Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC)

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https://repositori.udl.cat/handle/10459.1/68143

El Centre de Ciència i Tecnologia Forestal de Catalunya (CTFC), amb seu a Solsona (Lleida), es va constituir inicialment entre el Consell Comarcal del Solsonès i la Universitat de Lleida l'any 1996, i posteriorment, s'hi van incorporar la Diputació de Lleida, la Fundació Catalana per a la Recerca i la Innovació, la Generalitat de Catalunya, la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, la Diputació de Barcelona i l'Ajuntament de Solsona. El CTFC és un consorci públic adscrit a l’Administració de la Generalitat de Catalunya i s’hi relaciona mitjançant el Departament competent en matèria de boscos. També forma part dels centres de recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) i està acreditat com agent TECNIO per la Generalitat (desenvolupador de tecnologia públic). [Més informació]

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Open Access
100 key questions to guide hydropeaking research and policy
(Elsevier, 2023-09-16) Hayes, Daniel S.; Bruno, M.C.; Alp, Maria; Boavida, Isabel; Batalla, Ramon J.; Bejarano, Maria Dolores; Noack, Markus; Vanzo, Davide; Casas Mulet, Roser; Vericat Querol, Damià; Carolli, Mauro; Tonolla, Diego; Halleraker, Jo Halvard; Gosselin, M. P.; Chiogna, Gabriele; Zolezzi, Guido; Venus, Terese
As the share of renewable energy grows worldwide, flexible energy production from peak-operating hydropower and the phenomenon of hydropeaking have received increasing attention. In this study, we collected open research questions from 220 experts in river science, practice, and policy across the globe using an online survey available in six languages related to hydropeaking. We used a systematic method of determining expert consensus (Delphi method) to identify 100 high-priority questions related to the following thematic fields: (a) hydrology, (b) physico-chemical properties of water, (c) river morphology and sediment dynamics, (d) ecology and biology, (e) socio-economic topics, (f) energy markets, (g) policy and regulation, and (h) management and mitigation measures. The consensus list of high-priority questions shall inform and guide researchers in focusing their efforts to foster a better science-policy interface, thereby improving the sustainability of peak-operating hydropower in a variety of settings. We find that there is already a strong understanding of the ecological impact of hydropeaking and efficient mitigation techniques to support sustainable hydropower. Yet, a disconnect remains in its policy and management implementation.
Open Access
A broad-scale analysis of the main factors determining the current structure and understory composition of Catalonian sub-alpine (Pinus uncinata Ram.) forests
(Oxford University Press, 2011-12-13) Martín Alcón, Santiago; Coll Mir, Lluís; Aunós Gómez, Álvaro
A broad-scale analysis of the structure and understory composition of Pyrenean mountain pine (Pinus uncinata Ram.) stands was performed using data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory. Twelve structure-based forest typologies were defined from variables related to tree size, stand density, vertical structure and standing deadwood, using cluster analysis techniques. These typologies were adequately classified (accuracy >75 per cent) by a dichotomous key obtained from classification and regression trees. Multiple regression models were then used to analyse relationships between the main stand structural variables and a set of climatic and physiographic factors. The models showed significant correlations between winter temperature, slope and continentality (among other variables) and the current structure of mountain pine stands. The relationships between the understory composition of mountain pine forests and different environmental and structural overstory factors were found to be driven by an elevation-pH gradient and a stand density-soil stoniness gradient. The results of this study can be directly used for forest planning at different scales and could help forest managers to establish strategies designed to facilitate a given habitat for species of conservation interest.
Open Access
A climate change adaptive dynamic programming approach to optimize eucalypt stand management scheduling: a Portuguese application
(NRC Research Press (Canadian Science Publishing), 2016-05-24) Ferreira, Liliana; Constantino, Miguel; Borges, José G.; Garcia Gonzalo, Jordi; Barreiro, Susana
The aim of this paper is to present approaches to optimize stand-level, short-rotation coppice management planning, taking into account uncertainty in stand growth due to climate change. The focus is on addressing growth uncertainty through a range of climate scenarios so that an adaptive capacity may be possible and the vulnerability of the stand to climate change may be reduced. The optimization encompasses finding both the harvest age in each cycle and the number of coppice cycles within a full rotation that maximize net present revenue. The innovation lies in the combination of the process-based model (Glob3PG) with two dynamic programming (DP) approaches. The former is able to project growth of eucalypt stands under climate change scenarios. The innovative approaches are thus influential to define the management policy (e.g., stool thinning, number of coppice cycles, and cycle length) that maximizes net present revenue taking into account uncertainty in forest growth due to climate change. In both approaches, the state of the system is defined by the number of years since plantation, whereas DP stages are defined by the cumulative number of harvests. The first approach proposes the optimal policy under each climate change scenario at each state. The second approach addresses further situations when the climate scenario is unknown at the beginning of the planning horizon. Both help address uncertainty in an adaptive framework, as a set of readily available options is proposed for each scenario. Results of an application to a typical Eucalyptus globulus Labill. stand in central Portugal are discussed.
