Search results for "Felling"
showing 10 items of 11 documents
Responses of boreal carabid beetle assemblages (Coleoptera, Carabidae) to clear-cutting and top-soil preparation
2006
Today, forestry is the most important disturbance force in Fennoscandian boreal forests, having remarkably altered fauna and flora in this biome. However, since the late 1900s, forest-management practices have been modified to better consider biodiversity while harvesting timber. For example, green-tree retention, gap felling, and lighter top-soil preparation methods (harrowing) have been introduced, but little is known about the ecological effects of these changes. We sampled carabid beetles in seven clear-cut stands that were subsequently harrowed. We studied the effects of (1) clear-cut size by comparing carabid catches of small gaps (ca. 0.16 ha) with those of larger clear-cuts (ca. 2 h…
Mitigating forest biodiversity and ecosystem service losses in the era of bio-based economy
2018
Abstract Forests play a crucial role in the transition towards a bioeconomy by providing biomass to substitute for fossil-based materials and energy. However, a policy-policy conflict exists between the desire to increase the utilization of bio based renewable resources and the desire to protect and conserve biodiversity. Increasing forest harvest levels to meet the needs of the bioeconomy may conflict with biodiversity protection and ecosystem services provided by forests. Through an optimization framework, we examined trade-offs between increasing the extraction of timber resources, and the impacts on biodiversity and non-wood ecosystem services, and investigated possibilities to reconcil…
A bark beetle infestation predictive model based on satellite data in the frame of decision support system TANABBO
2020
The European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus L. causes significant economic losses in managed coniferous forests in Central and Northern Europe. New infestations either occur in previously undisturbed forest stands (i.e., spot initiation) or depend on proximity to previous years’ infestations (i.e., spot spreading). Early identification of newly infested trees over the forested landscape limits the effective control measures. Accurate forecasting of the spread of bark beetle infestation is crucial to plan efficient sanitation felling of infested trees and prevent further propagation of beetle-induced tree mortality. We created a predictive model of subsequent year spot initiation and spo…
Changes in soil fauna 10 years after forest harvestings: Comparison between clear felling and green-tree retention methods
2009
Abstract We studied the responses of soil decomposer animals to clear felling and alternative, green-tree retention harvesting methods (GRT) in Norway spruce forests in Finland. The study plots which were sampled for immediate treatment effects (up to three years) were resampled after 10 years. We hypothesized that responses of decomposers still depends on the level of GTR. The treatments, in addition to untreated controls (100% retained), were: (1) selection felling (70% dispersed tree retention), (2) and (3) gap felling with and without site preparation, respectively (three small gaps were felled in a 1-ha area and 50% of the stand volume was retained), (4) retention felling (10% of the s…
Short-term responses of soil macroarthropod community to clear felling and alternative forest regeneration methods
2003
Abstract We studied the influence of clear felling and new alternative forest regeneration methods on soil macroarthropods during the first 3 years after the harvesting. We focused on changes in the abundances of functional groups, and community structure at the levels of species (Coleoptera) or higher taxa. The experiment was carried out in central Finland in spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands on 1 ha study plots. The following five treatments were used in addition to the untreated controls: (1) selection felling (70% of the stand volume retained), (2) gap felling (0.1–0.2 ha gaps felled), (3) gap felling with site preparation, (4) retention felling (small groups of trees retained on …
Effects of stump removal on soil decomposer communities in undisturbed patches of the forest floor
2011
Abstract Soil preparation after clear-cutting leads to fragmentation of forest floor and, consequently, changes the habitat of decomposers. Stump removal for bioenergy is further increasing the disturbance in the soil. We studied responses of decomposers to stump removal in boreal spruce forests during the first 4 years after clear felling in relation to mounding. Samples for each decomposer organism group were taken from undisturbed forest floor patches that are the main habitat for decomposers after forest regeneration and whose amount and size obviously differ between the treatments. Microbial biomasses and community structure, and the abundance of enchytraeids, were not found to be affe…
Evaluation of different similarity indices as measures of succession in arthropod communities of the forest floor after clear-cutting.
1979
Communities of spiders (Araneae) and beetles (Coleoptera) living in the soil and litter of clear-cut areas were compared with those of intact forest stands. Sixteen different indices of similarity were tested on three sets of material: spiders and beetles examined during one year in three clear-cut areas felled 3, 6 and 9 years earlier, and spiders in one clear-cut area examined during 7 successive years after felling. Other sources of evidence showed that succession in the spider community was divergent for at least 7 years after felling. The indices that seemed to express the changes best were: (1) Kendall's rank correlation test, (2) the Bray-Curtis measure, (3) Renkonen's percentage sim…
The role of traditional Erica arborea L. management practices in maintaining northeastern Sicily’s cultural landscape
2007
The tree heath (Erica arborea L.), a small evergreen tree found in the Mediterranean region and parts of Eastern and Central Africa, produces lignotubers that are highly valued for making smoking pipes. The Peloritani Mountains of northeastern Sicily are historically one of the most important areas in Italy for the production of these high quality lignotubers, known as briar root wood. In the past, tree heath shrublands were also an important source of charcoal. Erica arborea utilisation has declined dramatically during the past century, mostly due to the decreasing demand for smoking pipes, as well as the increasing frequency of wildfires and large-scale afforestation activities in this re…
The Preservation of Sicilian Forests with Poorly Mechanized Logging Processes
1997
Abstract In the province of Agrigento (Sicily), owing to lack of funds, machinery and permanently employed workers, it is necessary to forecast costs and time required for thinning out about 1500 ha of artificial forest using only chain saws and temporarily employed manpower. This study was made to find out how costs and labour productivity vary with tree species, age, size, forest density, land orography and ground uneveness, in order to decide in which areas the change from artificial to natural forest, by gradually thinning out the non-autochthonous trees, could be done at the least cost. Logging processes have been monitored at nine different test sites of about 1 ha each. The results s…
Does stump removal affect early growth and mycorrhizal infection of spruce (Picea abies) seedlings in clear-cuts?
2012
Abstract Stump removal procedure increases the extent of exposed mineral soil in the clear felled areas. In this study, our aim was to find out whether the early growth and mycorrhization of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings differ between stump removal and mounding sites. Stumps were harvested from five one-hectare study sites and other five sites were mounded after clear felling. Twenty seedlings were planted on mounds at each study site. Although the height of spruce seedlings did not differ between the treatments after three growing periods, their mean growth was ca. 10% higher at the stump removal sites. The community of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) in the seedling roots did n…