Restorative selective cutting maintains tree-related microhabitats in mixed oak-dominated forests

Laurent Larrieu est co-auteur, avec des chercheurs d'Europe du Nord, d'un nouvel article sur l'étude des coupes sélectives de restauration maintenant les dendromicrohabitats dans les chênaies mixtes et publiée dans la revue Forest Ecology and Management.

Torres-García, M. T., Löf, M., Larrieu, L., Schmucker, J., Nordén, B. & Felton, A. (2026). Restorative selective cutting maintains tree-related microhabitats in mixed oak-dominated forests. Forest Ecology and Management 608: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123598.

Abstract:

Mixed-species forests in southern Fennoscandia have been subject to deforestation and degradation by land-use changes and intensive forest management. Given the importance of mixed forests for biodiversity and climate change adaptation, it is crucial to conserve remaining patches and manage them in ways that sustain or restore their associated habitats for biodiversity. We evaluated whether restorative selective cutting contributes to forest diversity by fostering tree-related microhabitats (TreMs). We inventoried TreMs on 2346 trees from 42 mixed oak-dominated forests in Sweden and Norway and compared the composition and diversity of TreMs at the plot and tree scale in selective cutting stands (25 % basal area removed 7 or 21 years ago, cutting conifers preferably and opening the space around large deciduous trees) and control stands (no recent intervention). At the tree scale, higher TreM diversity was observed on trees from selective cutting plots, but only in stands cut 7 years ago. Moreover, selective cutting had a positive effect on the epiphyte group that includes bryophytes and lichens. At the plot scale, however, there was no difference in TreM diversity between treatments. At both scales, diameter at breast height was the prevalent factor that positively affected TreM diversity, together with tree species and living status: conifers had a negative effect on TreMs, whereas higher proportion of standing dead trees explained higher TreM diversity. Our results indicate that selective cutting with clear ecological-restoration goals is a favourable approach to maintaining TreMs in mixed forests of hemiboreal regions, although its long-term implications need further research.