Open Access
A comparative framework for broad‐scale plot‐based vegetation classification
(Wiley, 2015-06-13) De Cáceres, Miquel; Chytrý, Milan; Agrillo, Emiliano; Attorre, Fabio; Botta-Dukát, Zoltán; Capelo, Jorge; Czúcz, Bálint; Dengler, Jürgen; Ewald, Jörg; Faber-Langendoen, Don; Feoli, Enrico; Franklin, Scott B.; Gavilán, Rosario; Gillet, François; Jansen, Florian; Jiménez-Alfaro, Borja; Krestov, Pavel; Landucci, Flavia; Lengyel, Attila; Loidi Arregui, Javier; Mucina, Ladislav; Peet, Robert K.; Roberts, David W.; Roleček, Jan; Schaminée, Joop H.J.; Schmidtlein, Sebastian; Theurillat, Jean-Paul; Tichý, Lubomír; Walker, Donald A.; Wildi, Otto; Willner, Wolfgang; Wiser, Susan
Aims: Classification of vegetation is an essential tool to describe, understand, predict and manage biodiversity. Given the multiplicity of approaches to classify vegetation, it is important to develop international consensus around a set of general guidelines and purpose‐specific standard protocols. Before these goals can be achieved, however, it is necessary to identify and understand the different choices that are made during the process of classifying vegetation. This paper presents a framework to facilitate comparisons between broad‐scale plot‐based classification approaches. Results: Our framework is based on the distinction of four structural elements (plot record, vegetation type, consistent classification section and classification system) and two procedural elements (classification protocol and classification approach). For each element we describe essential properties that can be used for comparisons. We also review alternative choices regarding critical decisions of classification approaches; with a special focus on the procedures used to define vegetation types from plot records. We illustrate our comparative framework by applying it to different broad‐scale classification approaches. Conclusions: Our framework will be useful for understanding and comparing plot‐based vegetation classification approaches, as well as for integrating classification systems and their sections.
Open Access
A computational model approach to assess the effect of climate change on the growth and development of tadpoles
(Elsevier, 2021) Colomer, M. Àngels (Maria Àngels); Margalida, Antoni; Sanuy, Isabel; Llorente, Gustavo A.; Sanuy i Castells, Delfí; Pujol-Buixó, Eudal
All of the environmental conditions in nature act on an organism simultaneously. However, in experimental studies of the factors influencing metamorphosis, each factor needs to be examined individually in order to disentangle its specific effects. However, it is challenging to then build properly integrated models which include data on all of the different factors evaluated in different experiments. This study set out to develop a predictive model which could synthesize the results of several experiments on survival, development and growth of Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) tadpole guilds. The proposed Population Dynamic P System (PDP) model enables estimates of growth and development during the larval phase, under different environmental conditions, weather conditions, predator density, and pond characteristics and management. The architecture of the model allows the inclusion of an indefinite number of parameters and interactions, with all inputs interacting in parallel, and enables solutions to complex modeling approaches. Using the model with a range of field data, we found that the importance of predation pressure on Natterjack toad tadpole guilds exceeds the potential effects of variations in temperature and precipitation. The impact of introduced invasive predators therefore arguably poses the greatest threat to this species. This type of model holds promise as a reliable management and conservation tool for this and other species, especially where interactions between environmental factors make the impacts of individual factors difficult to predict.
Open Access
A fire spread simulator to support tactical management decisions for Mediterranean landscapes
(Frontiers, 2023) González-Olabarria, José Ramón; Carrasco, Jaime; Pais, Cristobal; Garcia Gonzalo, Jordi; Palacios-Meneses, David; Mahaluf-Recasens, Rodrigo; Porkhum, Olena; Weintraub, Andrés
The use of fire simulation tools has become a regular feature of support systems for fuel management decisions at landscape level. Considering the spatial nature of fire in the evaluation of risk and the definition of fire mitigation goals is an ongoing research topic in forest management planning. By combining a fire simulation tool, a growth and yield simulator and an optimization module, it is possible to minimize the negative impact of fire over time and maximize the yield of various ecosystem services. Specific requirements for a fire simulator adapted to support tactical forest planning include a level of accuracy, the possibility of exploring diverse fire scenarios, the computational capability to simulate multiple fires and the flexibility to generate different outputs or metrics depending on the specific requirements of the planning problem under study. The present article addresses the requirements of fire simulators for their inclusion on forest tactical planning. The Cell2Fire simulator is adapted for use with fuel models more commonly employed in Europe and the United States, and to simulate the generation and spread of crown fires. Already able to solve static fire mitigation problems in its original version, this new adaptation, known as Cell2Fire_SB, has been developed with the more ambitious goal of being integrated into a decision support system that simultaneously considers fire behavior forest dynamics and allocation of management actions in order to solve temporal dynamic tactical forest problems.
