An ecosystem services approach to the ecological effects of salvage logging: valuation of seed dispersal

Abstract

Abstract. Forest disturbances diminish ecosystem services and boost disservices. Because post-disturbance management intends to recover the greatest possible value, selling timber often prevails over other considerations. Ecological research has shown diverse effects of salvage logging, yet such research has focused on the biophysical component of post-disturbance ecosystems and lacks the link with human well-being. Here we bridge that gap under the ecosystem services framework by assessing the impact of post-fire management on a non-timber value. By employing the replacement cost method, we calculated the value of the post-fire natural regeneration of Holm oaks in southern Spain under three post-fire management options by considering the cost of planting instead. The value of this ecosystem service in nonintervention areas doubled that of salvage-logged stands due to the preference for standing dead trees by the main seed disperser. Still, most of the value resulted from the resprouting capacity of oaks. The value of this and other ecosystem services should be added to traditional cost/benefit analyses of post-disturbance management. We thus call for a more holistic approach to salvage logging research, one that explicitly links ecological processes with human well-being through ecosystem services, to better inform decision-makers on the outcomes of post-disturbance management.

Increasing disturbance demands new policies to conserve intact forest

“…Salvage logging—the removal of trees after natural disturbance—is often conducted for various reasons, often with little outcry from the public (Lindenmayer, Burton, & Franklin, ). However, the increasing frequency, severity, and extent of natural disturbances (Diffenbaugh & Field, ) over recent decades are triggering unprecedented levels of salvage logging in places where logging never occurred previously (such as ostensibly protected areas; Müller, Jarzabek‐Müller, & Bussler, ; Schiermeier, ) and at unparalleled levels of intensity and extent (Leverkus & Castro, ; Thom & Seidl, ).…”

From unburnt to salvage logged: Quantifying bird responses to different levels of disturbance severity

“…A potentially severe form of perturbation in forests is salvage logging in which trees damaged by natural disturbance are harvested in an attempt to recover some of their economic value (Cobb et al., ; Fraver, Dodds, Kenefic, Seymour, & Sypitkowski, ; Leverkus & Castro, ). Salvage logging is widespread and its use is increasing (Thorn et al., ), likely as a result of the increase in large‐scale intensive natural disturbances globally (Seidl, Schelhaas, Rammer, & Verkerk, ).…”

Post-Fire Salvage Logging Imposes a New Disturbance that Retards Succession: The Case of Bryophyte Communities in a Macaronesian Laurel Forest

“…In short, the role of snags and other CWD as biological legacies that promote biodiversity, regeneration, and ecosystem functioning has been increasingly demonstrated by studies performed mostly in the last couple of decades. These studies overall provide evidence for the need of retaining part of these structures as key elements for habitat restoration and biodiversity conservation [3,[12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…The reasons for conducting SL are diverse, but are largely related either to the recovery of economic capital still available in the remaining wood soon after the disturbance, or to facilitate future restoration or reforestation [19,20]. Nonetheless, this management action has been sharply criticized in the last two decades, and a growing number of studies have showed that salvage logging may seriously compromise ecosystem regeneration [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]21,22]. It is becoming increasingly clear that the negative effect of SL is related to its impact on habitat structure and components, which is linked primarily to the amount of biomass removed and the simplification of habitat structure [9,10,12,23].…”