Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Forestry is an important industry in Sweden, but threatens ecological values within forest ecosystems. Due to the variety of species and their respective sensitivities to environmental factors, beetles can be used to illustrate differences between managed and natural forests. Beetles were collected from rotationally managed and unmanaged fire-regenerated forests on a scale of time since disturbance, and subsequently identified. Beetle abundance, species richness, and red- listed species richness were all higher on the unmanaged fire chronosequence. Basal area and deadwood diversity were drivers of species richness. Based on these results, smaller scale considerations to nature could improve conditions within the stands throughout the rotation, namely an increase in deadwood abundance and diversity. In addition, Swedish forest management needs to shift from the current methods of clearcutting and even-aged management to continuous cover methods of harvest that better mimic natural disturbance regimes. In general, more forest needs to be protected, across age classes, and the managed landscape should be planned with respect to biodiversity.