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Jorge Castro - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Estimating retention benchmarks for Salvage Logging to protect biodiversity
'Springer Science and Business Media LLC', 2020Co-Authors: Thorn Simon, Jorge Castro, Chao Anne, Georgiev, Konstadin B., Müller Jörg, Bässler Claus, Campbell, John L., Chen Yan-han, Choi Chang-yong, Cobb, Tyler P.Abstract:Forests are increasingly affected by natural disturbances. Subsequent Salvage Logging, a widespread management practice conducted predominantly to recover economic capital, produces further disturbance and impacts biodiversity worldwide. Hence, naturally disturbed forests are among the most threatened habitats in the world, with consequences for their associated biodiversity. However, there are no evidence-based benchmarks for the proportion of area of naturally disturbed forests to be excluded from Salvage Logging to conserve biodiversity. We apply a mixed rarefaction/extrapolation approach to a global multi-taxa dataset from disturbed forests, including birds, plants, insects and fungi, to close this gap. We find that 757% (mean +/- SD) of a naturally disturbed area of a forest needs to be left unlogged to maintain 90% richness of its unique species, whereas retaining 50% of a naturally disturbed forest unlogged maintains 73 +/- 12% of its unique species richness. These values do not change with the time elapsed since disturbance but vary considerably among taxonomic groups. Salvage Logging has become a common practice to gain economic returns from naturally disturbed forests, but it could have considerable negative effects on biodiversity. Here the authors use a recently developed statistical method to estimate that ca. 75% of the naturally disturbed forest should be left unlogged to maintain 90% of the species unique to the area
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impacts of Salvage Logging on biodiversity a meta analysis
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2018Co-Authors: Simon Thorn, Jorge Castro, Claus Bassler, Philip J. Burton, Roland Brandl, Rebecca E Cahall, John Campbell, Changyong Choi, Tyler Cobb, Daniel C DonatoAbstract:Logging to "Salvage" economic returns from forests affected by natural disturbances has become increasingly prevalent globally. Despite potential negative effects on biodiversity, Salvage Logging is often conducted, even in areas otherwise excluded from Logging and reserved for nature conservation, inter alia because strategic priorities for post-disturbance management are widely lacking.A review of the existing literature revealed that most studies investigating the effects of Salvage Logging on biodiversity have been conducted less than 5 years following natural disturbances, and focused on non-saproxylic organisms.A meta-analysis across 24 species groups revealed that Salvage Logging significantly decreases numbers of species of eight taxonomic groups. Richness of dead wood dependent taxa (i.e. saproxylic organisms) decreased more strongly than richness of non-saproxylic taxa. In contrast, taxonomic groups typically associated with open habitats increased in the number of species after Salvage Logging.By analysing 134 original species abundance matrices, we demonstrate that Salvage Logging significantly alters community composition in 7 of 17 species groups, particularly affecting saproxylic assemblages.Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that Salvage Logging is not consistent with the management objectives of protected areas. Substantial changes, such as the retention of dead wood in naturally disturbed forests, are needed to support biodiversity. Future research should investigate the amount and spatio-temporal distribution of retained dead wood needed to maintain all components of biodiversity.
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an ecosystem services approach to the ecological effects of Salvage Logging valuation of seed dispersal
Ecological Applications, 2017Co-Authors: Alexandro B Leverkus, Jorge CastroAbstract: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 non-intervention 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.
