Forest Ecology and Management最新文献

{"title":"Effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury frequency, and recapture of reptiles in Mediterranean-type eucalypt forests","authors":"Shawn Scott ,&nbsp;Miguel de Barros Lopes ,&nbsp;Joan Gibbs ,&nbsp;Sophie Petit","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122683","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122683","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Changing fire regimes in forests, including increases in prescribed burning, are likely to affect animal health. We studied the effects of prescribed fire on body condition, injury frequency, and recapture frequency of reptiles in native forests of a southern Australian biodiversity hotspot. We conducted 6375 trap days and processed 1750 individuals of eight species. Three species accounted for 96 % of captures, and we found that body condition for <em>Lampropholis guichenoti</em>, the most common species, was lowest immediately after burning and highest in sites exceeding 20 years since fire. Body condition improved after six months and varied across seasons. Frequency of caudal injuries and time since fire were not related, but condition was poorer in injured individuals in two species. Recapture frequency of <em>L. guichenoti</em> was highest in unburnt sites, suggesting higher mortality or emigration in sites burnt within 20 years. Our study demonstrated that body condition and, potentially, site fidelity and survival in this species are poorer immediately after fire. The unchanged condition of two species and the rapid recovery of body condition of <em>L. guichenoti</em> after fire and across seasons may reflect species-specific behaviour, food availability, and/or predator exposure. Future studies should focus on post-fire interactions among survival, movement, and individual health characteristics to evaluate fully the ongoing consequences of fire, particularly for species occupying frequently burnt or threatened ecosystems or those subject to successional change over decadal timescales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122683"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143748062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-scale patterns of structure and maximum biomass in late-seral Douglas-fir-dominated rainforests","authors":"Russell D. Kramer ,&nbsp;Stephen C. Sillett ,&nbsp;Sean M.A. Jeronimo ,&nbsp;Mark E. Graham ,&nbsp;Miles E. LeFevre ,&nbsp;Allyson L. Carroll ,&nbsp;Robert Van Pelt","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study of late-seral Douglas-fir forests in coastal Washington examined scales from 0.1 to 65–80 ha to quantify persistence of the Douglas-fir overstory and patterns of aboveground biomass (henceforth biomass) distribution. Plot-based biomass estimates were scaled from 0.1–1 ha via tree-level allometry in four forests with Douglas-fir 180–600 yr old. At the 0.1 ha scale, biomass ranged from 69–2905 Mg ha⁻¹ live and 12–792 Mg ha⁻¹ dead with magnitude and spatial variability increasing with dominant tree age. Some 0.1 ha areas had &gt; 2000 Mg ha⁻¹ live Douglas-fir alone. Our 1–3 ha plots held 1100–1700 Mg ha⁻¹ biomass with Douglas-fir always accounting for &gt; 70 % of live biomass and &gt; 46 % of crown volume despite having only 23 trees ha⁻¹ when trees exceeded 500 yr old. Dead biomass in plots ranged from 10–25 % of the total with 50–85 % being Douglas-fir. A segmented canopy height model from airborne laser scanning (i.e<em>.</em>, ALS segments) was mapped to 191 measured trees to create an allometric equation for predicting live biomass. This equation was applied to all ALS segments across 288 ha of forest with dominant trees ranging from 340–620 yr old. Within plot boundaries, ALS-predicted live tree biomass errors ranged from 10–23 %. At 65–80 ha spatial scales, patterns of biomass revealed a breakup of high-biomass forest into aggregations of &lt; 1-ha patches. The largest trees (&gt; 50 Mg) were associated with high-biomass areas when Douglas-fir were younger, but beyond 500 yr, such elite trees increasingly occurred in relatively low-biomass areas. Estimated live tree biomass ranged from 112–1600 Mg ha⁻¹ with median values decreasing with Douglas-fir age from ∼900 Mg ha⁻¹ at 350 yr to ∼600 Mg ha⁻¹ at 600 yr. In Douglas-fir-dominated rainforests, restoration management can promote long-lived high-biomass forests and arboreal biodiversity through actions that enhance development of elite trees across all overstory age cohorts, emulating patterns of biomass distribution observed here.