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Standing deadwood is an important structural component of forest ecosystems. Its occurrence and dynamics influence both carbon fluxes and the availability of habitats for many species. However, deadwood is greatly reduced in managed, and even in many currently unmanaged temperate forests in Europe. To date, few studies have examined how environmental factors, forest management and changing climate affect the availability of standing deadwood and its dynamics.Data from five periods of the Austrian National Forest Inventory (1981–2009) were used to (I) analyse standing deadwood volume in relation to living volume stock, elevation, eco‐region, forest type, ownership and management intensity, (II) investigate the influence of forest ownership and management intensity on snag persistence and (III) define drivers of standing deadwood volume loss for seven tree genera (Abies, Alnus, Fagus, Larix, Picea, Pinus and Quercus) using tree‐related, site‐related and climate‐related variables, and predict volume loss under two climate change scenarios.Standing deadwood volume was mainly determined by living volume stock and elevation, resulting in different distributions between eco‐regions. While forest type and management intensity influenced standing deadwood volume only slightly, the latter exhibited a significant effect on persistence. Snag persistence was shorter in intensively managed forests than in extensively managed forests and shorter in private than in public forests.Standing deadwood volume loss was driven by a combination of diameter at breast height, elevation, as well as temperature, precipitation and relative humidity. Volume loss under climate change predictions revealed constant rates for moderate climate change (RCP2.6) by the end of the 21st century. Under severe climate change conditions (RCP8.5), volume loss increased for most tree genera, with Quercus, Alnus and Picea showing different predictions depending on the model used as the baseline scenario. We observed trends towards faster volume loss at higher temperatures and lower elevations and slower volume loss at high precipitation levels. The tree genera most susceptible to climate change were Pinus and Fagus, while Abies was least susceptible.Synthesis and applications. We recommend to protect standing dead trees from regular harvesting to ensure the full decomposition process. The consequences for decomposition‐dependent species must be taken into account to evaluate the influences of management and climate change on standing deadwood dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deadwood is one of the principal components of forest ecosystems. It completes numerous nature conservation and ecological functions. The work aimed to assess the reserves of woody detritus in the mixed forest of Slobozhanskyi National Nature Park (NNP) of natural origin. The research was carried out in an 86-year-old forest on fresh and fertile soils. Dead wood fractions, tree species, components, and classes of destruction were assessed on fixed area sample plot. The volume of woody detritus (WD) in the forest ecosystem is 21.8 m3·ha-1. It consists of fallen dead trunks and dead branches, which make up 75.7% of the total WD. Standng dead trunks (snags) account for the remaining 24.3%. The main part of the volume of dead wood formed by three tree species: Tilia cordata Mill., Pinus sylvestris L. and Quercus robur L. The share of these species together was 78.0%. The WD belonged from the I to V class of destruction. At the same time, the WD of the II class of decomposition was 52.5% had an advantage. The volume of snags was 5.3 m3·ha-1. In terms of species composition, Q. robur, Acer platanoides L., T. cordata, and P. sylvestris had a significant advantage. In the total volume of snags, the wood of the I class of destruction significantly prevailed at 67.9%, and the woody volume of the II class was 32.1%. Logs had a reserve of 16.5 m3·ha-1. The species composition dominated by wood detritus of T. cordata (35.8%), slightly fewer detritus of P. sylvestris (31.5%), and Betula pendula Roth. (22.4%). The fallen dead wood were represented by five classes of destruction. The biggest variety of fallen dead wood by classes of destruction was characteristic of T. cordata. A low amount of detritus are associated with a short period of strict protection of the studied forest ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centuries of forest exploitation have caused significant loss of natural forests in Europe, leading to a decline in populations for many species. To prevent further loss in biodiversity, the Norwegian government has set a target of protecting 10% of the forested area. However, recent data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI) reveals that less than 2% of Norway's forested area consists of natural forests. To identify forests with high conservation value, we used vertical and horizontal variables derived from airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, along with NFI plot measurements. Our study aimed to predict the presence of natural forests across three counties in southeastern Norway, using three different definitions: pristine, near-natural, and semi-natural forests. Natural forests are scarce, and their