Microsites before and after restoration in managed Picea abies stands in southern Finland: effects of fire and partial cutting with dead wood creation

Partial cutting is increasingly applied in European temperate oak-dominated forests for biofuel harvesting, and to counteract succession in protected stands. Effects on biodiversity of these measures need to be carefully evaluated, and species-rich but neglected taxa such as fungi should be considered. We studied the effects of partial cutting on fungal fruiting bodies on woody debris. In 21 closed canopy forests rich in large oaks in Sweden, on average 25%–30% of the basal area was cut. Fruiting bodies were counted and some were collected in treated and control plots before and after treatment. We found 334 basidiomycete and 47 ascomycete species. Species richness of basidiomycetes declined significantly more in treated plots (on average 26%) than in control plots (on average 13%) between seasons. Species richness of ascomycetes increased by 17% in control plots and decreased by 2% in treated plots. Total species richness was significantly reduced on fine woody debris (1–10 cm in diameter), but not on coarse woody debris (>10 cm). Overall species composition did not change significantly as a result of partial cutting, but red-listed species tended to decrease more in treated plots. We suggest that approximately 30% of the stands should not be thinned, and dead stems and fallen branches should not be removed, to favor saproxylic fungi and their associated fauna.

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How Dead Wood in the Forest Decreases Relaxation? The Effects of Viewing of Dead Wood in the Forest Environment on Psychological Responses of Young Adults

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12070871 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 871

Author(s):

Emilia Janeczko ◽

Ernest Bielinis ◽

Ulfah Tiarasari ◽

Małgorzata Woźnicka ◽

Wojciech Kędziora ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Dead Wood ◽

Short Exposure ◽

Managed Forests ◽

Environment Impact ◽

Forest Environment ◽

Dead Trees ◽

Before And After ◽

Positive Feelings ◽

The Impact

The intensity of the neutral environment impact on humans may be determined by specific features of space, including dead wood occurrence. Dead wood is claimed to be disliked by the public because it reduces the scenic beauty and recreational values of the forest. The attractiveness of a forest with dead wood may be determined by its variants. Much is known about the preference for landscape with dead wood, but there is little information available about how such a landscape affects a person’s mental relaxation, improves mood, increases positive feelings, levels of vitality, etc. Hence, the aim of our research was to investigate the psycho-logical relaxing effects of short 15-min exposures to natural and managed forests with dead wood. In the study, three areas within the Białowieża Primeval Forest were used to measure the impact of different types of forest with dead wood (A: forest reserve with dead wood subject to natural decomposition processes; B: managed forest with visible cut wood and stumps; C: man-aged forest with dead trees from bark beetle outbreak standing) on human psychological relaxation in a randomized experiment. The participants of the experiment were forty-one young adults aged 19–20. Each respondent experienced each type of forest at intervals visiting it. Four psychological questionnaires were used in the project (Profile of Mood States (POMS), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS), and Restorative Outcome Scale (ROS)) before and after the short exposure to the forest were evaluated. The results show that a forest landscape with dead wood affects the human psyche, and the relaxing properties of such a landscape are better in a protected forest with natural, slow processes of tree dieback than those obtained in managed forests

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Inonotus tomentosus and the dynamics of unmanaged and partial-cut wet sub-boreal spruce–fir forests

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-117 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 37 (12) ◽

pp. 2663-2676 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

J. E. (Ted) Newbery ◽

Kathy J. Lewis ◽

Michael B. Walters

Keyword(s):

