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Mixed-severity disturbances have historically shaped boreal forests, creating a dynamic mosaic landscape. In Fennoscandia, however, intensive even-aged forest management has simplified the forest landscape, threatening biodiversity. To safeguard this biodiversity, we therefore need to restore structural complexity in hitherto managed forests. Knowledge generated from relevant case studies on natural disturbance emulation–based ecological restoration suggests that prescribed burning positively affects many early-successional organisms. Gap cutting benefits some insects and wood fungi but has a limited effect on birds, bryophytes, and vascular plants. Restoration of deciduous forests appears to benefit light- and deciduous tree–associated insect species and some forest birds.

Anthropogenic changes to land use drive concomitant changes in biodiversity, including that of the soil microbiota. However, it is not clear how increasing intensity of human disturbance is reflected in the soil microbial communities. To address this issue, we used amplicon sequencing to quantify the microbiota (bacteria and fungi) in the soil of forests (n=312) experiencing four different land uses, national parks (set aside for nature conservation), managed (for forestry purposes), suburban (on the border of an urban area) and urban (fully within a town or city), which broadly represent a gradient of anthropogenic disturbance. Alpha diversity of bacteria and fungi increased with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance, and was thus highest in urban forest soils and lowest in the national parks. The forest soil microbial communities were structured according to the level of anthropogenic disturbance, with a clear urban signature evident in both bacteria and fungi. Despite notable differences in community composition, there was little change in the predicted functional traits of urban bacteria. By contrast, urban soils exhibited a marked loss of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Soil pH was positively correlated with the level of disturbance, and thus was the strongest predictor of variation in alpha and beta diversity of forest soil communities, indicating a role of soil alkalinity in structuring urban soil microbial communities. Hence, our study shows how the properties of urban forest soils promote an increase in microbial diversity and a change in forest soil microbiota composition. peerReviewed

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Plant phenological dataset collected at 42 sites across the mainland of Finland and covering the years 1997–2017 is presented and analysed for temporal trends. The dataset of n = 16,257 observations represents eleven plant species and fifteen phenological stages and results in forty different variables, i.e. phenophases. Trend analysis was carried out for n = 808 phenological time-series that contained at least 10 observations over the 21-year study period. A clear signal of advancing spring and early-summer phenology was detected, 3.4 days decade−1, demonstrated by a high proportion of negative trends for phenophases occurring in April through June. Latitudinal correlation indicated stronger signal of spring and early-summer phenology towards the northern part of the study region. The autumn signal was less consistent and showed larger within-site variations than those observed in other seasons. More than 60% of the dates based on single tree/monitoring square were exactly the same as the averages from multiple trees/monitoring squares within the site. In particular, the reliability of data on autumn phenology was increased by multiple observations per site. The network is no longer active. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00484-020-01961-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The societal demands on forest management are becoming increasingly diverse, which will be reflected in decisions made by forest owners. We examined the willingness of private forest owners in Austria, Finland, Germany, Slovenia, and Sweden to participate in a contract-based payment scheme in which they were asked to apply a specific management strategy to promote either timber production or environmental goals. The preferences for the contract-based management and associated consequences in terms of profitability, biodiversity, carbon stock, and climate change-induced damages were addressed within a choice experiment. A majority of respondents across all countries agreed to participate in a payment scheme to promote environmental goals, while schemes purely targeted to increase wood production were found less attractive. Forest owners liked improvements in profitability and environmental attributes and disliked deterioration of these attributes. Differences among countries were found in the level of expected contract payments, and commonalities were found with respect to preferences towards environmental goals, including biodiversity and carbon stocks. Hence, new policies to target European forest subsidy to promote the provision of environmental goals would likely be acceptable. Bibliografija: str. 12-13.

The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups can mask potentially high interspecific and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared with previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve the monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites.

Land-use conflicts can be costly and time-consuming and cause social burden to all parties. In this study, we developed an approach for mapping synergy and conflict potential between land uses and tested it on nature protection, nature-based tourism, forestry and mining. First, we calculated the ecological and socio-cultural values for the study area, and further the economic values related to forestry and mining. Second, we conducted an integrated spatial assessment of these values and used it jointly with a variant of a value compatibility analysis to locate areas with possible synergistic and conflicting land uses. This study was carried out in Finnish Lapland where land use conflicts have occurred due to the need to develop forestry and mining in areas that are also important for nature-based tourism. The method operated well as it identified sites with ongoing land-use disputes. Synergy potential between biodiversity and socio-cultural values was identified in protected areas and other sites of natural beauty, and conflict potential concerning forestry near tourist resorts and concerning mining at proposed mining project sites. The developed framework can assist in locating sites that may need proactive measurements to avoid conflicts, and sites that would benefit from multi-purpose management thereby supporting sustainable and adaptive land-use planning.

