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Forest biodiversity studies conducted across Europe use a multitude of forestry terms, often inconsistently. This hinders the comparability across studies and makes the assessment of the impacts of forest management on biodiversity highly context-dependent. Recent attempts to standardize forestry and stand description terminology mostly used a top-down approach that did not account for the perspectives and approaches of forest biodiversity experts. This work aims to establish common standards for silvicultural and vegetation definitions, creating a shared conceptual framework for a consistent study on the effects of forest management on biodiversity. We have identified both strengths and weaknesses of the silvicultural and vegetation information provided in forest biodiversity studies. While quantitative data on forest biomass and dominant tree species are frequently included, information on silvicultural activities and vegetation composition is often lacking, shallow, or based on broad and heterogeneous classifications. We discuss the existing classifications and their use in European forest biodiversity studies through a novel bottom-up and top-driven review process, and ultimately propose a common framework. This will enhance the comparability of forest biodiversity studies in Europe, and puts the basis for effective implementation and monitoring of sustainable forest management policies. The standards here proposed are potentially adaptable and applicable to other geographical areas and could be extended to other forest interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a less intensive management in the recent decades, coppices still cover a large part of Italian woodlands. Currently, they are characterized by relatively large wood volumes, especially with respect of those stands classified as "aged". The current European and national strategies to reduce the use of fossil fuels and the related increasing demand of renewable bio-energy sources are giving a new boost to the coppice system, so that the need for an improved management of these stands is emerging. Under this perspective, this note highlights the opportunity for an overall revision of current forest laws and regulations at regional level in Italy, in order to embed recent scientific achievements and harmonize some aspects such as definitions, rotation, conversion to high stands, standards, cut size and administrative procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Traditional coppice conversion to high forest through periodic thinning requires a long period to attain the regeneration stage. We showed that anticipating seed cutting can accelerate the progression of the stands towards more adult stand conditions, compared with traditional management. The application of different active management options in the same landscape can contribute to increase landscape diversity. Context: In southern European beech forests, coppice is a widespread management system, especially due to the past uses. The existence of large areas either abandoned or under protracted transitory stage raises questions concerning environmental and economic revenues related to the different management options. Aims: We evaluated the effectiveness of anticipating seed cutting in beech coppices to accelerate the coppice transition to high forest, compared with traditional management (periodic thinning) and natural evolution pattern (unthinned control). Methods: We used an exploratory analysis of ecological variables related to structure, dynamics, and productivity of the stands (growth efficiency, leaf area index, litter production, transmittance, and canopy heterogeneity), which were monitored during 10 years in beech coppices in Central Italy. Results: Anticipating seed cutting produced stronger modification in canopy structure, improving growth efficiency as a result of higher resource availability, supporting higher seed production which accelerated the progression of the stand towards more adult stand conditions, compared with traditional management and unthinned control. Conclusion: The application of different active management options can increase landscape heterogeneity under the conditions in which increasing landscape diversity represents a priority management issue, while simultaneously allowing environmental and economic revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest understory may be strongly affected by silvicultural practices such as thinning, which simultaneously modulates the overstory canopy cover and influences the availability of light. However, the understory layer is rarely considered in management decisions, partly because methods to estimate understory leaf area index are poorly developed. In this study we used two different restricted view angle photographic methods to estimate overstory plant area index LO (zenith cover photography), understory leaf area index LU (nadir cover photography) and their related canopy attributes (foliage clumping, foliage cover, crown cover, crown porosity). These measurements were performed in beech stands under different management regime. Results from photography indicated that not only