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"585 ","pages":"Article 122594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143746534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beetles, wind, and fire: Effects of climate change and close-to-nature forestry on disturbance predisposition and ecosystem service trade-offs","authors":"S. Mutterer ,&nbsp;C. Blattert ,&nbsp;L.G. Bont ,&nbsp;V.C. Griess ,&nbsp;J. Schweier","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122690","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122690","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Close-to-nature forestry (CNF) is considered an effective strategy to adapt forests to climate change while sustaining ecosystem services and biodiversity (BES). However, for forest management it remains unclear whether current CNF strategies sufficiently reduce forests’ predisposition to climate-change-induced shifts in disturbance regimes. To address this increasing complexity, we introduce the integration of a climate-sensitive forest gap model with assessments of predisposition to fire, bark beetle, and windthrow disturbances, as well as BES provision. We conducted simulations for a forest enterprise in the Central Swiss Alps, covering a large elevation gradient, under three climate scenarios (historical, SSP2–4.5, and SSP5–8.5). The simulations additionally considered six management strategies, including CNF variants with different management intensities and climate-adapted approaches. Our results indicate that climate change will dynamically alter disturbance predisposition across elevation gradients. Site-related predisposition to fire and bark beetle infestation generally increased under climate change, while stand-related predisposition to all disturbances varied with climate scenario and elevation. Under moderate warming (SSP2–4.5), stand-related predisposition to fire and windthrow increased across all elevations. In contrast, under severe warming (SSP5–8.5), long-term reductions in stand-related predisposition to fire, bark beetle infestation, and windthrow occurred at lower elevations due to climate-change-induced shifts in forest dynamics, while predisposition increased at higher elevations with improved growing conditions. Our results further show that increasing management intensity generally reduces stand-related disturbance predisposition but focusing purely on disturbance mitigation can also lead to trade-offs, such as reduced BES provision. We conclude that climate-adapted forest management must account for both stand-related and site-related predisposition to prioritize disturbance-prone ‘hotspots’, especially in areas of high BES value. Proactively reducing disturbance predisposition may involve trade-offs regarding BES provision but may be crucial to avoid potential BES losses from severe disturbances. As climate change may alter trade-offs between BES and disturbance mitigation, we underscore the need for decision support systems in long-term forest planning to account for conflicting management objectives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122690"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mistletoe negatively impacts vigor, growth and reproduction of silver fir forests at regional and local scales","authors":"J. Julio Camarero ,&nbsp;Álvaro Rubio-Cuadrado ,&nbsp;Éster González de Andrés ,&nbsp;Antonio Gazol","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122693","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122693","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mistletoes impact their tree hosts in different ways and affect distinct processes such as growth and reproduction. However, comparative assessments of mistletoe effects on these two processes are scarce, particularly at different spatial scales. Here, we quantified how mistletoe (<em>Viscum album</em> L.) affected radial growth and cone production of silver fir (<em>Abies alba</em> Mill.), a major European conifer. We assessed these impacts at continental (2004 −2019 period, 301 plots across Europe), regional (western Spanish Pyrenees, 0.5º W−0.5º E and 42.5º−43.0º N, 30 sites and 360 trees) and local scales (two Pyrenean stands with severe mistletoe infestation − VI and SN sites). Mistletoe abundance enhanced crown defoliation at all scales. At continental scale, the percentage of infested trees has been increasing reaching values close to 15 % in 2019. At regional scale, mistletoe infestation was severe in 19 % of sampled trees. At local scale, mistletoe infestation contributed to forest decline through growth loss and decreased cone production. Silver fir stands with more trees heavily infested by mistletoe showed abundant winter fleshy-fruited species such as <em>Sorbus aria</em>. Mistletoe led to lasting (12 years prior to sampling) and irreversible growth reduction (−78 % in site VI, −44 % in site SN) in severely infested trees as compared to lightly infested coexisting trees. The acute defoliation of the upper crown in severely infested trees negatively impacted cone production, but this effect was significant only at local scale. Thus, continental-wide assessments of mistletoe infestation and how it impacts defoliation, growth and cone production should be carefully validated and refined by regional and local data.