Forest Ecology and Management最新文献

{"title":"Decoupling abundance and biomass in secondary Atlantic Rainforest: Differential responses of rare and common tree species to environmental drivers","authors":"Otávio Miranda Verly ,&nbsp;Pedro Manuel Villa ,&nbsp;Marcelo Vitor Gualberto Santos Chaves ,&nbsp;Samuel José Silva Soares da Rocha ,&nbsp;Luiz Claudio Medeiros Cabral-da-Silva ,&nbsp;Klisman Oliveira ,&nbsp;Maria Paula Miranda Xavier Rufino ,&nbsp;Samuel Braz Vieira ,&nbsp;D’lano Figueiredo Teixeira Sathler ,&nbsp;Jacinto Moreira de Lana ,&nbsp;Carlos Moreira Miquelino Eleto Torres","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the fragmented landscape, such as Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, anthropogenic and environmental factors shape tree diversity. These factors modulate the dynamics among species with different population proportions. We explored how anthropogenic and environmental conditions, as well as diversity, influence forest dynamics in the Atlantic Rainforest. We used 20 years of forest inventory data from 53 plots in four fragments with different land-use histories. Environmental variables and taxonomic and functional diversity indices were obtained at the plot level. We also calculated net values of abundance (NDA) and biomass (NDB) dynamics for different species abundance classes (SAC): common, intermediate, and rare. We explored the relationships between the variables sets and NDB and NDA of each SAC by building linear mixed-effects models (LMM), in which land-use history (LUH) was included as a random effect, while the other variables were grouped as fixed effects. Over 20 years, we conducted 24,379 measurements on 6838 stems, with continuous increases in biomass, basal area, and diversity in most areas, despite local fluctuations in stem density. A total of 514 species were recorded, rotating between 423 (2002) and 440 (2022), with Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, and Lauraceae standing out. The SAC contributed distinctly to abundance and biomass. The richest forests had dominance distributed among a greater number of species, and poorer forests concentrated it in fewer species, a pattern maintained over 20 years. The abundance of common species decreased, but their biomass increased; rare species increased in both. The LMMs varied in performance across variable groups and dynamic components. For the NDB and dynamics of intermediate species, the models were not very accurate. Diversity and landscape models were the most explanatory variables, dominated by the random effect of LUH. At the fixed effects level, in general, common species responded to temperature, dry-season precipitation, and diversity; and rare species to anthropogenic landscape and soil variables. We revealed that different tree abundance classes respond differently to environmental and historical factors and highlight the importance of conserving rare species and maintaining diversity to ensure forest biomass stability and growth in the face of climate change and anthropogenic pressures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123503"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974876","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":"Tree species choice by forest management and biodiversity: Replacing Abies alba by Picea abies and Pseudotsuga menziesii drives epiphytes to higher elevations","authors":"Stefan Kaufmann ,&nbsp;Mareike Delp,&nbsp;Denise Heinze,&nbsp;Line Kreimeyer,&nbsp;Miriam Rosenbach,&nbsp;Markus Hauck","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> is considered as a replacement tree species for the drought-sensitive <em>Picea abies</em> in Central European forests, which was often cultivated outside its natural elevational distribution range. Hence, the natural tree species composition at lower elevations was replaced mostly by <em>Picea abies</em>, which in turn is partly displaced by <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>. How epiphytic bryophytes and lichens respond to such alterations of the natural tree species composition has been only insufficiently studied so far. Hence, we compared taxonomic and functional diversity patterns of epiphytes between each 48 tree individuals of <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> with native <em>Abies alba</em> along an elevation gradient in temperate mountain forests of southwest Germany. Lichen α- and γ-diversity was significantly higher on <em>Abies alba</em>, whereas no difference was found for bryophytes. Our models indicated that stem diameter and elevation as well as <em>Abies alba</em>, contrary to <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>, favoured lichen richness. Again, no impact on bryophyte richness was detectable. Trait-based analysis revealed that <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> was preferred by acidophytes. Especially lichen species with the secondary metabolite fumarprotocetraric acid were apparently able to colonize the highly acidic bark. Contrary to this, lichens with parietin and usnic acid avoided Douglas fir and were rather associated with <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Abies alba</em>, which was also strongly preferred by liverworts and obligate epiphytic bryophytes. Threshold indicator taxa analysis identified epiphyte communities already increasing in abundance at ∼750 m a.s.l. on <em>Abies alba</em>, but only at ∼950 m a.s.l. on <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>. <em>Abies alba</em> turned out to be a very valuable tree species for epiphytic bryophytes and lichens compared to non-native <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> and <em>Picea abies</em>, when cultivated outside its natural range. At lower elevations, epiphytes do not seem to have the capability to adapt to Douglas fir and spruce