overstory but also understory canopy attributes were significantly influenced by forest management. In addition, a significant negative correlation was found between LO and LU. We conclude that the photographic methods are effective for monitoring (overstory and understory) canopy status in managed stands, on account of their rapid and not destructive procedures, which allows large scale implementation of the methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forest ecosystems, soil-plant interactions drive the physical, chemical, and biological soil properties and, through soil organic matter cycling, control the dynamics of nutrient cycles. Parent material also plays a fundamental role in determining soil's chemical properties and nutrient availability. In this study, eight long-time coppice-managed Holm oak forests under conversion to high forest, located under similar climatic conditions in Tuscany and Sardinia Regions (Italy), and grown on soils developed from three different lithologies (limestone, biotite granite, and granite with quartz veins) were evaluated. The research aimed to a) estimate the amount of C and nutrients (total N and potentially available P, Ca, Mg, and K) stored both in the organic, organo-mineral, and mineral horizons and at fixed depth intervals (0–0.3 and 0.3–0.5 m), and b) assess the dominant pedological variables driving elemental accumulation. The soils were described and sampled by genetic horizons and each sample was analyzed for its C and nutrient concentration in both the fine earth and skeleton fractions. Despite the different parent materials from which the soils had evolved, the physicochemical properties and the C and nutrient stocks for the 0–0.3 and 0.3–0.5 m layers did not show substantial differences among the eight soils. Conversely, some differences were observed in the stocks of potentially available P and Ca per 0.01 m of mineral horizons. The findings show that over time, plant-induced pedogenic processes (acidification, mineral weathering, organic matter addition, and nutrient cycling) almost obliterated the influence of parent materials on soil properties. This resulted in the upper soil horizons that showed similar characteristics, even though derived from different lithologies. However, among the study sites, some differences occurred due to lithology, as in the case of the soils derived from calcareous parent materials that had high concentrations of exchangeable Ca in the mineral horizons and, likely, to environmental variables (e.g., exposure), which possibly influenced litter degradation and the release of nutrients such as N and available P. • Soil stocks of C and nutrients under Holm oak from different lithologies were assessed. • Organo-mineral and mineral horizons were large sinks of C and nutrients in forest soils. • Plant-induced pedogenic processes obliterated the influence of the parent material. • In a long-time managed Holm oak forests organisms and time were the main pedogenic forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In forest ecosystems, a variety of abiotic and biotic soil forming factors drives soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrients cycling with a profitable outcome on climate change mitigation. As a consequence, type and intensity of forest management, through its impact on carbon (C) and nutrient soil stocks, can be considered as an additional soil forming force. In this study, we investigated the influence of the coppice conversion into high forest on pedogenesis and on soil C and nutrient (N, P, Ca, Mg, and K) stocks, fifty years later the beginning of the conversion-cycle. The trial was established in a Turkey oak forest historically managed under the coppice system in central Italy. Specifically, we considered tree population density (natural evolution – control, moderate thinning, heavy thinning) where soil samples were collected according to genetic horizon to estimate C, N, and P stocks both in the forest floor and at fixed depth intervals (0–30, 30–50 and 50–75 cm). Further, the stocks of exchangeable Ca, Mg, and K were also assessed for the mineral layers. The results showed that litter and the upper layer of mineral soil (0–30 cm) contained a similar quantity of C (about 74–83 Mg ha-1), independently of the trials and no differences were observed also in the whole soil stocks (about 192–213 Mg ha−1). The comparison of the mean stocks calculated per 1-cm of thickness of organic (O), organo-mineral (OM), and mineral (M) layers, although it did not display any difference among trials (excepted for P and Mg), showed a similar capability of the organo-mineral horizons to store C and nutrients compared with the organic ones (e.g., about 6–12 Mg ha−1, 0.3–0.5 Mg ha−1 and 0.5–1.5 kg ha−1 for C, N and P, respectively). Our findings showed that thinning operated on Turkey oak coppice did not affect soil capacity to store C and nutrients. These results suggested that the forest ecosystem itself is the main soil forming force and this is consistent with the target of adopting forest management able to control the global C cycle through the storage of SOM in the mineral soil rather than in forest floor, where SOM turnover is faster. • Thinning of