Tämän selvityksen tarkoituksena on tuottaa kirjallisuuskatsaus ja siihen pohjautuvia johtopäätöksiä soiden ennallistamisen ilmasto-, vesistö- ja suoluontovaikutuksista. Selvitys pyrkii erityisesti kasaamaan yhteen uusimpia tutkimustuloksia ja aineistoja ennallistamisen vaikutuksiin liittyen ja toisaalta muodostamaan kokonaiskuvan laaja-alaisempaa soiden ennallistamisstrategiaa silmällä pitäen. Suoekosysteemit reagoivat kokonai-suutena varsin hyvin perinteisiin ennallistamistoimiin. Ennallistaminen ei kuitenkaan ole ongelmatonta, sillä ennallistamistoimet eli yleensä kaivin- ja metsäkonetyöt sekä ennallistamisen jälkeisen alkuvaiheen voimakkaat ekosysteemin muutokset voivat aiheuttaa yhteiskunnan ja lähiekosysteemien kannalta negatiivisia vaikutuksia, erityisesti ilmastoon ja vesistöihin. Myös yksityiskohtaisten lajistollisten tavoitteiden saavuttaminen voi tämänhetkisillä kustannustehokkailla, mutta melko yksinkertaisilla ja karkeilla ennallistamismenetelmillä olla epätodennäköistä. Tämänhetkiset ennallistamismenetelmät ja -resurssit sekä toiminnallinen kapasiteetti tai yhteiskunnalliset mahdollisuudet huomioiden tarvitaan huolella priorisoitua toimien kohdentamista luonnon monimuotoisuuden kannalta vaikuttavan lopputuloksen aikaansaamiseksi. Rehevimmät suot ovat houkuttelevimpia ennallistamiskohteita, kun otetaan huomioon sekä monimuotoisuus- että ilmastonäkökulmat. Rehevillä soilla piilee kuitenkin riski isompaan ennallistamistoimenpiteiden aiheuttamaan vesistökuormitukseen, joten vesistöriskien tunnistaminen ja tehokas minimointi on tärkeää. Ristiriidoista huolimatta ennallistaminen vaikuttaa kustannustehokkaalta tavalta käynnistää palautuminen kohti luonnontilaista suota.

Wind is a natural disturbance factor in boreal and temperate forests having large ecological and economic consequences. We investigated recovery processes in forests severely damaged by windthrow, by conducting a systematic quantitative literature review of 34 case studies. We addressed three questions on forest ecosystem recovery: (1) Which forest regeneration processes dominate forest recovery after windthrow? (2) Which structures and processes enhance or impede forest recovery after windthrow? (3) Does salvage logging after windthrow influence forest recovery? Our analyses showed that the main focus of the reviewed studies was on post storm seedling regeneration and survival. Advanced regeneration from suppressed seedlings or saplings also played an important role in the studies, especially for shade tolerant species and in the boreal biome. Pits and mounds and coarse woody debris played an important role for the establishment of Picea sp., especially in the studies from the boreal biome, whereas in the temperate biome game interference and competition from ground vegetation seemed to be the most important influencing processes. Salvage logging mostly acted as a subsequent disturbance after the windthrow, pushing the forest ecosystem towards an earlier successional stage, hereby impeding recovery. In none of the studies however, did the windthrow nor the consequent salvaging halt recovery completely, confirming the resilience of forests as the dominant vegetation type in these biomes. Based on our results forest management implications are discussed.

