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Research article2008Peer reviewed

Lifespan and mortality of old oaks - combining empirical and modelling approaches to support their management in Southern Sweden

Drobyshev, Igor; Niklasson, Mats; Linderson, Hans; Sonesson, Kerstin; Karlsson, Matts; Nilsson, Sven G.; Lanner, Jan

Abstract

Old oaks (Quercus robur L.) play an important role in the southern Scandinavian landscape by providing habitat for a wide range of species, a large proportion of them being currently on the National Redlists.To provide support for the management of these trees, we review data on oak mortality and formulate a mortality-driven stochastic model analysing interactions between mortality rate, oak recruitment rate into 100-150 age class, and amount of oaks older than 200 years.Empirical annual mortality rates varied between 0 and 13% with average 1.68%. Trees older 200 years had an average mortality rate of 1.1%. Oaks in the high density forests showed higher mortality (3.2%) as compared to the trees growing in the low density forests (1.2%). A 400-year long modelling exercises indicated that under current mortality rates (regular mortality being centred around 1% annually; and irregular mortality 7% with average return time of 13 years) the long-term maintenance of 20 trees older than 200 years per ha would require an input rate of 1 to 5 trees x year(-1) x ha(-1) into the 100-150 years old class.The modelling highlighted the importance of initial oak abundance affecting amount of old trees at the end of shorter (100 years) simulation period.

Keywords

European hardwoods; conservation; dendrochronology; population dynamics; disturbance

Published in

Annals of Forest Science
2008, Volume: 65, number: 4, article number: 401
Publisher: EDP SCIENCES S A