aspects can be highlighted: i) the species assemblage in clearcuts differ substantially from stands managed with the selection system. Some of these effects may however be short lasting as examplified by studies on beetle assamblages showing that middle-aged rotation forestry stands become more similar to stands managed with the selection system, ii) the selection system maintains a similar species assemblage as the uncut control during the first years after cutting. In conclusion, management with the selection system may come with a loss in long-term stand yield, but much of the species assemblage is maintained after logging. We recommend future studies to specifically focus on long-term effects on biodiversity – in particular on species of conservation concern. There is also a need to establish a long-term research infrastructure to further develop the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decline in biodiversity have increased the interest in alternative forest management approaches. Uneven-aged silviculture has been proposed as a mean to maintain continuity of forest canopy cover, mimic small-scale disturbances and provide a stratified forest structure similar to that of old-growth forests and therefore better maintain species associated with unmanaged forest. We used a large-scale chronosequence study spanning 50 years to study beetle diversity in uneven-aged silviculture compared with both short-term impacts and the longer-term legacy of even-aged silviculture. We compared: (1) even-aged recently clear-felled stand, (2) even-aged recently thinned stand, (3) uneven-aged stands subjected to selective felling with (4) uneven-aged reference stands to evaluate whether abundance, species richness and composition of beetles (Coleoptera) were affected differently by even-aged than by uneven-aged management. We collected 15,147 beetles from 461 species using flight interception traps in 30 stands. Beetle composition was maintained in uneven-aged managed stands; composition did not differ from unmanaged reference stands, the exception being cambium consumers. Both even-aged silviculture treatments (clear-felling and thinning) had different beetle composition compared to the reference stands, indicating that assemblages had yet to recover even 50 years into the rotation. However, beetle composition did not differ between uneven-aged managed and thinned stands. The result supports our prediction that uneven-aged silviculture better maintains beetles assemblages associated with semi-natural mature forest than even-aged silviculture. The greater temporal continuity in selectively felled stands could benefit species dependent of mature or old growth forest since some of the needed habitat qualities are continuously available. Uneven-aged silviculture could therefore serve as an important tool for landscape planning to benefit biodiversity and thus help fulfil environmental commitments. However, uneven-aged silviculture may still alter the forest and should therefore be viewed as an alternative to even-aged silviculture, rather than to set-asides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied short-term ground vegetation responses to stump harvesting by recording the occurrence of all species of bryophytes, vascular plants and the cover of soil disturbance on 20 clearcuts in the Southern and Middle Boreal zone in northern Scandinavia. All 20 clearcuts were slash-harvested and scarified and 10 of the clearcuts were also stump-harvested. The added effect of stump harvesting was assessed by comparing stump-harvested clearcuts with non-stump-harvested clearcuts. We tested whether stump harvesting causes extra soil disturbance compared to conventional forestry and if stump harvesting is affecting the assemblage, species richness and occurrence of individual species of vascular plants and bryophytes in boreal clearcuts. Our results revealed that stump harvesting causes an increase in the area of disturbed soil surface compared to conventional harvesting. Four of the most commonly occurring plant species in this area were significantly affected by stump harvesting, andVaccinium vitis-idaeahad a median occurrence of only 20% of that in non-stump-harvested clearcuts. The large impact on some plant species from a relatively modest increase of soil disturbance caused by stump harvesting suggest that stumps, with their slightly elevated bases, contributes to the survival of certain species on clearcuts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Applying biogeographical insights to the regulation of production forestry and the determination of forest reserve strategies is expected to increase the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation actions. Here, we assess the extent to which such applications take place. By using Sweden as a case study, we demonstrate fundamental differences among biogeographical regions in natural patterns and processes, past land-use, and anthropogenic impacts that need to be better incorporated into strategic conservation planning and decisions. Furthermore, assessment of specific forestry regulations and biogeographical variation in a number of other countries/provinces embracing boreal and temperate biomes also indicate that natural boundaries are insufficiently considered in forest management policies. We suggest that a substantial potential exists to better align conservation priorities with biogeographical characteristics. To illustrate the application of such an approach, we present a decision support model on how forest conservation policies that rest on natural boundaries and ecological processes can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Even-aged silviculture (thinning) vs uneven-aged silviculture (selective felling) • Species richness did not differ between management type. • Thinned stands supported different bird assemblages than selectively felled stands. • Independent of management type, time since treatment effect assemblage structures. Biodiversity is in decline and therefore alternative forest management approaches have gained interest. One of such approaches is uneven-aged silviculture, which has been suggested to better maintain mature or late-successional forest characteristics and species assemblages than even-aged silviculture. Therefore, it is assumed that uneven-aged silviculture can be a useful tool for landscape planning to benefit biodiversity. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical studies regarding bird responses to uneven-aged silviculture in north European boreal ecosystems. Here we test the similarity of bird assemblage structure between mature forests within even-aged silviculture ('thinning') and uneven-aged silviculture ('selective felling'). In spring 2018 we censused breeding birds using territory mapping in 14 thinned stands and 14 selectively felled stands. We found higher abundance and different bird assemblages in thinned stands compared to selectively felled stands. The pied flycatcher, tree pipit and great tit contributed most to the variation of bird assemblages between the two management types. None of the species were more abundant in selectively felled than in thinned stands. According to functional guilds, the abundance of ground breeders, ground feeders and generalists was higher in thinned stands than in selectively felled stands, similar results were found in the species richness of long-distance migrants, ground nesters, secondary cavity nesters and generalists. Independent of management type, time since treatment had an overall effect on assemblage structures, the mistle thrush and wren were negatively correlated with time since treatment, while the chiffchaff showed the opposite trend. Our results suggest that at these locations and given this particular type of uneven-age management, selective felling is less suitable for some abundant generalists than even-aged forest stands reaching the thinning age. However, the results from this study does not provide clear management recommendations aiming to maintain biodiversity, as management guidelines should be based on red-listed species and not on common generalists. Nevertheless, our results stresses the urgent need for more long-term studies comparing the effect of these different silvicultural strategies on bird assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood bioenergy may decrease the reliance on fossil carbon and mitigate anticipated increases in temperature. However, increased use of wood bioenergy may have large impacts on forest biodiversity primarily through the loss of dead wood habitats. We evaluated both the large-scale and long-term effects of different bioenergy extraction scenarios on the availability of dead wood and the suitability of the resulting habitat for saproxylic species, using a spatially explicit forest landscape simulation framework applied in the Swedish boreal forest. We demonstrate that bioenergy extraction scenarios, differing in the level of removal of biomass, can have significant effects on dead wood volumes. Although all of the scenarios led to decreasing levels of dead wood, the scenario aimed at species conservation led to highest volumes of dead wood (about 10 m3 ha−1) and highest connectivity of dead wood patches (mean proximity index of 78), whilst the scenario aimed at reaching zero fossil fuel targets led to the lowest levels (about 8 m3 ha−1) and least connectivity (mean proximity index of 7). Our simulations stress that further exploitation of dead wood from sites where volumes are already below suggested habitat thresholds for saproxylic species will very likely have further negative effects on dead wood dependent species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]