Northern wetlands with organic soil i.e., mires are significant carbon storages. This key ecosystem service may be threatened by anthropogenic activities and climate change, yet we still lack a consensus on how these major changes affects their carbon sink capacities. We studied how forestry drainage and restoration combined with experimental warming, impacts greenhouse gas fluxes of wetlands with peat. We measured CO2 and CH4 during two and N2O fluxes during one growing season using the chamber method. Gas fluxes were primarily controlled by water table, leaf area and temperature. Land use had a clear impact of on CO2 exchange. Forestry drainage increased respiration rates and decreased field layer net ecosystem CO2 uptake (NEE) and leaf area index (LAI), while at restoration sites the flux rates and LAI had recovered to the level of undrained sites. CH4 emissions were exceptionally low at all sites during our study years due to natural drought, but still somewhat lower at drained compared to undrained sites. Moderate warming triggered an increase in LAI across all land use types. This was accompanied by an increase in cumulative seasonal NEE. Restoration appeared to be an effective tool to return the ecosystem functions of these wetlands as we found no differences in LAI or any gas flux components (PMAX, Reco, NEE, CH4 or N2O) between restored and undrained sites. We did not find any signs that moderate warming would compromise the return of the ecosystem functions related to C sequestration. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatiotemporal information on historical peatland drainage is needed to relate past land use to observed changes in catchment hydrology. Comprehensive knowledge of historical development of peatland management is largely unknown at the catchment scale. Aerial photos and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data enlarge the possibilities for identifying past peatland drainage patterns. Here, our objectives are (1) to develop techniques for semiautomatically mapping the location of ditch networks in peat-dominated catchments using aerial photos and LIDAR data, and (2) to generate time series of drainage networks. Our approaches provide open-access techniques to systematically map ditches in peat-dominated catchments through time. We focused on the algorithm in such a way that we can identify the ditch networks from raw aerial images and LIDAR data based on the modification of multiple filters and number of threshold values. Such data are needed to relate spatiotemporal drainage patterns to observed changes in many northern rivers. We demonstrate our approach using data from the Simojoki River catchment (3,160 km²) in northern Finland. The catchment is dominated by forests and peatlands that were almost all drained after 1960. For two representative locations in cultivated peatland (downstream) and peatland forest (upstream) areas of the catchment; we found total ditch length density (km/km²), estimated from aerial images and LIDAR data based on our proposed algorithm, to have varied from 2% to 50% compared with the monitored ditch length available from the National Land survey of Finland (NLSF) in 2018. A different pattern of source variation in ditch network density was observed for whole-catchment estimates and for the available drained-peatland database from Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE). Despite such differences, no significant differences were found using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test with a 0.05 significance level based on the samples of pixel-identified ditches between (1) aerial images and NLSF vector files and (2) LIDAR data and NLSF vector files.

The development, the alternative pathways for use of bioresources, can lead to plausible stressors in the future on forestry dominated catchments. It is needed to analyse the impact of regional future projections on different land system management (LSM) attributes. The catchment scale projections are downscaled from Nordic Bioeconomic Pathways (NBPs), the subsets of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). As a case study, the Simojoki catchment (3160 km2) in northern Finland has been considered where drained peatlands and forests dominate (53%) in the catchment. We integrated stakeholder-driven input, Finnish forest inventory model pathways (MELA) and hydrological catchment model (SWAT) to explore the future consequences of forest management practices for different NBP scenarios. We calibrated and validated water quality parameters in SWAT for the Simojoki catchment. Then, based on the output of MELA model of LSM attributes including stand management, catchment management strategy and fertilizer use, we used NBP scenario projections in SWAT model. We also included stakeholders’ evaluations of biomass removal at the time of harvesting at the Simojoki catchment. Additionally, climate imposing emission scenarios have been integrated into SWAT model to analyse longer perception of climate change (CC). The final outcomes of the proposed scenarios (NBP and/or CC) will portray the probable impacts on each LSM attribute in the Simojoki catchment, to adapt to the future forest management consequences.

Forests are sources of multiple ecosystem services (ESs) essential for human wellbeing. Forest owners are critical actors to decide which benefits they produce from their forests. To support the uptake of alternative forest management strategies in a way that is beneficial from the perspective of society as whole, new incentive schemes could be implemented in the future. We applied the choice experiment method to investigate Finnish forest owners' potential participation in an incentive scheme in which they were asked to practice a ‘Timber Oriented’ or a ‘Nature Oriented’ management strategy according to the terms of a hypothetical contract. We found that the majority forest owners are willing to participate in the considered contract-based payment scheme, especially those supporting biodiversity and non-market ESs. Non-profitability attributes including biodiversity, carbon stock, and probability of climate change induced damage were highly valued. Forest owners prefer the management contract with the Nature Oriented strategy. Forest owners' preferences for the contract-based management and associated effects are heterogenous.