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122693"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Spectral signatures discrimination of Norway spruce trees under experimentally induced drought and acute thermal stress using hyperspectral imaging","authors":"Matúš Pivovar ,&nbsp;Roope Näsi ,&nbsp;Eija Honkavaara ,&nbsp;Miroslav Blaženec ,&nbsp;Jaroslav Škvarenina ,&nbsp;Roman Modlinger ,&nbsp;Jaroslav Rožnovský ,&nbsp;Rastislav Jakuš","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122692","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122692","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change intensifies drought and thermal stress in forests, weakening tree vitality and increasing susceptibility to <em>Ips typographus</em> (L.) infestations. This study evaluates the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing to detect physiological stress in Norway spruce (<em>Picea abies</em> (L.) Karst.) induced by chronic drought and acute thermal stress. An <em>in situ</em> manipulation experiment was conducted within a mature spruce stand, establishing precipitation-exclusion roofs (chronic drought), stand edges (acute thermal stress), and control plots. High resolution hyperspectral imagery data was collected across visible, NIR, and SWIR wavelengths (380–2500 nm) during six flights (2022–2023) using CASI-1500 (0.5 m) and SASI-600 (1.25 m) hyperspectral cameras.</div><div>Spectral discrimination revealed significant differences between stressed and control trees, particularly in the red (669.58 nm), NIR (854.96 nm), and SWIR (1557.5 nm, 2082.5 nm) wavebands, while the green region (498.56 nm) separated better in reflectance than in derivative analyses. These wavebands effectively identified physiological changes, including pigment depletion, reduced water content, and nitrogen fluctuations. Spectral separations were strongest in late summer and autumn, coinciding with intensified stress responses. Acute stress showed variable NIR reflectance trends, increasing in autumn but declining in August 2023. Chronic stress exhibited higher SWIR reflectance, indicating reduced needle water content. Statistical analyses, including the Kruskal-Wallis test and post hoc Dunn and Mann-Whitney U tests, confirmed significant spectral separability between stress types.</div><div>These spectral markers provide a framework for monitoring tree stress under variable environmental conditions. By integrating remote sensing with climatic data, this study demonstrates how hyperspectral imaging enables early stress detection, supporting proactive forest management against climate-induced threats.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122692"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mycorrhizal association shapes responses of plant biomass but not soil carbon to nitrogen addition in global forests","authors":"Danhua Zhang ,&nbsp;Suhui Ma ,&nbsp;Xuemei Yang ,&nbsp;Erhan Huang ,&nbsp;Chen Yang ,&nbsp;Kai Dong ,&nbsp;Lingli Liu ,&nbsp;Biao Zhu ,&nbsp;Zhiyao Tang ,&nbsp;Chengjun Ji ,&nbsp;Jiangling Zhu ,&nbsp;Jingyun Fang","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122685","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122685","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mycorrhizal association regulates plant nutrient uptake and productivity, thereby shaping soil carbon storage capacity in terrestrial ecosystems. Ectomycorrhizas (EcM) and arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) are two widespread mycorrhizal types, with distinct nutrient economy. However, how different mycorrhizal strategies affect responses of aboveground biomass (AGB) and soil organic carbon (SOC) to nitrogen (N) inputs in forests remains unclear. To address this issue, we compiled a global dataset of plant productivity and SOC responses to N addition, encompassing 262 forest sites dominated by trees associated with AM and EcM. In the AM forests with inorganic economy, exogenous N inputs substantially stimulated aboveground plant-derived biomass (+35.4 %), contributing to an accumulation of SOC (+5.5 %). This was partly linked to microbial growth and metabolite formation. In contrast, in the EcM forests with organic economy, fertilization resulted in SOC accrual (+6.0 %) via an increase in AGB (+13.3 %) and an inhibition of microbial decomposition (-11.4 %), with the latter effect strengthening at higher addition rates. Our findings demonstrate that N fertilization divergently influences plant biomass and soil carbon accumulation in forests with distinct mycorrhizal strategies, underscoring that integrating mycorrhizal-specific managements can enhance fertilization effectiveness and carbon sequestration of forest ecosystems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122685"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying forest structure effects on microclimate buffering across a climatic gradient in temperate Australia","authors":"Teza Mwamulima,&nbsp;Lauren T. Bennett,&nbsp;Patrick N.J. Lane,&nbsp;Gary J. Sheridan","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122686","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122686","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest structure, through its three-dimensional arrangement of foliage and wood, moderates the climate, creating a microclimate that is more stable than the climate outside the forest in a process known as microclimate buffering. This study aimed to improve understanding of the relationship between forest structure and microclimate buffering of daily maximum temperature (T_max.) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD_max.) in temperate evergreen forests. Forest structure assessments and microclimate monitoring across eight sites in temperate Australia revealed significant variation in microclimate buffering, primarily driven by canopy closure, leaf area index (LAI), and tree stem density (≥10-cm diameter). Compared to open sites, closed forests (&gt;70 % canopy cover) reduced mean T_max. by 1.8 ± 0.08°C to 4.1 ± 0.09°C, and open forests (30–70 % canopy cover) by 0.2 ± 0.08°C to 0.4 ± 0.06°C. Only closed forests reduced mean VPD_max., by 0.15 ± 0.01 kPa to 0.43 ± 0.02 kPa, while mean VPD_max. in open forests and woodlands was 0.04 ± 0.01 kPa to 0.38 ± 0.02 kPa higher than open sites respectively, indicating net drying. Across the forest structure gradient, canopy closure, LAI and stem density had significant negative relationships with microclimate offsets of daily T_max. and VPD_max. Over the assessed forest structure range, T_max. offsets were negative (buffering) above 35 % canopy closure, 137 stems ha⁻¹, and LAI 0.36, while VPD_max. offsets were negative above 59 % canopy closure, 485 stems ha⁻¹, and LAI 0.82. These findings emphasize the role of forest structure in microclimate buffering and potential climate resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122686"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143726299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of processor debarking on wood quality deterioration during the interim storage of Norway spruce logs","authors":"Stephan Böhm ,&nbsp;Peter Baier ,&nbsp;Elias Amerhauser ,&nbsp;Christian Kanzian ,&nbsp;Thomas Kirisits ,&nbsp;Franz Holzleitner","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122672","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122672","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deterioration of post-harvest timber quality and the consequent devaluation of sawlogs result in significant financial losses for the forest-based industries. The present study investigates the effect of processor debarking on the wood quality deterioration of Norway spruce sawlogs due to insect infestation and sap-staining during interim storage. Experiments were conducted in the Austrian Alps in 2022 and 2023, comparing processor debarked logs with conventionally processed logs. A total of 96 logs were analysed, with 24 logs in each treatment group per year. The study evaluated the colonisation by bark- and wood-infesting insects, the development of visible blue-stain and the effect of meteorological parameters on wood quality development. The results showed that debarking significantly reduced colonisation by wood boring insects, which cause technical damage and bark beetles, which are important vectors of blue-stain fungi, and thereby mitigated sapwood discolouration. A regression model obtained showed a significant effect of debarking on sap-stain compared to conventional processing, within the first few weeks after harvest. In addition, the temperature-dependent growth rate of blue-stain fungi, the moisture content of the logs and the number of <em>Ips typographus</em> galleries were positively correlated with the percentage of blue-stained sapwood area on the cross sections of the logs. The model showed a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.50 after cross validation. The results suggest that debarking can extend the potential duration of interim storage without degradation by 13 days. This