Open Access
A framework for modeling adaptive forest management and decision making under climate change
(Resilience Alliance, 2017) Yousefpour, Rasoul; Temperli, Christian; Jacobsen, Jette B.; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark; Meilby, Henrik; Lexer, Manfred J.; Lindner, Marcus; Bugmann, Harald; Borges, José G.; Palma, João H.N.; Ray, Duncan; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Delzon, Sylvain; Kremer, Antoine; Kramer, Koen; Reyer, Christopher P. O.; Lasch-Born, Petra; Garcia Gonzalo, Jordi; Hanewinkel, Marc
Adapting the management of forest resources to climate change involves addressing several crucial aspects to provide a valid basis for decision making. These include the knowledge and belief of decision makers, the mapping of management options for the current as well as anticipated future bioclimatic and socioeconomic conditions, and the ways decisions are evaluated and made. We investigate the adaptive management process and develop a framework including these three aspects, thus providing a structured way to analyze the challenges and opportunities of managing forests in the face of climate change. We apply the framework for a range of case studies that differ in the way climate and its impacts are projected to change, the available management options, and how decision makers develop, update, and use their beliefs about climate change scenarios to select among adaptation options, each being optimal for a certain climate change scenario. We describe four stylized types of decision-making processes that differ in how they (1) take into account uncertainty and new information on the state and development of the climate and (2) evaluate alternative management decisions: the “no-change,” the “reactive,” the “trend-adaptive,” and the “forward-looking adaptive” decision-making types. Accordingly, we evaluate the experiences with alternative management strategies and recent publications on using Bayesian optimization methods that account for different simulated learning schemes based on varying knowledge, belief, and information. Finally, our proposed framework for identifying adaptation strategies provides solutions for enhancing forest structure and diversity, biomass and timber production, and reducing climate change-induced damages. They are spatially heterogeneous, reflecting the diversity in growing conditions and socioeconomic settings within Europe.
Open Access
A general method for the classification of forest stands using species composition and vertical and horizontal structure
(Springer Nature, 2019) De Cáceres, Miquel; Martín Alcón, Santiago; González-Olabarria, José Ramón; Coll Mir, Lluís
Key message. We present a novel approach to define pure- and mixed-forest typologies from the comparison of pairs of forest plots in terms of species identity, diameter, and height of their trees. Context. Forest typologies are useful for many purposes, including forest mapping, assessing habitat quality, studying forest dynamics, or defining sustainable management strategies. Quantitative typologies meant for forestry applications normally focus on horizontal and vertical structure of forest plots as main classification criteria, with species composition often playing a secondary role. The selection of relevant variables is often idiosyncratic and influenced by a priori expectations of the forest types to be distinguished. Aims. We present a general framework to define forest typologies where the dissimilarity between forest stands is assessed using coefficients that integrate the information of species composition with the univariate distribution of tree diameters or heights or the bivariate distribution of tree diameters and heights. Methods. We illustrate our proposal with the classification of forest inventory plots in Catalonia (NE Spain), comparing the results obtained using the bivariate distribution of diameters and heights to those obtained using either tree heights or tree diameters only. Results. The number of subtypes obtained using the tree diameter distribution for the calculation of dissimilarity was often the same as those obtained from the tree height distribution or to those using the bivariate distribution. However, classifications obtained using the three approaches were often different in terms of forest plot membership. Conclusion. The proposed classification framework is particularly suited to define forest typologies from forest inventory data and allows taking advantage of the bivariate distribution of diameters and heights if both variables are measured. It can provide support to the development of typologies in situations where fine-scale variability of topographic, climatic, and legacy management factors leads to fine-scale variation in forest structure and composition, including uneven-aged and mixed stands.