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Post-Fire Salvage Logging Imposes a New Disturbance that Retards Succession: The Case of Bryophyte Communities in a Macaronesian Laurel Forest
'MDPI AG', 2017Co-Authors: Raquel Hernández-hernández, Jorge Castro, Marcelino Del Arco-aguilar, Ángel Fernández-lópez, Juana María González-manceboAbstract:Post-fire Salvage Logging (SL) is a common management action that involves the harvesting of burnt trees. As a consequence, a large amount of biological legacies in the form of logs and other coarse woody debris are removed from the post-fire habitat, creating a more simplified landscape. Therefore, SL could act as an additional disturbance over that produced by fire. In this study, we seek to determine the effect of SL on the regeneration of the bryophyte community of a laurel forest from the Canary Islands (Spain). We hypothesized that SL will act as an additional disturbance and, consequently, Salvaged areas will have a higher difference in community composition with respect to a reference ecosystem (RE). Mosses and liverworts were sampled 22 months after the Salvage operations in Salvaged plots, non-Salvaged, and in an RE represented by areas of the original forest. Species richness did not differ between Salvage and non-Salvaged treatments. However, multivariate analysis and species-indicator analysis showed that non-Salvaged plots had a composition closer to that of the RE, with a higher proportion of closed-canopy, perennial, and long-lived species, as well as some epiphytes. By contrast, Salvaged plots were dominated by early-successional terrestrial species and species preferring open habitats. We conclude that post-fire SL represents an additional disturbance that further delays succession, a result that is consistent with previous studies using other taxonomic groups. SL should therefore be avoided or, if implemented, the possibility of leaving part of the post-fire biological legacies in situ should be considered
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post fire Salvage Logging alters species composition and reduces cover richness and diversity in mediterranean plant communities
Journal of Environmental Management, 2014Co-Authors: Alexandro B Leverkus, Juan Lorite, Francisco Navarro, Enrique P Sanchezcanete, Jorge CastroAbstract:An intense debate exists on the effects of post-fire Salvage Logging on plant community regeneration, but scant data are available derived from experimental studies. We analyzed the effects of Salvage Logging on plant community regeneration in terms of species richness, diversity, cover, and composition by experimentally managing a burnt forest on a Mediterranean mountain (Sierra Nevada, S Spain). In each of three plots located at different elevations, three replicates of three treatments were implemented seven months after the fire, differing in the degree of intervention: “Non-Intervention” (all trees left standing), “Partial Cut plus Lopping” (felling 90% of the trees, cutting the main branches, and leaving all the biomass in situ), and “Salvage Logging” (felling and piling the logs, and masticating the woody debris). Plant composition in each treatment was monitored two years after the fire in linear point transects. Post-fire Salvage Logging was associated with reduced species richness, Shannon diversity, and total plant cover. Moreover, Salvaged sites hosted different species assemblages and 25% lower cover of seeder species (but equal cover of resprouters) compared to the other treatments. Cover of trees and shrubs was also lowest in Salvage Logging, which could suggest a potential slow-down of forest regeneration. Most of these results were consistent among the three plots despite plots hosting different plant communities. Concluding, our study suggests that Salvage Logging may reduce species richness and diversity, as well as the recruitment of woody species, which could delay the natural regeneration of the ecosystem.
David R. Foster - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Lasting legacies of historical clearcutting, wind, and Salvage Logging on old-growth Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forests
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Emma M. Sass, Anthony W. D'amato, David R. FosterAbstract:Abstract Disturbance events affect forest composition and structure across a range of spatial and temporal scales, and subsequent forest development may differ after natural, anthropogenic, or compound disturbances. Following large, natural disturbances, Salvage Logging is a common and often controversial management practice in many regions of the globe. Yet, while the short-term impacts of Salvage Logging have been studied in many systems, the long-term effects remain unclear. We capitalized on over eighty years of data following an old-growth Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forest in southwestern New Hampshire, USA after the 1938 hurricane, which severely damaged forests across much of New England. To our knowledge, this study provides the longest evaluation of Salvage Logging impacts, and it highlights developmental trajectories for Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forests under a variety of disturbance histories. Specifically, we examined development from an old-growth condition in 1930 through 2016 across three different disturbance histories: (1) clearcut Logging prior to the 1938 hurricane with some subsequent damage by the hurricane (“logged”), (2) severe damage from the 1938 hurricane (“hurricane”), and (3) severe damage from the hurricane followed by Salvage Logging (“Salvaged”). There were no differences in current overstory composition between the different disturbance histories, as most areas shifted strongly away from pre-hurricane composition through nearly complete elimination of P. strobus and corresponding increases in hardwoods (Betula and Acer spp.), while T. canadensis remained dominant. In contrast, eight decades later, structural characteristics remain distinct between logged, hurricane, and Salvaged sites. Specifically, trees were larger in the logged and Salvaged sites, and pit and mound structures were largest and most abundant in the hurricane site. Tree densities and coarse woody debris biomass was greater in the hurricane site than the logged sites, but not significantly different from Salvaged sites. These findings underscore the long-term influence of Salvage Logging on forest development, indicating convergence in overstory composition over time between logged, Salvaged, and non-Salvaged areas, but persistent structural differences, especially in microtopographic structures and live tree development. Future Salvage Logging efforts should consider these impacts and provide a greater range of unSalvaged areas across the landscape to maintain important structural legacies over the long term.
