Browsing by Author "Luomi, Annukka"

Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important structural element in boreal forests affecting various ecological processes and maintaining biodiversity. Numerous species are dependent on spatiotemporal availability of CWD and its diverse characteristics. Forest management has drastically reduced the amount of CWD, thus impoverishing the structural diversity and threatening several species in the boreal forest ecosystems. The aim of this study was to assess the diversity and naturalness of old-growth spruce forest stands in southern Finland and the Karelian Isthmus based on the amount and quality of CWD. Prior to the Second World War forests in both regions were managed similarly. However, after the war the Karelian Isthmus became part of the Soviet Union (and later on Russia), and extensive economic utilization declined. Instead, efficient forest management practices were introduced in Finland after the war. Because southern Finland and the Karelian Isthmus belong to the same biogeographical region, the regional differences in the stand structure of the old-growth forests are mainly due to the differences in their land-use history. Ten old-growth spruce forest stands were studied both in southern Finland and the Karelian Isthmus. The Finnish stands were on areas that belong to Natura 2000 Network of the European Union. The Karelian stands were not protected, but five of them were on a planned protection area. Five 10 x 10 m plots were systematically established on a 9-ha square area in each forest stand. All CWD inside the plot and at minimum 10 cm in diameter was recorded. The length and the diameter at both ends or at breast height were measured. Also the position, decay class and tree species of each piece were noted. The amount and quality of CWD varied widely within and between the forest stands, and there were only few clear differences at the regional level. The average volume of CWD was 105,8 m3/ha (19,6-224,4 m3/ha) in southern Finland and 85,4 m3/ha (13,6-144,6 m3/ha) in the Karelian Isthmus. In southern Finland the proportions of the latter stages of decay were slightly higher. Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices indicated higher values in southern Finland, where Pinus sylvestris was more abundant in the CWD store and the tree species distribution was more even. The best individual stands in terms of the amount and diversity of CWD were found in southern Finland. However, in both regions there were stands with rich and diverse CWD but also stands with poorer CWD stores. The large differences between the stands probably depend on their differing disturbance histories. There were also signs of small-scale cuttings in both regions, and they were more common in the Karelian Isthmus. Only a few of the forests could be defined as natural or seminatural. In Finland high volumes of CWD can mainly be found only in protected areas, while in northwest Russia the amount of CWD is generally higher and larger areas of natural forests are left. In Finland, forest protection should take into account those forests, in which the CWD stores are not abundant now but can develop during the coming decades and centuries. In northwest Russia there are probably more potential areas for protection with respect to CWD characteristics, but it is more difficult to guarantee the protection there, because of more common illegal cuttings. However, in northwest Russia natural boreal forests and biodiversity could be protected at a landscape level, which is not possible in other parts of Europe.