Open Access
A global analysis of avian island diversity–area relationships in the Anthropocene
(Wiley, 2023) Matthews, Thomas J.; Wayman, Joseph P.; Whittaker, Robert J.; Cardoso, Pedro; Hume, Julian P.; Sayol, Ferran; Proios, Konstantinos; Martin, Thomas E.; Baiser, Benjamin; Borges, Paulo A. V.; Kubota, Yasuhiro; Dos Anjos, Luiz; Tobias, Joseph A.; Soares, Filipa C.; Si, Xingfeng; Ding, Ping; Mendenhall, Chase D.; Sin, Yong Chee Keita; Rheindt, Frank E.; Triantis, Kostas A.; Guilhaumon, François; Watson, David M.; Brotons, Lluís; Battisti, Corrado; Chu, Osanna; Rigal, François
Research on island species–area relationships (ISAR) has expanded to incorporate functional (IFDAR) and phylogenetic (IPDAR) diversity. However, relative to the ISAR, we know little about IFDARs and IPDARs, and lack synthetic global analyses of variation in form of these three categories of island diversity–area relationship (IDAR). Here, we undertake the first comparative evaluation of IDARs at the global scale using 51 avian archipelagic data sets representing true and habitat islands. Using null models, we explore how richness-corrected functional and phylogenetic diversity scale with island area. We also provide the largest global assessment of the impacts of species introductions and extinctions on the IDAR. Results show that increasing richness with area is the primary driver of the (non- richness corrected) IPDAR and IFDAR for many data sets. However, for several archipelagos, richness-corrected functional and phylogenetic diversity changes linearly with island area, suggesting that the dominant community assembly processes shift along the island area gradient. We also find that archipelagos with the steepest ISARs exhibit the biggest differences in slope between IDARs, indicating increased functional and phylogenetic redundancy on larger islands in these archipelagos. In several cases introduced species seem to have ‘re-calibrated’ the IDARs such that they resemble the historic period prior to recent extinctions.
Open Access
A global, empirical, harmonised dataset of soil organic carbon changes under perennial crops
(Nature Publishing Group, 2019) Ledo, Alicia; Hillier, Jonathan; Smith, P.; Aguilera, E.; Blagodatskiy, Sergey; Brearley, Francis Q. ; Datta, Ashim; Díaz-Pines, Eugenio; Don, Axel ; Dondini, Marta ; Dunn, Jennifer ; Feliciano, Diana Marisa ; Liebig, Mark A. ; Lang, Rong ; Llorente, Mireia; Lopes Zinn, Yuri; McNamara, Niall; Ogle, Stephen; Qin, Zhangcai ; Rovira, Pere; Rowe, Rebecca ; Vicente-Vicente, José Luis ; Whitaker, Jeanette ; Yue, Qian ; Zerihun, Ayalsew
A global, unifed dataset on Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) changes under perennial crops has not existed till now. We present a global, harmonised database on SOC change resulting from perennial crop cultivation. It contains information about 1605 paired-comparison empirical values (some of which are aggregated data) from 180 diferent peer-reviewed studies, 709 sites, on 58 diferent perennial crop types, from 32 countries in temperate, tropical and boreal areas; including species used for food bioenergy and bio-products. The database also contains information on climate, soil characteristics, management and topography. This is the frst such global compilation and will act as a baseline for SOC changes in perennial crops. It will be key to supporting global modelling of land use and carbon cycle feedbacks, and supporting agricultural policy development.
Open Access
A hydroclimatic model for the distribution of fire on Earth
(IOP Publishing Ltd, 2021-03-25) Boer, Matthias M.; Resco de Dios, Víctor; Stefaniak, Elisa Z.; Bradstock, Ross A.
The distribution of fire on Earth has been monitored from space for several decades, yet the geography of global fire regimes has proven difficult to reproduce from interactions of climate, vegetation, terrain, land use and other human activities by empirical and process-based fire models. Here, we propose a simple, yet robust, model for the global distribution of fire potential based on fundamental biophysical constraints controlling fire activity in all biomes. In our 'top-down' approach we ignored the dynamics of individual fires and focus on capturing hydroclimatic constraints on the production and (seasonal) desiccation of fuels to predict the potential mean annual fractional burned area at 0.25° spatial resolution, here estimated by the 0.99 quantile of the observed mean annual fractional burned area (${F}_{0.99}$) over the 1995-2016 period of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED4). We show that 80% of the global variation in ${F}_{0.99}$ can be explained from a combination of mean annual precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. The proposed hydroclimatic model reproduced observed 0.99 quantile fire activity levels equally well across all biomes and provided the first objective underpinning for the dichotomy of global fire regimes in two domains characterised by either fuel production limitations on fire or fuel dryness limitations on fire. A sharp transition between the two climate-fire domains was found to occur at a mean annual aridity index of 1.9 (1.94 ± 0.02). Our model provides a simple but comprehensive basis for predicting fire potential under current and future climates, as well as an overarching framework for estimating effects of human activity via ignition regimes and manipulation of vegetation.
Open Access
A minimal model of fire-vegetation feedbacks and disturbance stochasticity generates alternative stable states in grassland–shrubland–woodland systems
(IOP Publishing, 2015-03-19) Batllori, Enric; Ackerly, David D.; Moritz, Max A.
