Woodpeckers as early indicators of forest naturalness

The primary aim of conservation-oriented management is the maintenance and enhancement of forest structural and compositional heterogeneity, and the creation of nesting, breeding, sheltering microhabitats for forest-dwelling species. A 32 ha oak-dominated, 80-year-old, structurally and compositionally homogeneous forest stand was selected for the first complex conservation-oriented forest management in Hungary. By mimicking natural disturbances, active management actions were implemented in 20 ha area of the study site in the winter of 2015-2016. The management actions included the girdling of standing living trees, bark stripping of tree individuals, felling to create gaps in the canopy, d…