Nordic water bodies face multiple stressors due to human activities, generating diffuse loading and climate change. The ‘green shift’ towards a bio-based economy poses new demands and increased pressure on the environment. Bioeconomy-related pressures consist primarily of more intensive land management to maximise production of biomass. These activities can add considerable nutrient and sediment loads to receiving waters, posing a threat to ecosystem services and good ecological status of surface waters. The potential threats of climate change and the ‘green shift’ highlight the need for improved understanding of catchment-scale water and element fluxes. Here, we assess possible bioeconomy-induced pressures on Nordic catchments and associated impacts on water quality. We suggest measures to protect water quality under the ‘green shift’ and propose ‘road maps’ towards sustainable catchment management. We also identify knowledge gaps and highlight the importance of long-term monitoring data and good models to evaluate changes in water quality, improve understanding of bioeconomy-related impacts, support mitigation measures and maintain ecosystem services.

We present the first dataset that can be used to associate peoples’ opinions with comprehensive biodiversity and cultural heritage values. The socio-ecological dataset includes 1) place-based information on peoples’ recreational activities, values expressed as pleasant and unpleasant sites, and negative preferences concerning land use in terms of tourism, nature protection and forestry, and 2) compiled information on scored biodiversity values and protection level of sites. The data are organized in 1ha grid cells. The data were compiled from a rural nature-based tourism area in two municipalities northern Finland. Peoples’ opinions were assessed using a public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) and the data were merged with spatial biodiversity data from the same area. The data are directly related to the article Tolvanen et al. [1]. Biodiversity data, also utilized in Tolvanen et al. 2020, were compiled from various sources and scoring was done in Kangas et al. [2]. References to individualrespondents and spatial locations of markings were removed. The data are useful in evaluating the relationship between people's values and biodiversity.

This study demonstrates the characteristics of the new generic project portfolio selection tool YODA (&ldquo, Your Own Decision Aid&rdquo, ). YODA does not include a mathematical aggregation model. Instead, the decision maker&rsquo, s preferences are defined by the interactive articulation of acceptance thresholds of project-level decision criteria. Transparency and ease of adopting the method in participatory planning are sought using the method&rsquo, s simple preference input. The characteristics of the YODA tool are introduced by presenting how it has been applied in participatory land use planning in northern Finland in selecting a combination of peat production sites to attain the goals defined at municipal level. In this process, each stakeholder first constructed a project portfolio that best met his or her preferences. In doing this, acceptance thresholds for project-level decision criteria were defined. In total, eight decision criteria were related to economic value, biodiversity, social impacts, and ecosystem services. Subsequently, the portfolios of different stakeholders were combined in line with the principles of robust portfolio modelling. Core projects were accepted by all stakeholders, while exterior projects were not accepted, and borderline projects by some of the stakeholders. Although the land use planning situation at hand was highly sensitive, because it was related to various aspects of sustainability, the use of YODA provided useful results. The first meeting with stakeholders identified 52 out of 99 sites that none of the stakeholders would use for energy peat production, due to their characteristics, whereas, in the second meeting, a smaller stakeholder group found 18 core projects and 26 borderline projects which could be potential areas for energy peat production. We conclude that YODA&mdash, as a generic project portfolio tool&mdash, can be used in various planning situations.

In boreal peatlands felling and tree harvest are commonly carried out as part of peatland restoration. Stem‐only harvest is the principal harvest method and it leaves the live crown material (felling residue) containing most tree nutrients at the site. Whole‐tree harvest, where felling residue is removed, is not favored due to higher transport costs, although it might better promote the recovery of nutrient‐poor peatlands towards pristine conditions. We investigated whether initial differences in N mineralization and decomposition rates observed between tree harvest methods continued out to 6 years after restoration and whether the spatial variation in water table (WT) level and water nutrient concentrations parallels with the observed pattern in mineralization and decomposition rates. The study was done at 15 peatland sites in Natura 2000 protection areas in Finland during 2007–2013. Concentration of ammonium in soil water was higher in the stem‐only harvest treatment compared to that of the whole‐tree harvest treatment, whereas the previously observed differences in net N mineralization and decomposition rates had leveled out by the sixth year after restoration. The spatial variation created by the ditch network still affected the hydrology and peatland functions so that the nutrient concentrations were higher near ditches than in other locations, implying potential risk for nutrient leaching. Based on this study, there is no reason to prefer either harvest method over the other in nutrient‐poor drained peatlands with low tree volumes, which constitute the majority of available peatland restoration area in Finland.