Altered disturbance regimes in the context of global change are likely to have profound consequences for ecosystems. Interactions between fire and vegetation are of particular interest, as fire is a major driver of vegetation change, and vegetation properties (e.g., amount, flammability) alter fire regimes. Mediterranean-type ecosystems (MTEs) constitute a paradigmatic example of temperate fire-prone vegetation. Although these ecosystems may be heavily impacted by global change, disturbance regime shifts and the implications of fire-vegetation feedbacks in the dynamics of such biomes are still poorly characterized. We developed a minimal modeling framework incorporating key aspects of fire ecology and successional processes to evaluate the relative influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on disturbance and vegetation dynamics in systems composed of grassland, shrubland, and woodland mosaics, which characterize many MTEs. In this theoretical investigation, we performed extensive simulations representing different background rates of vegetation succession and disturbance regime (fire frequency and severity) processes that reflect a broad range of MTE environmental conditions. Varying fire-vegetation feedbacks can lead to different critical points in underlying processes of disturbance and sudden shifts in the vegetation state of grassland–shrubland–woodland systems, despite gradual changes in ecosystem drivers as defined by the environment. Vegetation flammability and disturbance stochasticity effectively modify system behavior, determining its heterogeneity and the existence of alternative stable states in MTEs. Small variations in system flammability and fire recurrence induced by climate or vegetation changes may trigger sudden shifts in the state of such ecosystems. The existence of threshold dynamics, alternative stable states, and contrasting system responses to environmental change has broad implications for MTE management.
Open Access
A model for predicting the growth of Eucalyptus globulus seedling stands in Bolivia
(Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2012) Guzmán, G.; Morales, M.; Pukkala, Timo; Miguel Magaña, Sergio de
Eucalyptus globulus is one of the most planted species in the Inter-Andean Valleys of Bolivia, where growing conditions are different from most places where eucalypts have been studied. This prevents a straightforward utilization of models fitted elsewhere. In this study a distance-independent individual-tree growth model for E. globulus plantations in Bolivia was developed based on data from 67 permanent sample plots. The model consists of sub-models for dominant height, tree diameter increment, height-diameter relationship and survival. According to model-based simulations, the mean annual increment with the optimal rotation length is about 13 m3 ha–1 yr–1 on medium-quality sites and 18 m3 ha–1 yr–1on the best sites. A suitable rotation length for maximizing wood production is approximately 30 years on medium sites and 20 years on the most productive sites. The developed models provide valuable information for further studies on optimizing the management and evaluating alternative management regimes for the species.
Open Access
A multi-proxy framework to detect insect defoliations in tree rings: a case study on pine processionary
(Frontiers Media SA, 2023) Camarero, J. Julio; Colangelo, Michele; Rita, Angelo; Hevia, Andrea; Pizarro, Manuel; Voltas Velasco, Jordi
Assessing and reconstructing the impacts of defoliation caused by insect herbivores on tree growth, carbon budget and water use, and differentiating these impacts from other stresses and disturbances such as droughts requires multi-proxy approaches. Here we present a methodological framework to pinpoint the impacts of pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea pityocampa), a major winter-feeding defoliator, on tree cover (remote-sensing indices), radial growth and wood features (anatomy, density, lignin/carbohydrate ratio of cell walls, δ13C and δ18O of wood cellulose) of drought-prone pine (Pinus nigra) forests in north-eastern Spain. We compared host defoliated (D) and coexisting non-defoliated (ND) pines along with non-host oaks (Quercus faginea) following a strong insect outbreak occurring in 2016 at two climatically contrasting sites (cool-wet Huesca and warm-dry Teruel). Changes in tree-ring width and wood density were analyzed and their responses to climate variables (including a drought index) were compared between D and ND trees. The Normalized Difference Infrared Index showed reductions due to the outbreak of –47.3% and –55.6% in Huesca and Teruel, respectively. The D pines showed: a strong drop in growth (–96.3% on average), a reduction in tracheid lumen diameter (–35.0%) and lower lignin/carbohydrate ratios of tracheid cell-walls. Both pines and oaks showed synchronous growth reductions during dry years. In the wet Huesca site, lower wood δ13C values and a stronger coupling between δ13C and δ18O were observed in D as compared with ND pines. In the dry Teruel site, the minimum wood density of ND pines responded more negatively to spring drought than that of D pines. We argue that multi-proxy assessments that combine several variables have the potential to improve our ability to pinpoint and reconstruct insect outbreaks using tree-ring data.
