Lundström, Johanna
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Research article2013Peer reviewedOpen access
Lichen species richness on retained aspens increases with time since clear-cutting
Lundström, Johanna; Jonsson, Fredrik; Perhans, Karin; Gustafsson, Lena
Abstract
In modem forestry, attempts to mitigate negative effects on biodiversity include the integration of conservation actions into forestry activities, e.g. by leaving trees at harvesting. This practice has been used on a large scale for more than two decades without solid scientific support of whether desirable effects are achieved or not. To increase the knowledge of changes in the lichen flora on retained aspen trees (Populus tremula) with time since clear-cutting we made a study in boreal Sweden where 720 retained aspens in 24 stands were surveyed. Twelve stands were clear-felled 0-4 years and 12 where clear-felled 10-16 years prior to the inventory. Total lichen species richness increased with time since clear-cutting, as did richness of aspen-dependent lichens and lichens adapted to open environments. There was no difference between the age classes regarding the number of cyanolichens. We show that retained aspens function as lifeboats for old-forest lichens and as a new habitat for lichens adapted to open, sun-exposed habitats. Our results indicate that epiphytic species richness on retained trees is higher after the logging, due to coexistence of remaining species and colonizing species. We suggest that the retention of old aspen and the promotion of aspen generation in the production forest would benefit epiphytic lichens and are thus important conservation measures. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Biodiversity; Boreal forest; Conservation; Epiphytes; Green-tree retention; Succession
Published in
Forest Ecology and Management
2013, volume: 293, pages: 49-56
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
SLU Authors
Perhans, Karin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Gustafsson, Lena
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Associated SLU-program
Forest
Biodiversity
Global goals (SDG)
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences
Ecology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.12.027
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/52637