under the present climate, but only at higher elevations under further increased humidity levels. This suggests that the anthropogenic change in tree species composition pushed epiphytes of the natural forest vegetation towards higher elevations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123501"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974879","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":"Species composition, competition, and environmental stress influence early growth dynamics in bottomland forest communities","authors":"Olaniyi O. Ajala ,&nbsp;Zhongqian Cheng ,&nbsp;Jeremy P. Stovall,&nbsp;Kathryn R. Kidd,&nbsp;Brian P. Oswald,&nbsp;Yuhui Weng","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123505","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123505","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Abiotic and biotic stressors can impede bottomland forest restoration. Native bottomland species’ performance when growing alongside invasive species under varying shade and flooding regimes may identify suitable candidates for restoration. Two greenhouse experiments tested how species composition, interaction, and environmental stress (shade and flooding) influence seedling growth and biomass. Both experiments included one invasive species, Chinese tallow<em>,</em> and four native species: baldcypress, green ash, sugarberry<em>,</em> and water tupelo. The first experiment tested competition using all pairwise species combinations and their monocultures. The second experiment grouped species into invasive, native, and mixed communities and subjected them to two treatments: light (high vs. low irradiance) and flooding (non-flooded vs. flooded). In both experiments, seedling height and root collar diameter were monitored throughout a growing season, with total biomass measured at the end to compare the actual and expected biomass difference in the mixture (in terms of biodiversity effects). Tallow and baldcypress suppressed the growth of ash, sugarberry, and tupelo, while the latter three species grew well with each other. Composition and light availability, not flooding conditions, explained more variation in growth. Growth of both invasive and native communities was highest under high irradiance. Biodiversity effects were generally governed by selection effects, or dominant species leading to higher productivity. High irradiance and flooded conditions yielded positive selection and complementary effects, while low irradiance and non-flooded conditions yielded low values. Removing invasive species alone may not be effective for restoring bottomland forests. Native species interactions under stress should be a key consideration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"604 ","pages":"Article 123505"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974311","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":"Corrigendum to “The pace and scale challenge: Leveraging wildfire footprints to increase forest resilience to future high-severity fire” [For. Ecol. Manag. 603 (2026) 123443]","authors":"Kristen N. Wilson ,&nbsp;Kristen L. Shive ,&nbsp;John N. Williams ,&nbsp;Malcolm P. North ,&nbsp;Michelle Coppoletta ,&nbsp;J. Nicholas Hendershot ,&nbsp;Charlotte K. Stanley","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123520","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123520"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974880","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":"Carbon stock and flux predictions in second-growth Sitka-spruce and western hemlock dominated stands of Southeast Alaska","authors":"Dryw A. Jones ,&nbsp;David V. D’Amore ,&nbsp;Kellen N. Nelson ,&nbsp;Frances Biles ,&nbsp;Michael C. Howe","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123487","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123487","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impact of forest management on carbon stocks and pools in temperate rainforests is critical to estimating current and future carbon dynamics. Using data from thinned and unthinned Sitka spruce (<em>Picea sitchensis</em> (Bong.) Carrière) and western hemlock (<em>Tsuga heterophylla</em> (Raf.) Sarg.) dominated second-growth stands we developed a carbon model system to predict carbon stocks using stand age, site productivity, and thinning intensity as input variables. We estimated current and future carbon stocks and fluxes for second-growth stands within the Tongass National Forest. Our estimates were in line with other studies in the area. Our estimates showed rapid growth that peaked in year 2022 with a doubling of total tree carbon to 67.64 (±1.78) Tg C by 2075 in the control scenario and no significant differences by thinning intensity. Higher total stocks in the controls were driven primarily by higher snag carbon stocks compared to the thinned scenarios. Growth rates showed a reverse trend compared to stocks with the lowest growth in the control scenarios and higher growth for increasing thinning intensities. Growth was significantly influenced by site index with thinned stands surpassing controls in total carbon for the highest site index stands and for the highest quartile of site index stands but not for the average site index or the lowest quartile site index stands. The peak growth of simulated stands in 2022 corresponds to a shifting of carbon mass allocation to older age classes suggesting that the average second-growth stand in the Tongass may be experiencing declining growth rates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123487"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974874","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":"Irrigating cork oaks until maturity in the context of climate change: Current insights from long-term experimental plots","authors":"Constança