Turkey oak forest has negligible effect on soil C and nutrients stock. • Genetic horizons are fundamental in determining soil C and nutrient stock. • Mineral horizons of forest soils are able to store high amount of organic C in depth. • The multi millennial forest cover is the main soil forming factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Forest multi-taxon studies have similar aims but different sampling protocols. • The most sampled taxonomic groups are plants, beetles, lichens, birds, fungi. • Soil, litter and canopy resulted as undersampled forest habitats. • Sampling units and substrates differed widely within and among taxonomic groups. • Sampling methods for stand structure were relatively homogeneous. Forests host most terrestrial biodiversity and their sustainable management is crucial to halt biodiversity loss. Although scientific evidence indicates that sustainable forest management (SFM) should be assessed by monitoring multi-taxon biodiversity, most current SFM criteria and indicators account only for trees or consider indirect biodiversity proxies. Several projects performed multi-taxon sampling to investigate the effects of forest management on biodiversity, but the large variability of their sampling approaches hampers the identification of general trends, and limits broad-scale inference for designing SFM. Here we address the need of common sampling protocols for forest structure and multi-taxon biodiversity to be used at broad spatial scales. We established a network of researchers involved in 41 projects on forest multi-taxon biodiversity across 13 European countries. The network data structure comprised the assessment of at least three taxa, and the measurement of forest stand structure in the same plots or stands. We mapped the sampling approaches to multi-taxon biodiversity, standing trees and deadwood, and used this overview to provide operational answers to two simple, yet crucial, questions: what to sample? How to sample? The most commonly sampled taxonomic groups are vascular plants (83% of datasets), beetles (80%), lichens (66%), birds (66%), fungi (61%), bryophytes (49%). They cover different forest structures and habitats, with a limited focus on soil, litter and forest canopy. Notwithstanding the common goal of assessing forest management effects on biodiversity, sampling approaches differed widely within and among taxonomic groups. Differences derive from sampling units (plots size, use of stand vs. plot scale), and from the focus on different substrates or functional groups of organisms. Sampling methods for standing trees and lying deadwood were relatively homogeneous and focused on volume calculations, but with a great variability in sampling units and diameter thresholds. We developed a handbook of sampling methods (SI 3) aimed at the greatest possible comparability across taxonomic groups and studies as a basis for European-wide biodiversity monitoring programs, robust understanding of biodiversity response to forest structure and management, and the identification of direct indicators of SFM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We tested lichens as sustainable forest management indicators in coppice forests. • A multivariate statistical and modelling approach was used. • Biodiversity, health and protective function of forests drive lichen diversity. • Models found some suitable indicator species for long term studies in coppices. Epiphytic lichens represent one of the most suitable indicators of forest continuity and management, especially in the context of ancient and old-growth forests. Nevertheless, they have not yet been included among Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) indicators to which Pan-European forest policy and governance refer. In addition, currently adopted SFM indicators are mainly designed for high forests rather than coppice forests, despite the fact that today this management system covers more than 10% of the total European forests. In this study we investigated these two issues by examining epiphytic lichen diversity in three coppice forest stands, located in the two Italian regions of Tuscany and Sardinia. In particular, we addressed: i) the role of lichen diversity as SFM indicator and ii) its relationship with consolidated and new SFM indicators dealing with structural, health, biodiversity, protective and socioeconomic functions. Multivariate Factor Analysis and Generalised Linear Models were adopted for data analysis. We found that lichen diversity and the frequency of single sensitive species were mainly related to the biodiversity of plants and fungi (Criterion 4), the health and vitality of the forests (Criterion 2) and their protective functions (Criterion 5). Furthermore, our results show that the lichen species highlighted by the models may represent suitable indicators in long-term studies, especially in relation to complex and interconnected aspects of sustainable forest management. Although our findings represent a first contribute to this issue, more in-depth researches will be needed to clarify further aspects of the complex interactions among SFM indicators in the context of coppice forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]