Picea Glauca ◽

Dead Wood ◽

Basal Area ◽

Tree Density ◽

Small Scale ◽

Abies Lasiocarpa ◽

Partial Cutting ◽

Subalpine Fir ◽

Engelmann Spruce ◽

Live Tree

For wet sub-boreal spruce–fir forests (white spruce ( Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) × Engelmann spruce ( Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) – subalpine fir ( Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.)) in east-central British Columbia, we asked (i) do compositional and structural dynamics differ for unmanaged (UN) and partial-cut (PC) (50% removal 45 years before measurement) forests and (ii) how does Inonotus tomentosus Fr. (Teng) affect these dynamics? Inonotus tomentosus infected stands had 17% less spruce basal area (P = 0.059) than uninfected stands, but PC did not exacerbate I. tomentosus effects. PC and UN had similar live tree density, but UN had lower dead tree density. In all stands, snag longevity was typically <32 years, and ~40 years was required for dead wood to reach decay stage 3 or greater. UN was characterized by variable severity disturbances averaging ~8% of the canopy per decade. Management implications include the following: (i) harvest systems designed to emulate small-scale disturbance could remove trees at 8% of the canopy per decade, varied spatiotemporally, (ii) emulating dead wood abundance with partial cutting may be difficult given the impacts of partial cutting on dead wood abundance, and (iii) forests with moderate levels of I. tomentosus should not respond differently to harvesting than uninfected forests and thus require no special management.

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Stand-replacing disturbance does not directly alter the succession of Norway spruce regeneration on dead wood

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/43/2014-jfs ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 60 (No. 10) ◽

pp. 417-424 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Červenka ◽

R. Bače ◽

M. Svoboda

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Dead Wood ◽

Forest Succession ◽

Undisturbed Site ◽

The Bohemian Forest ◽

Decaying Wood ◽

Disturbed Site ◽

Severe Disturbance

Density of regeneration in European subalpine Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests is typically low with regeneration primarily located on dead or decaying wood. The post-disturbance development of this regeneration is crucial for natural forest succession. The aim was to identify the influence of disturbance on regeneration on decaying logs immediately after a severe disturbance event. Study plots were established in two subalpine spruce forests: the first, an undisturbed site located in the Hrubý Jeseník Mts. and the second site in the &Scaron;umava Mts. that has experienced recent severe disturbance. Regeneration density increased between 2008 and 2011 by 7% (0.29 individuals per square meter of log) at the undisturbed site and by 33% (3.24 individuals per square meter of log) at the disturbed site. The increased regeneration density observed at the disturbed site was mostly associated with the smallest saplings. The highest increase in regeneration density was observed on logs with the largest diameters. Three years after severe disturbance caused 100% mortality of the parent stand in the Bohemian Forest, no significant effect was recorded on the growth rate and survival of established spruce saplings on dead wood.  

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On the insect fauna of dead wood at the early stage of decay

Известия СПбЛТА ◽

10.21266/2079-4304.2017.220.33-45 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