Simon Thorn - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Climate-induced forest dieback drives compositional change in insect communities that is concentrated amongst rare species
2021Co-Authors: Lucas Sire, Christophe Bouget, Laurent Larrieu, Paul Schmidt Yáñez, Cai Wang, Annie Bézier, Béatrice Courtial, Jérémy Cours, Diego Fontaneto, Simon ThornAbstract:Marked decline in insect species richness, abundance and biomass have recently been quantified in Europe. We metabarcoded 224 Malaise-trap samples to investigate whether drought-induced forest dieback and subsequent Salvage Logging have an impact on flying insects (ca. 3000 insect species) in silver fir Pyrenean forests. We found no evidence that climate-induced forest dieback impacted species richness of flying insects but revealed compositional turnover patterns consistent with those seen during natural forest succession, given that the key covariates explaining compositional variation were canopy openness versus microhabitat diversity and deadwood amount at local and landscape scales, respectively. Importantly, most change was driven by rare species. In contrast, observed levels of Salvage Logging did not explain change in species richness or composition. Hence, although forest dieback appears to cause changes in species assemblages mimicking natural forest succession, it also increases the risk of catastrophic loss of rare species through homogenization of environmental conditions.
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impacts of Salvage Logging on biodiversity a meta analysis
Journal of Applied Ecology, 2018Co-Authors: Simon Thorn, Jorge Castro, Claus Bassler, Philip J. Burton, Roland Brandl, Rebecca E Cahall, John Campbell, Changyong Choi, Tyler Cobb, Daniel C DonatoAbstract:Logging to "Salvage" economic returns from forests affected by natural disturbances has become increasingly prevalent globally. Despite potential negative effects on biodiversity, Salvage Logging is often conducted, even in areas otherwise excluded from Logging and reserved for nature conservation, inter alia because strategic priorities for post-disturbance management are widely lacking.A review of the existing literature revealed that most studies investigating the effects of Salvage Logging on biodiversity have been conducted less than 5 years following natural disturbances, and focused on non-saproxylic organisms.A meta-analysis across 24 species groups revealed that Salvage Logging significantly decreases numbers of species of eight taxonomic groups. Richness of dead wood dependent taxa (i.e. saproxylic organisms) decreased more strongly than richness of non-saproxylic taxa. In contrast, taxonomic groups typically associated with open habitats increased in the number of species after Salvage Logging.By analysing 134 original species abundance matrices, we demonstrate that Salvage Logging significantly alters community composition in 7 of 17 species groups, particularly affecting saproxylic assemblages.Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that Salvage Logging is not consistent with the management objectives of protected areas. Substantial changes, such as the retention of dead wood in naturally disturbed forests, are needed to support biodiversity. Future research should investigate the amount and spatio-temporal distribution of retained dead wood needed to maintain all components of biodiversity.
