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Bioenergy harvest impacts to biodiversity and resilience vary across aspen‐dominated forest ecosystems in the Lake States region, USA

Journal Article · · Applied Vegetation Science
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12256· OSTI ID:1400994
 [1];  [2];  [3];
  1. Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota 1530 Cleveland Avenue North Saint Paul MN 55108 USA
  2. Department of Forest Resources University of Minnesota 1530 Cleveland Avenue North Saint Paul MN 55108 USA, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources University of Vermont 81 Carrigan Drive Burlington VT 05405 USA
  3. USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station 1831 Hwy 169 E. Grand Rapids MN 55744 USA
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Abstract Questions

Does the increase in disturbance associated with removing harvest residues negatively impact biodiversity and resilience in aspen‐dominated forest ecosystems? How do responses of functional diversity measures relate to community recovery and standing biomass?

Location

Aspen ( Populus tremuloides, Michx.) mixedwood forests in Minnesota and Michigan, USA.

Methods

Three levels for two factors, organic matter removal and compaction, were fully crossed, resulting in nine experimental treatments that spanned a range of disturbance severity. Each treatment was replicated three times at each of three sites dominated by the same tree species but having different soil textures (clay, silty loam, sandy). Community composition and taxonomic diversity (species richness, species evenness, Shannon diversity index) were quantified based on woody species abundance sampled 5, 10 and 15 yr after disturbance. Community composition response was assessed using non‐metric multidimensional scaling. Functional diversity (functional richness, evenness, dispersion and divergence) was also estimated using eight species effect and response traits. Finally, we examined community recovery as well as responses of species and functional diversity to disturbance severity over time using repeated measures ANOVA.

Results

Two responses indicated a potentially negative impact of whole‐tree harvest relative to conventional, stem‐only harvest: functional richness on silty loam soils and species evenness on clayey soils. Otherwise, negative impacts were restricted to forest floor removal or increased compaction. Recovery in community composition was reduced by the most severe treatments, particularly forest floor removal, across the study, but the responses of functional and taxonomic diversity varied among sites, with some measures increasing as a result of severe disturbance.

Conclusions

Maximization of standing biomass may mean a short‐term sacrifice in species and functional diversity. Also, examinations of forest management impacts on species and functional diversity and composition should apply multiple metrics and indices to ensure potential impacts are not obscured by the reliance on a single approach.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1400994
Journal Information:
Applied Vegetation Science, Journal Name: Applied Vegetation Science Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 19; ISSN 1402-2001
Publisher:
Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Sweden
Language:
English

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