Camilo-Alves ,&nbsp;Ana Poeiras ,&nbsp;Margarida Vaz ,&nbsp;João Barroso ,&nbsp;Nuno Almeida-Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cork oak (<em>Quercus suber</em> L.) is of major importance in the coastal regions of the western Mediterranean basin. However, its widespread chronic decline is compromising the long-term sustainability of its main product, the cork. Fertirrigation has emerged as a potential strategy to accelerate growth and reduce the time to first cork harvest, being discontinued once trees reach their productive stage. This study synthesizes the rationale, methodology, and results from long-term experimental plots in Portugal, where cork oaks were subjected to different irrigation regimes, soil conditions, and management practices. Findings demonstrate that irrigation can advance the first cork debarking to around 14 years after plantation, while promoting more homogeneous stand development. Water requirements increase over time and may reach an efficient threshold of 140 m³ ha⁻¹ per week when trees are near the first debark. However, its success depends on edaphic suitability and adaptive management to prevent adverse outcomes, such as root dependence or pest pressure. Economic analyses indicate that fertirrigation is generally advantageous until the second harvest, except when installation and maintenance costs are exceptionally high. Irrigation suppression demonstrated that trees can adapt to rainfed conditions. From an environmental perspective, irrigation should be restricted to suitable soils and rely exclusively on surface water sources. Beyond productivity, irrigated cork oak stands provided broader ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement. Ultimately, fertirrigation should be considered a temporary support tool that strengthens cork oak establishment and competitiveness, paving the way for resilient and sustainable forests under Mediterranean climate change scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123518"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924224","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":"Wildfire alters forest structure while belowground multifunctionality remains unchanged in a karst Pinus massoniana forest","authors":"Jinlan Xiao ,&nbsp;Olusanya Abiodun Olatunji ,&nbsp;Dong Wang ,&nbsp;Mathias Neumann","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfires constitute major forest disturbances that substantially influence the forest structure and ecosystem functions. The impacts of wildfires on ecosystem services and associated microbial communities remain poorly understood—particularly in sensitive and nutrient-limited karst forests. Here, we examined the short-term effects of wildfire (approximately one year after) on multiple ecosystem functions (carbon sequestration, plant diversity, nutrient cycling, habitat provision, nutrient support, soil fertility, microbial habitat, microbial decomposition, microbial diversity, and soil physical stability) and overall aboveground, belowground, and ecosystem multifunctionality in two adjacent <em>Pinus massoniana</em> stands with contrasting fire histories (burned vs. unburned). Belowground functions and microbial communities were assessed in surface (0–3 cm) and subsurface (3–10 cm) soil layers. Wildfire resulted in a mean char height of 2.64 m and tree mortality rate of 56 %, indicating moderate fire severity. Wildfire significantly reduced litter biomass and litter nutrient cycling; however, it enhanced understory vegetation diversity. Despite lower microbial decomposition in the subsurface layer, belowground multifunctionality remained stable. Wildfire considerably altered soil bacterial and fungal community structures across both soil layers, with bacterial Shannon diversity increasing in the surface layer, while fungal diversity remained unaffected. Mantel test indicated that fire-induced changes in soil pH, understory plant diversity, and litter biomass jointly influenced bacterial and fungal community structures, potentially contributing to the observed stability of belowground and ecosystem multifunctionality. Our results highlight the inherent resilience of nutrient-limited karst ecosystems to moderate-severity, short-term wildfire disturbances, driven by the compensatory mechanisms of rapid understory development, fine root persistence, and microbial community reorganization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123515"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974872","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":"Close-to-nature management enhances ectomycorrhizal fungal dominance across stand ages in Pinus massoniana plantations","authors":"Jie Wang,&nbsp;Honglang Duan,&nbsp;Qiqiang Guo,&nbsp;Liehua Tie,&nbsp;Shengnan Ouyang,&nbsp;Zongzheng Chai","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Close-to-nature management (CTNM) has been increasingly advocated as a sustainable strategy to maintain long-term soil fertility and productivity in plantations. Yet its effects on fungal guilds and their ecological linkages remains unclear. This study examined how CTNM affects fungal community composition, diversity, and co-occurrence networks across young, middle-aged and near-mature <em>Pinus massoniana</em> plantations. Soil fungal communities were profiled using amplicon sequencing and assigned to functional guilds based FungalTraits database. Community composition, diversity and co-occurrences networks were analyzed, and the main plant-soil drivers of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi were identified through variation partitioning and structure equation modeling (SEM). CTNM consistently increased the relative abundance of ECM fungi across all stand stages, whereas saprotrophic and pathogenic fungi remained largely unchanged. ECM diversity was significantly higher in