Open Access
A resource-based modelling framework to assess habitat suitability for steppe birds in semiarid mediterranean agricultural systems
(Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2014) Cardador Bergua, Laura; De Cáceres, Miquel; Bota, Gerard; Giralt, David; Casas, Fabian; Arroyo, Beatriz; Mougeot, F.; Cantero-Martínez, Carlos; Moncunill Geniz, Judit; Butler, Simon J.; Brotons, Lluís
European agriculture is undergoing widespread changes that are likely to have profound impacts on farmland biodiversity.The development of tools that allow an assessment of the potential biodiversity effects of different land-use alternatives before changes occur is fundamental to guiding management decisions. In this study, we develop a resource-based model framework to estimate habitat suitability for target species, according to simple information on species’ key resource requirements (diet, foraging habitat and nesting site), and examine whether it can be used to link land-use and local species’ distribution. We take as a study case four steppe bird species in a lowland area of the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula. We also compare the performance of our resource-based approach to that obtained through habitat-based models relating species’ occurrence and land-cover variables. Further, we use our resource-based approach to predict the effects that change in farming systems can have on farmland bird habitat suitability and compare these predictions with those obtained using the habitat-based models. Habitat suitability estimates generated by our resource-based models performed similarly (and better for one study species) than habitat based-models when predicting current species distribution. Moderate prediction success was achieved for three out of four species considered by resource-based models and for two of four by habitat-based models. Although, there is potential for improving the performance of resource-based models, they provide a structure for using available knowledge of the functional links between agricultural practices, provision of key resources and the response of organisms to predict potential effects of changing land-uses in a variety of context or the impacts of changes such as altered management practices that are not easily incorporated into habitat-based models.
Open Access
A synthesis of multi-taxa management experiments to guide forest biodiversity conservation in Europe
(Elsevier, 2023) Tinya, Flóra; Doerfler, Inken; De Groot, Maarten; Heilman-Clausen, Jacob; Kovács, Bence; Mårell, Anders; Nordén, Björn; Aszalós, Réka; Bässler, Claus; Brazaitis, Gediminas; Sabina, Burrascano; Camprodon, Jordi; Chudomelová, Markéta; Čížek, Lukáš; D'Andrea, Ettore; Gossner, Martin; Halme, Panu; Hédl, Radim; Korboulewsky, Nathalie; Kouki, Jari; Kozel, Petr; Lõhmus, Asko; López, Rosana; Máliš, František; Martín, Juan A.; Matteucci, Giorgio; Mattioli, Walter; Mundet, Roser; Müller, Jörg; Nicolas, Manuel; Oldén, Anna; Piqué i Nicolau, Míriam; Preikša, Žydrūnas; Rovira Ciuró, Joan; Remm, Liina; Schall, Peter; Šebek, Pavel; Seibold, Sebastian; Simončič, Primož; Ujházy, Karol; Ujházyová, Mariana; Vild, Ondřej; Vincenot, Lucie; Weisser, Wolfgang; Ódor, Péter
Most European forests are used for timber production. Given the limited extent of unmanaged (and especially primary) forests, it is essential to include commercial forests in the conservation of forest biodiversity. In order to develop ecologically sustainable forest management practices, it is important to understand the management impacts on forest-dwelling organisms. Experiments allow testing the effects of alternative management strategies, and monitoring of multiple taxa informs us on the response range across forest-dwelling organisms. To provide a representative picture of the currently available information, metadata on 28 multi-taxa forest management experiments were collected from 14 European countries. We demonstrate the potential of compiling these experiments in a single network to upscale results from the local to continental level and indicate directions for future research. Among the different forest types, temperate deciduous beech and oak-dominated forests are the best represented in the multi-taxa management experiments. Of all the experimental treatments, innovative ways of traditional management techniques (e.g., gap cutting and thinning) and conservation-oriented interventions (e.g., microhabitat enrichment) provide the best opportunity for large-scale analyses. Regarding the organism groups, woody regeneration, herbs, fungi, beetles, bryophytes, birds and lichens offer the largest potential for addressing management–biodiversity relationships at the European level. We identified knowledge gaps regarding boreal, hemiboreal and broadleaved evergreen forests, the treatments of large herbivore exclusion, prescribed burning and forest floor or water manipulations, and the monitoring of soil-dwelling organisms and some vertebrate classes, e.g., amphibians, reptiles and mammals. To improve multi-site comparisons, design of future experiments should be fitted to the set-up of the ongoing projects and standardised biodiversity sampling is suggested. However, the network described here opens the way to learn lessons on the impact on forest biodiversity of different management techniques at the continental level, and thus, supports biodiversity conservation in managed forests.
Open Access
A trait-based approach to both forestry and timber building can synchronize forest harvest and resilience
(Oxford University Press, 2023) Osborne, Peter; Aquilué, Núria; Mina, Marco; Moe, Kiel; Jemtrud, Michael; Messier, Christian
Along with forest managers, builders are key change agents of forest ecosystems’ structure and composition through the specification and use of wood products. New forest management approaches are being advocated to increase the resilience and adaptability of forests to climate change and other natural disturbances. Such approaches call for a diversification of our forests based on species’ functional traits that will dramatically change the harvested species composition, volume, and output of our forested landscapes. This calls for the wood-building industry to adapt its ways of operating. Accordingly, we expand the evaluation of the ecological resilience of forest ecosystems based on functional diversification to include a trait-based approach to building with wood. This trait-based plant-building framework can illustrate how forecasted forest changes in the coming decades may impact and guide decisions about wood-building practices, policies, and specifications. We apply this approach using a fragmented rural landscape in temperate southeastern Canada. We link seven functional groups based on the ecological traits of tree species in the region to a similar functional grouping of building traits to characterize the push and pull of managing forests and wood buildings together. We relied on a process-based forest landscape model to simulate long-term forest dynamics and timber harvesting to evaluate how various novel management approaches will interact with the changing global environment to affect the forest-building relationships. Our results suggest that adopting a whole system, plant-building approach to forests and wood buildings, is key to enhancing forest ecological and timber construction industry resilience.