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canopy closure determines arthropod assemblages in microhabitats created by windstorms and Salvage Logging
Forest Ecology and Management, 2016Co-Authors: Simon Thorn, Jorg Muller, Ingmar Weis, Heinz Busler, Michaelandreas Fritze, Patrick Goeder, Sebastian SeiboldAbstract:Abstract Conifer-dominated forests of the Northern Hemisphere are prone to natural disturbances, such as windstorms, which create canopy openings by downing single trees to complete stands. The size of a windthrow determines how strongly microclimatic conditions are changed. After windstorms, damaged trees are commonly logged to ‘Salvage’ economic returns, but effects on biodiversity are often negative. One cause of these negative effects on biodiversity might be the alteration of storm-created microhabitats, for example, as branches are cut off and root plates are flipped back into their pits when trunks are removed. The effect of these alterations of microhabitats on biodiversity under open and closed canopies, which represent extremes of microclimatic conditions, remains unclear. To investigate the relative importance of canopy closure and microhabitats for arthropod assemblages, we created six artificial windthrows located under an open canopy and six under a closed canopy by uprooting three spruce trees per plot. We used permutational analysis of variance to test whether cutting branches off uprooted trees and allowing them to rot on the forest floor affects branch-dwelling saproxylic beetles and whether repositioning upright root plates in their pits affects assemblages of carabids, epigeal spiders and harvestmen. Our final data set comprised 7657 arthropod individuals belonging to 28 species of saproxylic beetles, 28 species of carabids, 85 species of epigeal spiders, and 8 species of harvestmen. Carabid abundance was higher under a closed canopy and the number of epigeal spider species was higher under an open canopy. Canopy closure also significantly affected the assemblage composition of saproxylic beetles, carabids and epigeal spiders, with a higher mean moisture affinity of these assemblages on plots under a closed canopy. Arthropod assemblages of root plates and root plate pits did not differ, but the composition of branch-dwelling saproxylic beetle assemblages on cut and uncut branches significantly differed. Overall, assemblages of saproxylic beetles, carabids, epigeal spiders and harvestmen were pre-dominantly determined by canopy closure and not by alteration of storm-created microhabitats. Nevertheless, entire crowns of downed spruce trees should be retained in Salvage-logged forests to provide this microhabitat for saproxylic beetle assemblages typical for naturally disturbed forests.
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new insights into the consequences of post windthrow Salvage Logging revealed by functional structure of saproxylic beetles assemblages
PLOS ONE, 2014Co-Authors: Simon Thorn, Claus Bassler, Thomas K Gottschalk, Torsten Hothorn, Heinz Bussler, Kenneth F Raffa, Jorg MullerAbstract:Windstorms, bark beetle outbreaks and fires are important natural disturbances in coniferous forests worldwide. Wind-thrown trees promote biodiversity and restoration within production forests, but also cause large economic losses due to bark beetle infestation and accelerated fungal decomposition. Such damaged trees are often removed by Salvage Logging, which leads to decreased biodiversity and thus increasingly evokes discussions between economists and ecologists about appropriate strategies. To reveal the reasons behind species loss after Salvage Logging, we used a functional approach based on four habitat-related ecological traits and focused on saproxylic beetles. We predicted that Salvage Logging would decrease functional diversity (measured as effect sizes of mean pairwise distances using null models) as well as mean values of beetle body size, wood diameter niche and canopy cover niche, but would increase decay stage niche. As expected, Salvage Logging caused a decrease in species richness, but led to an increase in functional diversity by altering the species composition from habitat-filtered assemblages toward random assemblages. Even though Salvage Logging removes tree trunks, the most negative effects were found for small and heliophilous species and for species specialized on wood of small diameter. Our results suggested that Salvage Logging disrupts the natural assembly process on windthrown trees and that negative ecological impacts are caused more by microclimate alteration of the dead-wood objects than by loss of resource amount. These insights underline the power of functional approaches to detect ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance and form a basis for management decisions in conservation. To mitigate negative effects on saproxylic beetle diversity after windthrows, we recommend preserving single windthrown trees or at least their tops with exposed branches during Salvage Logging. Such an extension of the green-tree retention approach to windthrown trees will preserve natural succession and associated communities of disturbed spruce forests.
