Seventy-year history of management using low-intensity harvesting methods: weak impact on biodiversity of hemiboreal Scots pine forests

Abstract

Less intensive harvesting methods (e.g., selection cutting, shelterwood cuttings) are recommended as alternatives to clearcutting for maintaining mature forest biodiversity in the process of forest regeneration. However, the long-term impact of low-intensity harvesting methods has rarely been studied. Our aim was to clarify the long-term effects of repeated selective cutting, thinning, and shelterwood cutting on the richness, abundance, and species composition of vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens in Scots pine forests (Pinus sylvestris L.). Data were collected from 25 mature stands located in dry Podzols in southwestern Estonia with a known management history for the last 70 years. Altogether, 35 vascular plant, 41 bryophyte, and 78 lichen species were recorded, including five species with conservational value. Generally, the management history was not related to species richness, except a negative correlation with the species number of epiphytic lichens on conifer trees. In addition, the abundance of two lichen species from the genus Chaenotheca was lower in more frequently managed stands. Species richness and composition were most strongly affected by soil pH and light conditions. We conclude that long-term, low-intensity harvesting of Scots pine forests on nutrient-poor Podzols maintains suitable habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, and lichens, confirming its suitability for sustainable forest regeneration.