Open Access
Aboveground biomass density models for NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) lidar mission
(Elsevier, 2022) Duncanson, Laura; Kellner, James R.; Armston, John; Dubayah, Ralph; Minor, David M.; Hancock, Steven; Healey, Sean P.; Patterson, Paul L.; Saarela, Svetlana; Marselis, Suzanne; Silva, Carlos E.; Bruening, Jamis; Goetz, Scott J.; Tang, Hao; Hofton, Michelle; Blair, Bryan; Luthcke, Scott; Fatoyinbo, Lola; Abernethy, Katharine; Alonso, Alfonso; Andersen, Hans-Erik; Aplin, Paul; Baker, Timothy R.; Barbier, Nicolas; Bastin, Jean-Francois; Biber, Peter; Boeckx, Pascal; Bogaert, Jan; Boschetti, Luigi; Brehm Boucher, Peter; Boyd, Doreen S.; Burslem, David; Calvo-Rodriguez, Sofia; Chave, Jérôme; Chazdon, Robin L.; Clark, David B.; Clark, Deborah A.; Cohen, Warren B.; Coomes, David A.; Corona, Piermaria; Cushman, Katherine C.; Cutler, Mark E.J.; Dalling, James W.; Dalponte, Michele; Dash, Jonathan; Miguel Magaña, Sergio de; Deng, Songqiu; Woods Ellis, Peter; Erasmus, Barend; Fekety, Patrick A.; Fernandez-Landa, Alfredo; Ferraz, Antonio; Fischer, Rico; Fisher, Adrian G.; García-Abril, Antonio; Gobakken, Terje; Hacker, Jorg M.; Heurich, Marco; Hill, Ross A.; Hopkinson, Chris; Huang, Huabing; Hubbell, Stephen P.; Hudak, Andrew T.; Huth, Andreas; Imbach, Benedikt; Jeffery, Kathryn J.; Katoh, Masato; Kearsley, Elizabeth; Kenfack, David; Kljun, Natascha; Knapp, Nikolai; Král, Kamil; Krůček, Martin; Labrière, Nicolas; Lewis, Simon L.; Longo, Marcos; Lucas, Richard M.; Main, Russell; Manzanera, Jose A.; Vásquez Martínez, Rodolfo; Mathieu, Renaud; Memiaghe, Herve; Meyer, Victoria; Monteagudo Mendoza, Abel; Monerris, Alessandra; Montesano, Paul; Morsdorf, Felix; Næsset, Erik; Naidoo, Laven; Nilus, Reuben; O’Brien, Michael; Orwig, David A.; Papathanassiou, Konstantinos; Parker, Geoffrey; Philipson, Christopher; Phillips, Oliver L.; Pisek, Jan; Poulsen, John R.; Pretzsch, Hans; Rüdiger, Christoph; Saatchi, Sassan S.; Sanchez-Azofeifa, Arturo; Sanchez-Lopez, Nuria; Scholes, Robert; Silva, Carlos Alberto; Simard, Marc; Skidmore, Andrew; Stereńczak, Krzysztof; Tanase, Mihai; Torresan, Chiara; Valbuena, Ruben; Verbeeck, Hans; Vrska, Tomas; Wessels, Konrad; White, Joanne C.; White, Lee J.T.; Zahabu, Eliakimu; Zgraggen, Carlo
NASA’s Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) is collecting spaceborne full waveform lidar data with a primary science goal of producing accurate estimates of forest aboveground biomass density (AGBD). This paper presents the development of the models used to create GEDI’s footprint-level (~25 m) AGBD (GEDI04_A) product, including a description of the datasets used and the procedure for final model selection. The data used to fit our models are from a compilation of globally distributed spatially and temporally coincident field and airborne lidar datasets, whereby we simulated GEDI-like waveforms from airborne lidar to build a calibration database. We used this database to expand the geographic extent of past waveform lidar studies, and divided the globe into four broad strata by Plant Functional Type (PFT) and six geographic regions. GEDI’s waveform-tobiomass models take the form of parametric Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models with simulated Relative Height (RH) metrics as predictor variables. From an exhaustive set of candidate models, we selected the best input predictor variables, and data transformations for each geographic stratum in the GEDI domain to produce a set of comprehensive predictive footprint-level models. We found that model selection frequently favored combinations of RH metrics at the 98th, 90th, 50th, and 10th height above ground-level percentiles (RH98, RH90, RH50, and RH10, respectively), but that inclusion of lower RH metrics (e.g. RH10) did not markedly improve model performance. Second, forced inclusion of RH98 in all models was important and did not degrade model performance, and the best performing models were parsimonious, typically having only 1-3 predictors. Third, stratification by geographic domain (PFT, geographic region) improved model performance in comparison to global models without stratification. Fourth, for the vast majority of strata, the best performing models were fit using square root transformation of field AGBD and/or height metrics. There was considerable variability in model performance across geographic strata, and areas with sparse training data and/or high AGBD values had the poorest performance. These models are used to produce global predictions of AGBD, but will be improved in the future as more and better training data become available.