research highlights the potential of debarking as a practical measure to mitigate insect infestation and delay timber devaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122672"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Replacement of a historically dominant upland oak by a lowland oak in fire-excluded forests and in a fire-restored upland woodland","authors":"J. Stephen Brewer,&nbsp;Griffin L. Williams","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Natural oak regeneration has declined within forests in parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. The specter of oaks being replaced by non-oaks because of fire exclusion has overshadowed the fact that some species of oaks have increased in some areas despite modern fire exclusion. Displacement of upland oak species by lowland oak species in uplands remains unexplained. We document a shift in oak dominance of upland landscapes in northern Mississippi (USA) from the early to mid 1800s to present day using witness tree records, scientific eyewitness accounts, and modern sampling. We also present data from a long-term restoration experiment in an upland oak woodland on changes in densities of upland <em>Q. stelllata</em>, lowland <em>Q. alba</em>, and non-oaks (e.g., mesophytes). Results revealed a shift in oak dominance of upland landscapes from <em>Q. stellata</em> to <em>Q. alba</em> from the early to mid 1800s to the 2000s. <em>Q. alba</em> showed an estimated four-fold increase in density in uplands. Fire restoration treatments initiated in 2004 (i.e., canopy reduction, burning) favored sapling recruitment of <em>Q. alba</em> over <em>Q. stellata</em> in an upland woodland, despite reducing overstory densities of the former. Differences in sapling recruitment resulted from higher seedling densities and survival of <em>Q. alba</em>. We conclude that modern fire exclusion contributed to the ongoing displacement of <em>Q. stellata</em> by <em>Q. alba</em> in uplands. Continuation of restoration treatments in the upland woodland are likely to favor the more profitable but less drought-tolerant <em>Q. alba</em> over <em>Q. stellata</em>, with implications for economic value and climate resiliency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122682"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elevated tree mortality as a regeneration niche for oak? Testing different management approaches in a meliorated floodplain forest","authors":"Annalena Lenk ,&nbsp;Sophia Waha ,&nbsp;Christian Wirth","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122678","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122678","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pedunculate Oak (<em>Quercus robur</em> L.), a keystone species in European temperate floodplain forests, faces regeneration challenges due to dense canopies caused by altered hydrology and declined traditional land-use practices. Recently increasing canopy mortality due to climate change altered forest structures and may offer new opportunities for oak regeneration. Over two years, including a drought year, this study examined the effects of higher and lower canopy mortality in combination with and without thinning of flood-intolerant species in the understorey compared to larger silvicultural cuttings (up to 0.72 ha) on the vitality and growth of planted <em>Q. robur</em> saplings in a meliorated floodplain forest in Leipzig, Germany. Canopy mortality alone did not improve the oak regeneration due to dark understorey conditions mainly created by fast-growing, flood-intolerant maple. However, combining high canopy mortality with species-selective understorey thinning markedly enhanced oak sapling growth and vitality. This management approach created higher light availability compared to unmanaged sites, but oaks expressed lower drought stress, indicated by δ¹ ³C in leaves, compared to larger cuttings. While greater canopy openness generally improved oak performance, its benefits were weakened by drought stress which was primarily correlated positively to vapour pressure deficit. The results demonstrate the potential of small-scale, selective thinning to support <em>Q. robur</em> regeneration under changing environmental conditions. Continued monitoring is essential to assess long-term outcomes, especially as oaks require increasing light with age. This study underscores the need for adaptive management complementary to hydrological revitalisation measures in floodplain forests to sustain biodiversity and associated ecosystem functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"586 ","pages":"Article 122678"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143734890","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}