Deadwood in Forest Stands Close to Old-Growthness Under Mediterranean Conditions in the Italian Peninsula

Lombardi, Fabio; Chirici, Gherardo; Marchetti, Marco; Tognetti, Roberto; Lasserre, Bruno; Corona, Piermaria; Barbati, Anna; Ferrari, Barbara; Paolo, Silvia Di; Giuliarelli, Diego; Mason, Franco; Iovino, Francesco; Nicolaci, Antonino; Bianchi, Livio; Maltoni, Alberto; Travaglini, Davide

doi:10.4129/ifm.2010.5.02

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Forests possessing old-growth traits in the Mediterranean Basin are considered to be quite rare and localised, occurring only in restricted areas and under particular environmental and management conditions [44]. However, due to the lack of a shared definition, it is difficult to effectively assess how large is the area covered by such peculiar forest stands.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, it is currently quite difficult to define a similar threshold value for Quercus pubescens old-growth forests, due to the lack of reliable data. Italian Fagus sylvatica old-growth forests generally contain a higher deadwood amount than the Fanuso wood, but not in all cases [23,44]. Four of these forest stands have a lower amount, and about 60% of them show a much lower dead to live wood ratio.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Badalamenti

Mantia

et al. 2017

Forests

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For a long time, human impact has deeply simplified most of the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean Basin. Here, forests have seldom had the chance to naturally develop a complex and multilayered structure, to host large and old trees and rich biological communities, approaching old-growth conditions. Also for this reason, limited information is currently available about Mediterranean old-growth forests, particularly with regard to deadwood. The main aim of this work is to help fill this critical knowledge gap. In Sicily (Italy), we identified a Quercus pubescens forest that seemed to show some typical old-growth features. Total living volume (360 m 3 ha −1 ) and basal area (34 m 2 ha −1 ) were, respectively, about 6 and 3 times higher than the averages recorded in the regional forest inventory for this forest type. Deadwood was particularly abundant, exceeding the threshold of 30 m 3 ha −1 , mainly represented by lying dead elements. Dead to live wood ratio reached 9%, a value close to the threshold of 10% considered for Mediterranean old-growth forests. As the investigated forest showed some typical old-growth traits, it deserves to be fully protected and could be a permanent monitoring area for studying deadwood and stand dynamics in mature Mediterranean stands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Badalamenti

Mantia

et al. 2017

Forests

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“…In the Pacific Northwest, Spies et al (1988) have been reported in France (Vallauri et al 2003), Turkey (Atici et al 2008) and Italy (Motta et al 2006, Lombardi et al 2008. Higher values were observed in unmanaged forest or older stands (Marage & Lemperiere 2005, Lombardi et al 2010. The distribution of CWD by decay class is important, because decay influences wood density and consequent carbon and nutrient content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amount and distribution of coarse woody debris in pine ecosystems of north-western Spain, Russia and the United States

Herrero¹,

Krankina²,

Monleón³

et al. 2014

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionCoarse woody debris (CWD) is one of the most important functional and structural components of forest ecosystems (Harmon et al. 1986, McComn & Lindenmayer 1999. CWD affects nutrient cycling, carbon storage and hydrological processes. It also serves as an essential substrate for a multitude of species, including numerous rare and endangered species (von Oheimb et al. 2007).Numerous studies have examined the role of CWD in maintaining biodiversity (Esseen et al. 1997, Angelstam 1998, estimating the decomposition rates of many important tree species (Yatskov et al. 2003), evaluating the effect of CWD in carbon and nutrient cycles (Krankina et al. 1999, Hyvonenn et al. 2000, Merganicôvá & Merganic 2010 and analyzing the quantity, structure and dynamics of CWD in managed and unmanaged forests (Green & Peterken 1997, Linder et al. 1997, Siitonen et al. 2000, Lombardi et al. 2008. In unmanaged forests, the amount of CWD is the result of tree mortality and dead wood decay rates, both of which are affected by climate, site productivity, tree species composition, disturbance regime, previous forest stand characteristics and the successional stage of the forest (Harmon et al. 1986, Spies et al. 1988. In managed forests, CWD quantities are typically kept very low, to avoid pest problems and fire hazards and to maximize the commercial value of the harvest. Where economics and accessibility allow, trees affected by insects, diseases, and fire are usually removed immediately, before they die or deteriorate (DeBell et al. 1997, Green & Peterken 1997. Plantation forests are typically managed on short rotations and are generally subject to intensive harvesting methods, resulting in structurally homogenous stands without significant amounts of CWD (Harmon et al. 1986, deMaynadier & Hunter 1995. However, silvicultural activities such as thinning, pruning and harvesting can create woody debris (Carlyle 1995). The increasing importance of biodiversity and carbon storage favors the maintenance and promotion of CWD in managed forests. Leaving some live and dead trees during logging operations, or even killing trees to create CWD, are some of the operational means for meeting biodiversity needs in managed forests (Esseen et al. 1997).The amount and distribution of CWD can be a criterion for assessing and determining baseline silvicultural practices. This type of data is available for different types of forests, but the geographic extent and focus of most studies is limited to one or a few specific stands. There is very little information on continental or global CWD quantities and distribution patterns or on how management affects these patterns. Comparison of different forest ecosystems makes it possible to examine the effects of site productivity and stand structure on CWD amounts and decomposition rates. It also improves understanding of how different management practices affect CWD as a resource, which is vital to formulating guidelines and strategies for increasing carbon storage ...