Thorn Simon - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Contrasting responses of habitat conditions and insect biodiversity to pest- or climate-induced dieback in coniferous mountain forests
'Elsevier BV', 2021Co-Authors: Cours Jérémy, Thorn Simon, Müller Jörg, Larrieu Laurent, Lopez-vaamonde Carlos, Parmain Guillem, Bouget ChristopheAbstract:Natural disturbances are major drivers of forest dynamics. However, in the current context of anthropogenic global warming, shifts in disturbance regimes are expected. Natural disturbances usually leave biological or structural legacies which are important for early-successional species. Nevertheless, these legacies are usually eliminated by forest managers through Salvage Logging. Here, we investigated the consequences of forest dieback and the following Salvage Logging on both forest habitat conditions and saproxylic beetle communities. We conducted our study in two types of conifer-dominated highland forests: Pyrenean silver fir (Abies alba) which has suffered drought-induced dieback and Bavarian Norway spruce (Picea abies) which has suffered bark beetle-induced (Ips typographus) dieback. In both of the forest contexts, dieback provided a biological legacy through an increase in deadwood resources; however, this increase was much greater in the spruce forests. Nonetheless, despite this increase in resources, neither type of forest gained in total abundance or species richness after disturbance, compared to healthy stands. Nevertheless, the species composition of saproxylic beetle composition was significantly affected by dieback in spruce stands, but not in the silver fir forests. In the spruce plots, saproxylic beetles responded positively to the large increase in deadwood in the declining stands, including a very strong positive response from red listed species. Saproxylic beetle assemblages in spruce forests were mainly drove by canopy openness and deadwood amount. In the silver fir plots, we did not observed responses from the saproxylic beetle communities to deadwood amount increase. This lack of response may be explained by the relatively low amount of deadwood generated by the drought-induced dieback. Concerning Salvage Logging, it caused stronger contrasts in spruce forests than in silver fir forests, where it generally had no significant impact. For example, in spruce forests, Salvage Logging reduced the density of large snags by 91% and large logs by 87% compared with unharvested declining plots. Most of the significant environmental effects on biodiversity associated with dieback were no longer significant after accounting for the Salvaged plots in our study data. Then, forest dieback and Salvage Logging induced much sharper and stronger effects on environmental and community metrics in the spruce than in the silver fir forests. The contrast between Bavaria and the French Pyrenees seems partly related to dieback severity. Finally, we invite forest managers to conserve biological and structural legacies through patches of deadwood-rich areas
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Data for: Resilience impacts of a secondary disturbance: Meta-analysis of Salvage Logging effects on tree regeneration
'Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG)', 2021Co-Authors: Leverkus, Alexandro B, Gustafsson Lena, Thorn Simon, Polo Inés, Baudoux Claire, Rubio De Casas, RafaelAbstract:Data used for meta-analysis of Salvage Logging effects on woody plant regeneration. point.id= unique identification number for each data point site.id= unique identification number for each publication (see references in attached file). country= Country where the study site was located .disturbance.type, disturbance.severity, time.disturbance.Logging, time.Logging.measurement, Logging.intensity, forest.leaf.habit, forest.age, regeneration.syndrome, aridity = the effect moderators described in Supporting Information S1 of the paper. response= response variable. yi, vi= mean and variance of Hedge's d (effect sizes). data.origin= position in the publication where the data were obtained (or directly from author).Funded by grants: RTI2018-096187-J-100 from FEDER/ Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades LRB20/1002 from the British Ecological Society Research Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundatio
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Contrasting responses of habitat conditions and insect biodiversity to pest- or climate-induced dieback in coniferous mountain forests