underrepresentation in field reference data can compromise the accuracy of the predictions. To address this, we assessed the potential gain of including additional field data specifically targeting natural forests to achieve a better balance in the dataset. Additionally, we examined the impact of stratifying the data by dominant tree species on the performance of the models. Our results revealed that semi-natural forests were the most accurately predicted, followed by near-natural and pristine forests, with Matthews correlation coefficient values of 0.32, 0.24, and 0.17, respectively. Including additional field data did not improve the predictions. However, stratification by species improved the accuracy of predictions for near-natural and semi-natural forests, while reducing accuracy for pristine forests. The use of horizontal variables did not improve the predictions. Our study demonstrates the potential of ALS data in identifying forests with high conservation value. It provides a basis for further research on the use of ALS data for the detection and conservation of natural forests, offering valuable insights to guide future forest preservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deadwood is an important component for conserving carbon stock (C-stock) and maintaining species diversity in forests. In the last years, some studies emphasized that the estimation of deadwood C-stock is a crucial aspect to understand the role of boreal forests as potential carbon sink. The aim of the present study is to provide new data about deadwood volume and C-stock in the mountain birch forests – pure mountain birch stands and mixed stands – of the Kola Peninsula (Russia). In 28 sampling plots randomly located in the Khibiny Mountains, quantitative and qualitative data on deadwood (logs, snags, stumps) were collected and processed. The results show on average 126 logs, 127 snags, and 225 stumps per hectare of mountain birch forest. The average deadwood volume is 23.9 m3 ha−1, while the deadwood C-stock in the mountain birch forests of the Khibiny Mountains is estimated at 3.10 Mg ha−1. The pure mountain birch stands are characterized by an average deadwood volume of 18.4 m3 ha−1, while the mixed stands have an average deadwood volume of 28.6 m3 ha−1. These results highlight an important contribution of deadwood of the boreal forests as carbon storage to mitigate climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Sustainable Forest Management, deadwood is a fundamental substrate for numerous species, and a key factor in carbon and nutrient cycles. The main aim of the paper is to estimate the amount of deadwood in two Calabrian pine forests (Monte Morello in Italy; Xanthi in Greece) characterized by different stand conditions and management practices. The second aim is to compare two different sampling methods to estimate the volume of lying deadwood: the fixed-area sampling (FAS) method and the line intersect sampling (LIS) method. The results show that the Monte Morello peri-urban forest is characterized by a high quantity of deadwood (75.1 m3 ha−1) divided in 80% of lying deadwood, 18% of standing dead trees, and 2% of stumps. The Xanthi peri-urban forest is characterized by a total amount of deadwood of 9.21 m3 ha−1 divided in 34% of lying deadwood, 18% of standing dead trees and 48% of stumps. The mean volume of lying deadwood in Monte Morello estimated using the FAS is 59.91 m3 ha−1, while using the LIS the mean volume is 64.9 m3 ha−1. In the Xanthi, the mean volume of lying deadwood is 3.11 m3 ha−1 using FAS and 5.49 m3 ha−1 using LIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest deadwood is an important indicator of the biodiversity level because it provides habitat for many species. A wide range of plants and animals is strongly associated with standing and lying deadwood. Deadwood is also a fundamental component of nutrient cycles, regulates water flows, prevents soil erosion and contributes to carbon storage in the forest. In consideration of this last aspect a method is proposed to sample and analyse wood density in deadwood (standing and lying) at different rates of decay. The wood density provides valuable information needed to calculate carbon content of the deadwood. The method has been applied on seven alpine forest species (fir, spruce, Swiss pine, black European pine, Scots pine, European larch and beech) localized in several valleys of Trentino province in north-east Italy. Laboratory analysis of the sample deadwood determined the moisture content, fresh density and dry density. Moisture content was significantly higher in logs than in snags; moreover, this value decreased from the first to the third decay class and thereafter increased from the third to the fifth class. The dry density decreased at a constant rate from lower to higher decay classes. For all species the maximum percentage of dry density reduction is found between the fourth and the fifth decay classes. This study provides a preliminary data set on deadwood density, above all taking into account the increasing importance of the carbon content closely connected with this attribute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Annals of Forest Science (BioMed Central) is the property of BioMed Central and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)