Wood fuel production has increased remarkably, but its environmental effects within the forest ecosystem have not yet been studied much. We investigated the immediate effects of two series of forest management treatments, which produce timber and forest chips, on the volume and decay classes of coarse woody debris (CWD). One of the treatment series included logging and residue harvesting (LRH) and mounding (M), while the other series included LRH and mounding combined with stump harvesting (MSH). We hypothesized that, i) LRH reduces CWD, excluding stumps; ii) the more intense the soil preparation treatment is, M vs. MSH, the more CWD is destroyed; iii) both LRH and soil preparation treatments (M and MSH) reduce the occurence of snags, highly decayed CWD and deciduous CWD in particular. Ten sample plots in mature managed Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) dominated forests were located in Southern Finland. The total volume of CWD on the sample plots was measured three times: before and after LRH, and after M or MSH. LRH significantly decreased the volume of snags and the combined volume of snags and logs. MSH significantly decreased the total volume of CWD, while M had no significant effect on the volume of CWD. The middle and highly decayed CWD were destroyed most easily in the treatments.
The immediate effects of bioenergy harvesting methods on epixylic species were studied in mature managed Norway spruce dominated forests in southern Finland. The treatments included logging, residue harvesting, and soil preparation as either mounding or mounding combined with stump harvesting. Altogether, 110 logs and 440 species sample plots on logs were inventoried before and after logging, and after soil preparation treatments. Logging decreased the cover and species richness in all epixylic species groups. The soil preparation decreased the cover of macrolichens, while stump harvesting was significantly most devastating both for cover and richness in bryophytes. We suggest that bioenergy harvesting critically affects the epixylic species, and therefore the use of less devastating methods and compensation for the loss of coarse woody debris is recommended on a landscape level.
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Juha Kaitera ja Heikki NuortevaPuutavara-ajon yksikkökustannus: Täytenä kuormana 6.28 €/m 3 Keräilyajona 7.22 €/m 3 Koko varastoerän yksikkökustannus: 6.34 €/m 3 Kuva 2. Periaate, jolla täysien kuorimien ja keräilyajon kuormien kustannukset lasketaan yhteen.
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