'Elsevier BV', 2021Co-Authors: Cours Jérémy, Thorn Simon, Müller Jörg, Larrieu Laurent, Lopez-vaamonde Carlos, Parmain Guillem, Bouget ChristopheAbstract:International audienceNatural disturbances are major drivers of forest dynamics. However, in the current context of anthropogenic global warming, shifts in disturbance regimes are expected. Natural disturbances usually leave biological or structural legacies which are important for early-successional species. Nevertheless, these legacies are usually eliminated by forest managers through Salvage Logging. Here, we investigated the consequences of forest dieback and the following Salvage Logging on both forest habitat conditions and saproxylic beetle communities. We conducted our study in two types of conifer-dominated highland forests: Pyrenean silver fir (Abies alba) which has suffered drought-induced dieback and Bavarian Norway spruce (Picea abies) which has suffered bark beetle-induced (Ips typographus) dieback. In both of the forest contexts, dieback provided a biological legacy through an increase in deadwood resources; however, this increase was much greater in the spruce forests. Nonetheless, despite this increase in resources, neither type of forest gained in total abundance or species richness after disturbance, compared to healthy stands. Nevertheless, the species composition of saproxylic beetle composition was significantly affected by dieback in spruce stands, but not in the silver fir forests. In the spruce plots, saproxylic beetles responded positively to the large increase in deadwood in the declining stands, including a very strong positive response from red listed species. Saproxylic beetle assemblages in spruce forests were mainly drove by canopy openness and deadwood amount. In the silver fir plots, we did not observed responses from the saproxylic beetle communities to deadwood amount increase. This lack of response may be explained by the relatively low amount of deadwood generated by the drought-induced dieback. Concerning Salvage Logging, it caused stronger contrasts in spruce forests than in silver fir forests, where it generally had no significant impact. For example, in spruce forests, Salvage Logging reduced the density of large snags by 91% and large logs by 87% compared with unharvested declining plots. Most of the significant environmental effects on biodiversity associated with dieback were no longer significant after accounting for the Salvaged plots in our study data. Then, forest dieback and Salvage Logging induced much sharper and stronger effects on environmental and community metrics in the spruce than in the silver fir forests. The contrast between Bavaria and the French Pyrenees seems partly related to dieback severity. Finally, we invite forest managers to conserve biological and structural legacies through patches of deadwood-rich areas
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Salvage Logging effects on regulating ecosystem services and fuel loads
'Wiley', 2020Co-Authors: Leverkus, Alexandro B, Lindenmayer, David B., Gustafsson Lena, Castro Jorge, Rey Benayas, José María, Ranius Thomas, Thorn SimonAbstract:Salvage Logging, or Logging after natural disturbances such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, and windstorms, is carried out to recover some of a forest's natural and/or economic capital. However, trade‐offs between management objectives and a lack of consensus on the ecological consequences of Salvage Logging impair science‐based decision making on the management of forests after natural disturbances. We conducted a global meta‐analysis of the impacts of Salvage Logging on regulating ecosystem services and on fuel loads, as a frequent post‐disturbance objective is preventing subsequent wildfires that could be fueled by the accumulation of dead trunks and branches. Salvage Logging affected ecosystem services in a moderately negative way, regardless of disturbance type and severity, time elapsed since Salvage Logging, intensity of Salvage Logging, and the group of regulating ecosystem services being considered. However, prolonging the time between natural disturbance and Salvage Logging mitigated negative effects on regulating ecosystem services. Salvage Logging had no overall effect on surface fuels; rather, different fuel types responded differently depending on the time elapsed since Salvage Logging. Delaying Salvage Logging by ~2–4 years may reduce negative ecological impacts without affecting surface fuel loads
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Salvage Logging effects on regulating ecosystem services and fuel loads