Open Access
Acceptance of near-natural greenspace management relates to ecological and socio-cultural assigned values among European urbanites
(Elsevier GmbH on behalf of Gesellschaft für Ökologie, 2020-10-31) Lampinen, Jussi; Tuomi, Maria; Fischer, Leonie K.; Neuenkamp, Lena; Alday, Josu G.; Bucharova, Anna; Cancellieri, Laura; Casado-Arzuaga, Izaskun; Čeplová, Natálie; Cerveró, Lluïsa; Deák, Balázs; Eriksson, Ove; Fellowes, Mark D.E.; Fernández de Manuel, Beatriz; Filibeck, Goffredo; González-Guzmán, Adrián; Hinojosa, M. Belen; Kowarik, Ingo; Lumbierres i Bardají, Belén; Miguel, Ana; Pardo, Rosa; Pons i Domènech, Xavier; Rodríguez-García, Encarna; Schröder, Roland; Sperandii, Marta Gaia; Unterweger, Philipp; Valkó, Orsolya; Vázquez, Víctor; Klaus, Valentin H.
Grasslands are widespread elements of urban greenspace providing recreational, psychological and aesthetic benefits to city residents. Two urban grassland types of contrasting management dominate urban greenspaces: frequently mown, species-poor short-cut lawns and less intensively managed, near-natural tall-grass meadows. The higher conservation value of tall-grass meadows makes management interventions such as converting short-cut lawns into tall-grass meadows a promising tool for urban biodiversity conservation. The societal success of such interventions, however, depends on identifying the values urban residents assign to different types of urban grasslands, and how these values translate to attitudes towards greenspace management. Using 2027 questionnaires across 19 European cities, we identify the assigned values that correlate with people's personal greenspace use and their preferences for different types of urban grasslands to determine how these values relate to the agreement with a scenario of converting 50% of their cities’ short-cut lawns into tall-grass meadows. We found that most people assigned nature-related values, such as wildness, to tall-grass meadows and utility-related values, such as recreation, to short-cut lawns. Positive value associations of wildness and species richness with tall-grass meadows, and social and nature-related greenspace activities, positively correlated with agreeing to convert short-cut lawns into tall-grass meadows. Conversely, disapproval of lawn conversion correlated with positive value associations of cleanliness and recreation potential with short-cut lawns. Here, people using greenspaces for nature-related activities were outstandingly positive about lawn conversion. The results show that the plurality of values assigned to different types of urban grasslands should be considered in urban greenspace planning. For example, tall-grass meadows could be managed to also accommodate the values associated with short-cut lawns, such as tidiness and recreation potential, to support their societal acceptance.
Open Access
Accounting for continuous species' responses to management effort enhances cost-effectiveness of conservation decisions
(Elsevier, 2016-03-16) Cattarino, Lorenzo; Hermoso, Virgilio; Bradford, Lindsay W.; Carwardine, Josie; Wilson, Kerrie A.; Kennard, Mark J.; Linke, Simon
Limited resources available for conservation require prioritizing location and level of conservation management efforts to abate threats to species. Ideally, the optimal level of management effort to allocate to an action should be informed by the species' responses to actions. This would enhance cost-effectiveness of conservation recommendations. How continuous species' responses to varying levels of management effort (‘species response curves’) affect the cost of abating threats to species is poorly understood, but critical for cost-effective threat management. We developed an optimization approach to prioritize management efforts based on varying species' response curves. We tested our framework in the Mitchell River catchment, northern Australia, to find the optimal level of effort to allocate to restoration of river connectivity and riparian revegetation to improve persistence of freshwater fish species. We compared the results of our analysis against a traditional approach, which assumes that (1) an action is either fully implemented or not; and (2) when the action is fully implemented the species persists; when the action is not implemented, the species goes locally extinct. We showed that by using species response curves we can abate threats to species at budgets up to 20% lower than when applying the traditional approach. Our approach can aid identifying how much effort (i.e., area managed, timeframe of management or budget invested) to allocate to multiple actions, and where, to cost-effectively abate threats to species. This has the potential to significantly improve biodiversity outcomes when resources are limited, by improving precision of on-ground conservation decisions.

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