Common to multi-objective forest planning situations is that they all require comparisons, searches and evaluation among decision alternatives. Through these actions, the decision maker can learn from the information presented and thus make well-justified decisions. Interactive data visualization is an evolving approach that supports learning and decision making in multidimensional decision problems and planning processes. Data visualization contributes the formation of mental image data and this process is further boosted by allowing interaction with the data. In this study, we introduce a multi-objective forest planning decision problem framework and the corresponding characteristics of data. We utilize the framework with example planning data to illustrate and evaluate the potential of 14 interactive data visualization techniques to support multi-objective forest planning decisions. Furthermore, broader utilization possibilities of these techniques to incorporate the provisioning of ecosystem services into forest management and planning are discussed.

A long-term challenge in managing the climate effects of land use is the development of an efficient, comprehensive approach to the identification of greenhouse gas (GHG) balances. The approach would help in establishing robust methods for the cost-effective and climate-friendly targeting of land use options, for example, in peatlands, which are globally important sinks and sources of GHGs. The aims of this study were to create spatial models with the maximum entropy method Maxent so as to 1) identify the environmental variables that control the distribution of GHG sinks and sources in forestry-drained peatlands in Finland and 2) predict the landscape-level distribution of GHG balances in two regional mire complex zones (the aapa mire and the raised bog zone). Several environmental datasets were used as sources of explanatory variables. Even though the significance of the explanatory variables were different between mire complex zones, the variables describing habitat conditions, such as drainage intensity and site fertility, contributed most to the models. Drainage intensity describes indirectly the moisture conditions and can thereby be used as a proxy for the water table. The results showed that relatively coarse-scale environmental data (25 ha grid cells) combined with spatial modelling have potential in explaining and predicting GHG balances at the landscape level. To our knowledge, this is the first time that spatial Maxent models have been used to model the distribution of GHG balances.

Boreal forests are rich in non-timber forest products from plants: wild berries and herbs used commercially or by households as food, medicine, decoration, or raw material. Approximately two hundred wild plant species have been documented for their nutritional uses in Finland, and many of these species occur in forests. However, the provisioning of edible plants by managed forests has received little attention, despite the fact that forest vegetation is altered by forest management practices. In this study, we use nation-wide forest vegetation and tree stand data consisting of a total of 1,778 sample plots to quantify the richness and abundance of edible wild plants in Finnish forests. Responses of edible species richness, abundance, and composition to stand characteristics such as site type, tree species composition, stand density, and management history are analyzed with regression models, NMDS ordination, and diagnostic species analysis, for forests on mineral soils and on peatlands separately. A total of 68 edible wild plant species occur in our dataset, with their occurrence and abundance varying between species and between sites. Our results indicate that habitat characteristics, namely site fertility and stand density, are the strongest determinants of overall edible plant provisioning. The richness of edible species as well as their total abundance were lower in less fertile site types and in denser stands. Recent timber harvesting and plantation as opposed to natural regeneration had a negative effect on edible species abundance in mineral soil forests. Several edible plant species confined to the richest site types accounted for the increase in species richness, while different forest management practices had generally none or a negligible number of diagnostic species. We conclude that a large and diverse set of edible wild plants occurs in Finnish forests, and the effects of stand characteristics and management on overall edible plant richness and abundance may be muddled by opposite species-level responses. Edible plant provisioning should be further analyzed at the level of smaller species groups or individual species to reveal the opportunities to support it in managed forests.

Methods have been proposed for identifying land use conflict potential using participatory mapping data and models. In a case study from Finland, we extend conflict mapping research by evaluating the capacity for participatory mapping to identify conflict for land uses that include mining, tourism development, commercial forestry, recreation, and nature protection. We evaluated two conflict models using reference sites where conflict was expected and assessed whether conflict potential was influenced by participant social group (resident, visitor, holiday home owner). The conflict models correctly identified the locations of current and proposed mining projects and major tourism locations (ski areas) in the region, while conflict for commercial forestry and reindeer herding was spatially distributed. Preferences for land use by social group were more similar than different across the study region. Identification of conflict potential using participatory mapping can provide a useful planning diagnostic but would benefit from additional research for validation.