'Wiley', 2020Co-Authors: Leverkus, Alexandro B, Castro Gutiérrez Jorge, Lindenmayer, David B., Gustafsson Lena, Rey Benayas, José María, Ranius Thomas, Thorn SimonAbstract:We thank several authors who generously provided data for this meta-analysis (WebPanel 2). ABL acknowledges the support of mobility grants from Universidad de Alcalá and Spanish Ministry of Education, postdoctoral fellowships from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and Project AS2013/MAE-2719 “REMEDINAL-3” from the Government of Madrid. The data underlying this paper are available through an institutional repository (http://hdl.handle.net/10481/62260).Salvage Logging, or Logging after natural disturbances such as wildfires, insect outbreaks, and windstorms, is carried out to recover some of a forest’s natural and/or economic capital. However, trade-offs between management objectives and a lack of consensus on the ecological consequences of Salvage Logging impair science-based decision making on the management of forests after natural disturbances. We conducted a global meta-analysis of the impacts of Salvage Logging on regulating ecosystem services and on fuel loads, as a frequent post-disturbance objective is preventing subsequent wildfires that could be fueled by the accumulation of dead trunks and branches. Salvage Logging affected ecosystem services in a moderately negative way, regardless of disturbance type and severity, time elapsed since Salvage Logging, intensity of Salvage Logging, and the group of regulating ecosystem services being considered. However, prolonging the time between natural disturbance and Salvage Logging mitigated negative effects on regulating ecosystem services. Salvage Logging had no overall effect on surface fuels; rather, different fuel types responded differently depending on the time elapsed since Salvage Logging. Delaying Salvage Logging by ~2–4 years may reduce negative ecological impacts without affecting surface fuel loads.Project AS2013/MAE-2719 “REMEDINAL-3” from the Government of Madri
Emma M. Sass - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Lasting legacies of historical clearcutting, wind, and Salvage Logging on old-growth Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forests
Forest Ecology and Management, 2018Co-Authors: Emma M. Sass, Anthony W. D'amato, David R. FosterAbstract:Abstract Disturbance events affect forest composition and structure across a range of spatial and temporal scales, and subsequent forest development may differ after natural, anthropogenic, or compound disturbances. Following large, natural disturbances, Salvage Logging is a common and often controversial management practice in many regions of the globe. Yet, while the short-term impacts of Salvage Logging have been studied in many systems, the long-term effects remain unclear. We capitalized on over eighty years of data following an old-growth Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forest in southwestern New Hampshire, USA after the 1938 hurricane, which severely damaged forests across much of New England. To our knowledge, this study provides the longest evaluation of Salvage Logging impacts, and it highlights developmental trajectories for Tsuga canadensis-Pinus strobus forests under a variety of disturbance histories. Specifically, we examined development from an old-growth condition in 1930 through 2016 across three different disturbance histories: (1) clearcut Logging prior to the 1938 hurricane with some subsequent damage by the hurricane (“logged”), (2) severe damage from the 1938 hurricane (“hurricane”), and (3) severe damage from the hurricane followed by Salvage Logging (“Salvaged”). There were no differences in current overstory composition between the different disturbance histories, as most areas shifted strongly away from pre-hurricane composition through nearly complete elimination of P. strobus and corresponding increases in hardwoods (Betula and Acer spp.), while T. canadensis remained dominant. In contrast, eight decades later, structural characteristics remain distinct between logged, hurricane, and Salvaged sites. Specifically, trees were larger in the logged and Salvaged sites, and pit and mound structures were largest and most abundant in the hurricane site. Tree densities and coarse woody debris biomass was greater in the hurricane site than the logged sites, but not significantly different from Salvaged sites. These findings underscore the long-term influence of Salvage Logging on forest development, indicating convergence in overstory composition over time between logged, Salvaged, and non-Salvaged areas, but persistent structural differences, especially in microtopographic structures and live tree development. Future Salvage Logging efforts should consider these impacts and provide a greater range of unSalvaged areas across the landscape to maintain important structural legacies over the long term.
