Length and classification of natural and created forest edges in boreal landscapes throughout northern Sweden

Jansson, K. Ulrika; Nilsson, Marie‐Charlotte; Esseen, Per‐Anders

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2011.04.012

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Consideration of the change in quality, rather than simply the quantity, of natural vs. created edges is also necessary for conservation and forest management. Changing the dominant disturbance regime from wildfire to clear-cut harvesting reduces edge complexity while increasing edge abundance in the boreal forest (Jansson, Nilsson & Esseen 2011). This is particularly true in large parts of the boreal forest where harvest rotations are significantly shorter than fire cycles (Kuuluvainen 2009;Bergeron & Fenton 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia

et al. 2015

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Summary 1.Although anthropogenic edges are an important consequence of timber harvesting, edges due to natural disturbances or landscape heterogeneity are also common. Forest edges have been well studied in temperate and tropical forests, but less so in less productive, disturbance-adapted boreal forests. 2. We synthesized data on forest vegetation at edges of boreal forests and compared edge influence among edge types (fire, cut, lake/wetland; old vs. young), forest types (broadleaf vs. coniferous) and geographic regions. Our objectives were to quantify vegetation responses at edges of all types and to compare the strength and extent of edge influence among different types of edges and forests. 3. Research was conducted using the same general sampling design in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec in Canada, and in Sweden and Finland. We conducted a meta-analysis for a variety of response variables including forest structure, deadwood abundance, regeneration, understorey abundance and diversity, and non-vascular plant cover. We also determined the magnitude and distance of edge influence (DEI) using randomization tests. 4. Some edge responses (lower tree basal area, tree canopy and bryophyte cover; more logs; higher regeneration) were significant overall across studies. Edge influence on ground vegetation in boreal forests was generally weak, not very extensive (DEI usually < 20 m) and decreased with time. We found more extensive edge influence at natural edges, at younger edges and in broadleaf forests. The comparison among regions revealed weaker edge influence in Fennoscandian forests. 5. Synthesis. Edges created by forest harvesting do not appear to have as strong, extensive or persistent influence on vegetation in boreal as in tropical or temperate forested ecosystems. We attribute this apparent resistance to shorter canopy heights, inherent heterogeneity in boreal forests and their adaptation to frequent natural disturbance. Nevertheless, notable differences between forest structure responses to natural (fire) and anthropogenic (cut) edges raise concerns about biodiversity implications of extensive creation of anthropogenic edges. By highlighting universal responses to edge influence in boreal forests that are significant irrespective of edge or forest type, and those which vary by edge type, we provide a context for the conservation of boreal forests.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia

et al. 2015

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“…Our estimate of edge length of 17À40 mÁha À1 is conservative as we did not sample edges adjoining narrow linear features. Total edge length in boreal forests may exceed 100 mÁha À1 (Wulder et al 2008;Jansson et al 2011). Our finding of larger edge length in southern regions represents a snapshot of the present distribution of edge types and results from more fragmentation by land use, denser road network and smaller patch size.…”

Section: Regional Variation In Edge Lengthmentioning

confidence: 62%

“…; Jansson et al. ). Our finding of larger edge length in southern regions represents a snapshot of the present distribution of edge types and results from more fragmentation by land use, denser road network and smaller patch size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Factors driving structure of natural and anthropogenic forest edges from temperate to boreal ecosystems

Esseen

Ringvall

Harper

et al. 2016

J Vegetation Science

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Questions: What factors control broad-scale variation in edge length and threedimensional boundary structure for a large region extending across two biomes? What is the difference in structure between natural and anthropogenic edges?Location: Temperate and boreal forests across all of Sweden, spanning latitudes 55-69°N. Methods:We sampled more than 2000 forest edges using line intersect sampling in a monitoring programme (National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden). We compared edge length, ecosystem attributes (width of adjacent ecosystem, canopy cover, canopy height, patch contrast in canopy height, forest type) and boundary attributes (profile, abruptness, shape) of natural edges (lakeshore, wetland) with anthropogenic edges (clear-cut, agricultural, linear disturbance) in five regions.Results: Anthropogenic edges were nearly twice as abundant as natural edges.Length of anthropogenic edges was largest in southern regions, while the abundance of natural edges increased towards the north. Edge types displayed unique spectrums of boundary structures, but abrupt edges dominated, constituting 72% of edge length. Anthropogenic edges were more abrupt than natural edges; wetland edges had the most gradual and sinuous boundaries. Canopy cover, canopy height, patch contrast and forest type depended on region, whereas overall boundary abruptness and shape showed no regional pattern. Patch contrast was related to temperature sum (degree days ≥ 5°C), suggesting that regional variability can be predicted from climate-controlled forest productivity. Boundary abruptness was coupled with the underlying environmental gradient, land use and forest type, with higher variability in deciduous than in conifer forest.Conclusions: Edge origin, land use, climate and tree species are main drivers of broad-scale variability in forest edge structure. Our findings have important implications for developing ecological theory that can explain and predict how different factors affect forest edge structure, and help to understand how land use and climate change affect biodiversity at forest edges.

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“…The aerial photographs in which interpretations were made had a ground resolution of 0.4 m. Polygon delineation is made using the interpretation program Summit Evolution from DAT/EM and ArcGIS from ESRI. According to the NILS' protocol, homogenous area delineated into polygons which are described with regard to land use, land cover class, as well as features related to trees, bushes, ground vegetation, and soils (Jansson et al, 2011;Ståhl et al, 2011).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape Environmental Monitoring: Sample Based Versus Complete Mapping Approaches in Aerial Photographs

Ramezani¹,

Svensson²,

Esseen³

2011

Environmental Monitoring

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Length and classification of natural and created forest edges in boreal landscapes throughout northern Sweden

Cited by 10 publications

References 47 publications

Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia

Edge influence on vegetation at natural and anthropogenic edges of boreal forests in Canada and Fennoscandia

Factors driving structure of natural and anthropogenic forest edges from temperate to boreal ecosystems

Landscape Environmental Monitoring: Sample Based Versus Complete Mapping Approaches in Aerial Photographs

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