Immediate effects of logging, mounding and removal of logging residues and stumps on coarse woody debris in managed boreal Norway spruce stands

Abstract

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.

Responses of soil carbon and nitrogen transformations to stump removal

“…The total volume of coarse woody debris was observed to decrease by 20% in our stump removal study plots (Rabinowitsch-Jokinen and Vanha-Majamaa 2010). Stumps represent, however, long-term C and N reserves in boreal coniferous forests after clear-cutting, and they can be significant N sinks potentially diminishing N leaching from the stand , Palviainen et al 2010).…”

Stump decomposition rates after clear-felling with and without prescribed burning in southern and northern boreal forests in Finland

“…Middle and highly decayed CWD is easily destroyed, whereas stumps, treetops and other logging waste are created by fellings (Hautala et al, 2011;Rabinowitsch-Jokinen and Vanha-Majamaa, 2010).…”

“…Intensified stump harvesting may have serious effects on the amount and quality of CWD, its role in nutrient cycling and its availability for deadwood dependent organisms in managed boreal forests (Rudolphi and Gustafsson, 2005;Palviainen et al, 2010a,b;Rabinowitsch-Jokinen and Vanha-Majamaa, 2010;Berglund et al, 2011). The decay stage of CWD is important for both preservation of CWD in fellings -highly decayed CWD is destroyed more easily than fresh, and for deadwood dependent organisms -middle and highly decayed CWD can host higher diversity of species compared to fresh CWD (Stokland et al, 2004;Kushnevskaya et al, 2007; Rabinowitsch-Jokinen and Vanha-Majamaa, 2010;Hautala et al, 2011). The distribution and quality of CWD in time and space is determined by the ratio between inputs (mortality and harvesting) and outputs (decomposition) of CWD.…”

The effects of burning and dead-wood creation on the diversity of pioneer wood-inhabiting fungi in managed boreal spruce forests

“…In addition, there has recently been a marked increased interest in harvesting biofuel, mainly in form of residue stumps and treetops. Intensified residue harvest will further reduce substrate availability for wood-inhabiting species in managed forests (Rudolphi and Gustafsson, 2005;Eräjää et al, 2010;Rabinowitsch-Jokinen and Vanha-Majamaa, 2010).…”