Annija Kārkliņa, Guntis Brūmelis, Iluta Dauškane, Didzis Elferts, Lāsma Freimane, Māra Kitenberga, Zane Lībiete, Roberts Matisons, Āris Jansons. (2020). Effect of salvage-logging on post-fire tree establishment and ground cover vegetation in semi-natural hemiboreal forests. Silva Fennica vol. 54 no. 5 article id 10334. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10334

Keywords: management; forest fire; natural disturbance; legacies; understory vegetation

Highlights: Effect of salvage logging on post-fire understory vegetation was assessed; Effect of salvage logging differed depending on forest types; In dry-poor stands, Calluna vulgaris was hindering other plant species; In wet stands, logging had positive effect on understory vegetation diversity; Salvage logging enhanced the effect of natural disturbance in dry-rich stands.

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Fire is a common disturbance in boreal forests causing changes in biological diversity at various spatial scales. In the past 100 years, forest management has limited fire outbreaks, but in the future, the fire-affected forest area is expected to increase in many regions due to climate change. Burned forests are typically salvage-logged, but the effect of this type of management versus natural regeneration on biological diversity is not well understood, particularly the mid-term effect to tree establishment and understory vegetation composition and diversity. Various management methods were used after a large fire in 1992 in a peatland-forest complex and neighbouring managed forests, which created an experimental setup for study of the effect of management after fire in the Sliteres National park, northwestern Latvia. Understory vegetation was described in plots using a design of four forest and three management types: natural regeneration (unmanaged) and managed sites with salvage logging followed by no further human intervention and salvage logging with planting. Post-fire management had different effect in each forest type. Species richness was higher in forest types with salvage logging than in natural regenerated sites on rich wet and rich dry forest types, but not for the poor forest types. Tree regeneration was generally greater in salvage-logged stands, but differed between forest types. Species composition was related to tree regeneration and canopy openness. In contrast to other studies, salvage logging had a positive mid-term effect to ground vegetation diversity and tree establishment in the studied stands, implying potential for concomitant management and conservation of ground cover vegetation in semi-natural stands.

Kārkliņa, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: annija.karklina@silava.lv
Brūmelis, University of Latvia, Faculty of Biology, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia E-mail: guntis.brumelis@lu.lv
Dauškane, University of Latvia, Faculty of Biology, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia E-mail: iluta.dauskane@lu.lv
Elferts, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia; University of Latvia, Faculty of Biology, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia E-mail: didzis.elferts@lu.lv
Freimane, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: lasma.freimane@silava.lv
Kitenberga, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: mara.kitenberga@silava.lv
Lībiete, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: zane.libiete@silava.lv
Matisons, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: robism@inbox.lv
Jansons, Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, 111 Rigas Street, LV-2169, Salaspils, Latvia E-mail: aris.jansons@silava.lv

article id 172, category Research article

Guntis Brumelis, Maris Strazds, Zanna Eglava. (2009). Stand structure and spatial pattern of regeneration of Pinus sylvestris in a natural treed mire in Latvia. Silva Fennica vol. 43 no. 5 article id 172. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.172

Keywords: Pinus sylvestris; regeneration; natural forest; mire

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We examined the regeneration patterns of Pinus sylvestris L. in a natural treed mire in the hemiboreal zone in Latvia. Data on tree stem age and size was collected in 207 fine-scale plots (10 m²) and 4 medium-scale plots (400 m²). Size structure of living and dead trees was also estimated on transects 180-m and 250-m length and 10-m width. In addition, the vegetation was described in 1-m² plots to determine preferred microsites for P. sylvestris establishment. Pinus sylvestris showed continuous regeneration by an inverse J-shaped age and size structure. Pulses of mortality induced by fire were also evident. Regeneration of P. sylvestris was mostly on Sphagnum magellanicam Brid. hummocks free of competition from Ledum palustre L. and graminoids, which were found in small interspersed patches throughout the mire. The spatial pattern of tree cohorts differed, probably due to changing moisture conditions altering seedbed conditions and by fire-induced mortality in specific areas. Recent rapid invasion by Betula pubescens Ehrh. and Picea abies (L.) Karst. in a post-fire period since 1971 is probably associated with drier conditions.

Brumelis, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Kronvalda bulv. 4, Riga LV1586, Latvia E-mail: guntis.brumelis@lu.lv
Strazds, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Kronvalda bulv. 4, Riga LV1586, Latvia E-mail: ms@nn.lv
Eglava, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Kronvalda bulv. 4, Riga LV1586, Latvia E-mail: ze@nn.lv

Category : Review article

article id 446, category Review article

Guntis Brumelis, Bengt Gunnar Jonsson, Jari Kouki, Timo Kuuluvainen, Ekaterina Shorohova. (2011). Forest naturalness in northern Europe: perspectives on processes, structures and species diversity. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 5 article id 446. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.446

Keywords: disturbances; dead wood; natural forest; biological diversity

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Saving the remaining natural forests in northern Europe has been one of the main goals to halt the ongoing decline of forest biodiversity. To facilitate the recognition, mapping and efficient conservation of natural forests, there is an urgent need for a general formulation, based on ecological patterns and processes, of the concept of “forest naturalness”. However, complexity, structural idiosyncracy and dynamical features of unmanaged forest ecosystems at various spatio-temporal scales pose major challenges for such a formulation. The definitions hitherto used for the concept of forest naturalness can be fruitfully grouped into three dimensions: 1) structure-based concepts of natural forest, 2) species-based concepts of natural forest and 3) process-based concepts of natural forest. We propose that explicit and simultaneous consideration of all these three dimensions of naturalness can better cope with the natural variability of forest states and also aid in developing strategies for forest conservation and management in different situations. To become operational, criteria and indicators of forest naturalness need to integrate the three dimensions by combining species (e.g. red-listed-, indicator- and umbrella species) with stand and landscape level structural features that are indicative of disturbance and succession processes.

Brumelis, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Kronvalda bulv. 4, Riga, LV-1586, Latvia; E-mail: guntis.brumelis@lu.lv
Jonsson, Department of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden E-mail: bgj@nn.se
Kouki, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Joensuu E-mail: jk@nn.fi
Kuuluvainen, Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: tk@nn.fi
Shorohova, Saint-Petersburg State Forest Academy, Saint-Petersburg, Russia & Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, Vantaa, Finland E-mail: es@nn.ru

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