А.Э. Хумала ◽

М.Ю. Мандельштам ◽

Н.Б. Никитский ◽

А.В. Полевой

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Species Composition ◽

Tree Species ◽

Betula Pendula ◽

Dead Wood ◽

Early Stage ◽

Populus Tremula ◽

Trophic Relationships ◽

Insect Fauna ◽

Trunk Diameter

Мертвая древесина является основным местообитанием для огромного числа лесных видов насекомых, которые используют ее как пищу, субстрат для развития или временное убежище, одновременно участвуя в ее разложении. Видовой состав комплекса насекомых-разрушителей древесины в бореальной зоне довольно хорошо изучен, но до сих пор значительная часть типичных лесных групп представлена видами, биология и пищевая специализация которых изучены недостаточно. В 2015 г. нами исследована фауна насекомых на валеже текущего года трех пород деревьев: береза (Betula pendula), осина (Populus tremula) и ель (Picea abies x fennica). Исследования проводились в заповеднике «Кивач» (Республика Карелия) с использованием специализированных ловушек – стволовых эклекторов. В сборах идентифицировано 107 видов насекомых из 34 семейств отрядов Coleoptera, Hymenoptera и Diptera. Видовое разнообразие сильно варьировало на различных стволах, не зависело от породы и типа отпада (ветровал/бурелом), но имело тенденцию к росту с увеличением диаметра ствола. Видовой состав был довольно специфичен на всех породах, но достоверно отличался только на ели. Анализ распределения видов насекомых на стволах выявил несколько их ассоциаций как на березе, так и на ели, что позволяет говорить о совместной встречаемости некоторых видов (не связанных друг с другом прямыми трофическими связями), а возможно и о существовании более тесных связей между ними. Отмечен ряд видов, редко встречающихся в Фенноскандии, а также ранее не регистрировавшихся в Карелии. Приводится список видов, для которых удалось выявить не известные ранее особенности биологии, а также видов, находки которых интересны в фаунистическом плане. Dead wood is the main habitat for a large number of forest-dwelling insects that use it as a food source, development substrate, or temporary shelter, simultaneously contributing to its disintegration. Species composition of wood-inhabiting insects is well studied in the boreal zone, however a significant part of the typical forest-living groups is represented by species with poorly studied biology and trophic relationships. In 2015, we studied insect fauna on freshly fallen trees of birch (Betula pendula), aspen (Populus tremula) and spruce (Picea abies x fennica). The studies were conducted in the Nature Reserve Kivach (Republic of Karelia) using specially designed trunk emergence traps. Altogether, 107 species, representing 34 families of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera were identified. Species diversity varied significantly on different trunks. It did not depend on the tree species or a type of strap (windfall/windbreak), but tended to increase with increasing trunk diameter. The species composition of insects was quite distinctive on different tree species, but differed significantly only on spruce. Analysis of the species distribution revealed several associations on birch and spruce, which suggests at least co-occurrence of some insect species (not assuming direct trophic link) and possibly existence of a closer relationships between them. The range remarkable of species has been observed, including rare representatives of Fennoscandian fauna and species not registered before in the Republic of Karelia. We provide a selective list of species with notes on previously unknown ecological peculiarities, as well as species that represent valuable faunistic findings.

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IR-spectroscopy of hydrogen bonding in wood: Picea abies.

Известия СПбЛТА ◽

10.21266/2079-4304.2017.218.199-210 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

В.И. Иванов-Омский ◽

С.М. Герасюта ◽

Е.И. Иванова

Keyword(s):

Hydrogen Bonds ◽

Picea Abies ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Temperature Stability ◽