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“…Detailed description of the survey design is reported in Corona et al (2010) and in Marchetti et al (2010). Each plot was previously defined as old-growth forest on the basis of stand structure and floristic information and former management history , Burrascano et al 2009, Stand structure and saproxylic fungal biodiversity Lombardi et al 2010). However, based on the last attribute, the plots differed allowing the distinction between potentially old growth (labeled with POG in Tab.…”

Section: Experimental Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stand structure and deadwood amount influences saproxylic fungal biodiversity in Mediterranean mountain unmanaged forests

Persiani¹,

Lombardi²,

Lunghini³

et al. 2016

iForest

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Old-growth forests are key elements of ecosystem diversity and conservation strategies, providing niche differentiation and trophic pathways that produce structural and compositional heterogeneity. In these forests, deadwood is particularly important for saproxylic and mycorrhizal fungi, sustaining forest productivity and environmental services. In this study, the saproxylic fungal diversity in Mediterranean mountain forests, characterized by different management histories and forest types (holm oak and beech), was analyzed. The relationships between saproxylic fungal biodiversity and structural attributes were considered in three forest stands of the Apennines (Italy). In addition, descriptive environmental parameters and forest traits were related to prevailing fungal communities, in order to analyze the species composition and distribution patterns of saproxylic fungi resulting from the ordination processes. The study sites were selected on the basis of their late-serial stage of development. Species frequency was analyzed through multivariate techniques to test the relationships between fungi, structural attributes and environmental variables. A Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was used to investigate the response of the overall fungal community structure to environmental gradients. Living tree volume, altitude, vegetation type, and the frequency of species with ephemeral sporocarp lifespan played a crucial role in diversifying species distribution patterns. Deadwood volume and decay classes were related to taxonomic and trophic community diversity. However, differences between the considered climatic regions exerted a major role on the occurrence of fungi with ephemeral sporocarps more than deadwood abundance, utilized primarily as fructification substrate.

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Deadwood in Forest Stands Close to Old-Growthness Under Mediterranean Conditions in the Italian Peninsula

Abstract: FABIO LOMBARDI () (°)-GHERARDO CHIRICI ()-MARCO MARCHETTI () ROBERTO TOGNETTI ()-BRUNO LASSERRE ()-PIERMARIA CORONA () ANNA BARBATI ()-BARBARA FERRARI ()-SILVIA DI PAOLO () DIEGO GIULIARELLI ()-FRANCO MASON ()

Cited by 31 publications

References 55 publications

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Amount and distribution of coarse woody debris in pine ecosystems of north-western Spain, Russia and the United States

Stand structure and deadwood amount influences saproxylic fungal biodiversity in Mediterranean mountain unmanaged forests

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Deadwood in Forest Stands Close to Old-Growthness Under Mediterranean Conditions in the Italian Peninsula

Abstract: FABIO LOMBARDI (*) (°)-GHERARDO CHIRICI (*)-MARCO MARCHETTI (*) ROBERTO TOGNETTI (*)-BRUNO LASSERRE (*)-PIERMARIA CORONA (**) ANNA BARBATI (**)-BARBARA FERRARI (**)-SILVIA DI PAOLO (**) DIEGO GIULIARELLI (**)-FRANCO MASON (***)

Cited by 31 publications

References 55 publications

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Living and Dead Aboveground Biomass in Mediterranean Forests: Evidence of Old-Growth Traits in a Quercus pubescens Willd. s.l. Stand

Amount and distribution of coarse woody debris in pine ecosystems of north-western Spain, Russia and the United States

Stand structure and deadwood amount influences saproxylic fungal biodiversity in Mediterranean mountain unmanaged forests

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Abstract: FABIO LOMBARDI () (°)-GHERARDO CHIRICI ()-MARCO MARCHETTI () ROBERTO TOGNETTI ()-BRUNO LASSERRE ()-PIERMARIA CORONA () ANNA BARBATI ()-BARBARA FERRARI ()-SILVIA DI PAOLO () DIEGO GIULIARELLI ()-FRANCO MASON ()