Effects of fuelwood harvesting on biodiversity - a review focused on the situation in Europe

Abstract

A continually increasing demand for energy and concerns about climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and peak oil have prompted countries to develop policies that promote renewable energy including forest-based bioenergy. In Europe, fuelwood-driven changes in forestry are likely to impact habitat conditions for forest biodiversity. We conducted a systematic literature overview based on 88 papers to synthesize research findings and gaps in knowledge. At the stand scale, but also on a landscape scale, deadwood availability and profile are altered by several practices: whole-tree harvesting and postharvest recovery of logging residues and stumps, for instance. Large-scale fuelwood removal may, on a landscape scale, jeopardize the amounts and diversity of substrate that saproxylic organisms require as food and habitat. Besides, bioenergy-related forest practices also affect nonsaproxylic biodiversity through physical (e.g., soil compaction and disturbance) and chemical changes in soil properties associated with fuelwood removal and increased machine traffic. Moreover, the extended density of internal edges threatens interior forest species populations. Important effects differ substantially between boreal and nemoral forests because of contrasts in management systems, structure of forest ownership, and ecological properties. Developing relevant operational guidelines to partially mitigate ecological damage on biodiversity should be based on our compiled cautionary statements but require further large-scale and long-term research.

Published in

Canadian Journal of Forest Research
2012, Volume: 42, number: 8, pages: 1421-1432 Publisher: CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING, NRC RESEARCH PRESS 1200 MONTREAL ROAD, BUILDING M-55, OTTAWA, ON K1A 0R6, CANADA

SLU Authors

• Jonsell, Mats

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG12 Responsible consumption and production
SDG13 Climate action


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/X2012-078

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/38873