middle-aged and near-mature stand stages under CNTM. Network analysis revealed that CTNM weakened ECM-ECM but enhanced ECM-saprotroph linkages. Plant and soil variables together explained 72.70 % of ECM community variation, with plant attributes contributing more (59.20 %) than soil properties. SEM further indicated that plant diversity indirectly enhanced ECM abundance through increased soil organic carbon content. CTNM enhances ECM dominance and modifies fungal guild connectivity, thereby strengthening plant-soil-fungus linkages in <em>P. massoniana</em> plantation. By coupling plant diversity with soil carbon dynamics, CTNM contributes to the maintenance of sustainable forest functioning and soil fertility over stand development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123504"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974873","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":"Dominant vegetation effect on microbial diversity and composition in a mosaic Mediterranean forest","authors":"Lucia Pole ,&nbsp;Željko Zgrablić ,&nbsp;Olga Malev ,&nbsp;Ana Pošta ,&nbsp;Armin Mešić ,&nbsp;Tijana Martinović","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mediterranean forests exhibit high spatial heterogeneity and host diverse soil microbial communities critical for ecosystem functioning and resilience. Yet, the relative contributions of dominant vegetation, environmental factors, spatial heterogeneity and legacy effects in shaping these microbial communities remain insufficiently resolved. We address this gap by analysing soil fungal and bacterial communities across dominant vegetation species: <em>Cistus</em> spp., <em>Pinus halepensis</em>, and <em>Quercus ilex</em> in Donji Kamenjak, Croatia – a protected area with history of agricultural use and current passive forest management. We hypothesised that vegetation would influence microbial communities, particularly ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fungi, through host-specific interactions, while acknowledging that site-related factors could mediate these effects and that a core microbiome would persist across environmental gradients. Soil samples were analysed for soil properties, microbial biomass, enzymatic activity, and microbial community composition using amplicon sequencing. Contrary to our hypothesis, vegetation effect on microbial communities was weak. Instead, spatial structuring was the main driver of community variation, with limited influence of environmental variables. Ectomycorrhizal fungi showed clear structuring by dominant vegetation, consistent with their host associations. Fungal core community was dominated by saprotrophs and EcM, while Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria dominated in the bacterial core community. These findings suggest that mosaic habitats, spatial vectors, and passive management may buffer vegetation-driven changes, contributing to overall community stability and the vegetation effects are likely guild-specific. This study adds to our understanding of microbial communities in Mediterranean forests, highlighting the importance of spatial scale in interpretation of vegetation-microbe relationships, with implications for conservation and forest management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123521"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974878","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":"Structural complexity across a continuum of woodland establishment methods from planting to natural colonisation","authors":"Samuel Hughes ,&nbsp;Thiago S.F. Silva ,&nbsp;Laura Braunholtz ,&nbsp;Kevin Watts ,&nbsp;Matt Guy ,&nbsp;Kirsty J. Park ,&nbsp;Vanessa Burton ,&nbsp;Marc J. Metzger ,&nbsp;Julia Koricheva ,&nbsp;Elisa Fuentes-Montemayor","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123490","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123490","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Expanding forest and woodland cover is a global strategy to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis and reverse biodiversity decline. While most woodland in temperate regions is created through tree planting, natural colonisation has been advocated for as an alternative or complementary approach. However, there is limited understanding on how the structural attributes of woodlands created through these different approaches develop through time. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed a suite of structural metrics for 28 woodland sites (aged 13–43 years) that were established along a planted to natural colonisation continuum in England. We used an Uncrewed Aerial System to collect LiDAR data alongside field surveys and calculated metrics relating to above-ground biomass accumulation (canopy height and basal area) and metrics relating to structural complexity (the horizontal and vertical arrangement of canopy) as a proxy for biodiversity potential. Canopy height and basal area were higher in woodlands with larger proportions of planting. Additionally, woodlands with higher proportions of planting displayed greater vertical complexity (canopy stratification) whereas there was weak evidence that woodlands with higher proportions of natural colonisation develop greater horizontal complexity (gap fraction). This suggests that tree planting is the better option when biomass accumulation is the primary goal, whereas natural colonisation or hybrid approaches are likely to be beneficial when the focus is biodiversity or a mix of outcomes. Woodlands created through hybrid approaches that combine planting and natural colonisation offered intermediate values of biomass accumulation and structural complexity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123490"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915417","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}