Experimental Spectrum ◽

Hydroxyl Groups ◽

Absorption Bands ◽

Oh Groups ◽

Adult Trees ◽

Before And After

Исследованы ИК-спектры древесины ели обыкновенной в области поглощения валентными колебаниями гидроксильных групп. Изучались как образцы естественной влажности, так и подвергнутые отжигу при 105 °С. Образцы для исследований отбирались из взрослого дерева ели обыкновенной (Picea abies) на высоте 2,5–3 м (возраст в районе спилов 25–30 лет). Из безcучковой зоны вырезались образцы в виде кубиков размером 3×3×3 см3, из которых непосредственно перед записью спектра изготовлялось пять тангенциальных микротомных срезов толщиной 80–100 мкм. Спектральный анализ проводился с помощью ИК-Фурье спектрометра ФСМ-1201 с разрешением 4 см–1. Показано, что реальная микроструктура ели не препятствует разделению рассеянного и поглощаемого излучений. Для характеристики длин и энергий водородных связей использованы известные корреляционные соотношения частот поглощения гидроксильными группами, охваченными водородными связями, с их длиной и энергией. C этой целью экспериментальный спектр в области поглощения ОН-группами аппроксимируется гауссовыми контурами, каждый из которых ассоциируется с определенной разновидностью Н-связи. Сдвиги частот подгоночных контуров относительно частоты ОН-группы, не охваченной Н-связью, использованы для оценки энергий и длин связей, а соотношение их площадей – для оценки их концентраций. Показано, что при термическом отжиге происходит выжигание низкочастотного крыла полосы поглощения ОН-групп. Приводится диаграмма распределения Н-связей по концентрациям до отжига и после. Показано, что при отжиге число наиболее сильных связей незначительно уменьшается, но их энергия уменьшается заметно. Судя по величине частоты эти полосы поглощения относятся к межмолекулярным связям, и уменьшение их энергии означает, что отжиг затрагивает в первую очередь именно эти связи. Самые слабые исчезают совсем. Детальное исследование этого явления позволит обосновать выбор предельных температур тепловой обработки древесины, не нарушающих ее механических свойств. Отмечается более высокая температурная стабильность внутримолекулярных связей с энергией ≈10 кДж/моль. Investigated the IR spectra of spruce wood in the area of absorption of the stretching vibrations of hydroxyl groups. Been studied, as samples with natural moisture, and subjected to annealing at S. Samples for research were collected from adult trees of Norway spruce (Picea abies) at a height of 2.5–3.0 m (age in the area of cut 25–30 years). From cleared areas were cut samples in the form of cubes of size 3×3×3 cm3, of which just before recording the spectrum produced 5 tangential microtome sections with a thickness of 80–100 nm. Spectral analysis was performed using IR-Fourier spectrometer FSM-1201 with a resolution of 4 cm–1. Shows that the real microstructure of spruce does not prevent the separation of scattered and absorbed radiation. For the characteristic lengths and energies of hydrogen bonds used are known from the literature correlation of the ratio between the frequency of absorption of hydroxyl groups covered by hydrogen bonds with their length and energy. To this end, the experimental spectrum in the region of absorption of OH-groups approximated by a Gaussian contours, each of which is associated with a certain kind of H-bonds. The frequency shifts fitting contours of the relative frequency of OH-groups not covered by the H-bond, is used to evaluate energies and bond lengths, and the ratio of their squares to estimate their concentrations. It is shown that under thermal annealing is burning low frequency wing of the absorption bands of OH-groups. A diagram of the distribution of H-bonds energy on concentrations presented before and after annealing. It is shown that annealing the strongest bonds is slightly decreasing, but their energy decreases significantly. The weakest disappear altogether. A detailed study of this phenomenon will allow us to justify the choice of limiting the temperature of the heat treatment of wood that do not violate its mechanical properties. Noteworthy higher temperature stability of intramolecular bonds with energies of ≈10 kJ/mol.

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Ways to use silver birch Betula pendula Roth regeneration in sites considered for stand conversion due to decline of Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. in the Silesian Beskid Mountains

Forest Research Papers ◽

10.1515/frp-2017-0025 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 78 (3) ◽

pp. 226-237

Author(s):

Sławomir Ambroży ◽

Tadeusz Zachara ◽

Mariusz Kapsa ◽

Elżbieta Chomicz-Zegar ◽

Ruslan Vytseha

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Tree Species ◽

Betula Pendula ◽

Open Space ◽

Complete Removal ◽

Silver Birch ◽

Partial Cutting ◽

Clear Cut ◽

Clear Cutting

Abstract One of the tree species appearing after a decline of Norway spruce Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. in the Silesian Beskid Mountains is Silver Birch Betula pendula Roth. Therefore our study was aimed at evaluating this birch regeneration and the dynamics of changes resulting from experimental cutting. Measurements and inventories of trees were conducted on research plots located in a ten-year old birch regeneration site with either no cutting, partial cutting (50%) or clear cutting (100%) of birch. We observed an introduction of biocenotic species (rowan, willow, aspen) as well as the target species (spruce, fir, beech) under the birch canopy. Fir and beech were also planted, because of their slow natural regeneration. The clear cut treatment caused a great number of sprouts growing from birch stumps, reaching a height of about 2 m over 3 years, resulting in competition with the regeneration of other species. Partial cutting did not cause such a drastic amount of sprouting. Furthermore, we found that only the spruce height increment is significantly less under a birch canopy compared to open space. The obtained results indicate a necessity to adjust the density and species composition of regenerating tree species under a birch canopy, avoiding complete removal of the first generation birch cover and the need to moderately thin out birch.

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