Experimental manipulation of habitat structures in intensively managed spruce plantations to increase conservation value

在今后几十年里，加拿大至少有一部分森林将继续加强森林管理。一个批评是，种植的立场是“消毒”，结构多样性少，物种少，并删除倒下和站在枯枝。人们通常关注的是枯枝落叶稀少和上层林物种多样性减少。这项研究将确定的影响，主要栖息地的结构，早期种植的立场，动物和植物类群，从而对关键的生态系统过程，以及如何将这些纳入管理战略。我们专注于分类群，有一个明确的连接到枯木和稀疏的反应-即无脊椎动物，brabetes，鸟类物种，直接依赖于枯木，地面植被物种敏感的干扰，和小型哺乳动物物种，已被观察到有低密度的种植林。我们将实验性地操纵栖息地结构元素

At least part of Canada's forest will sustain intensification of forest management over the next decades. A criticism is that planted stands are 'sanitized', with less structural diversity, fewer species, and removal of downed and standing deadwood. Concerns are typically focused on paucity of deadwood and reduced species diversity in the overstory. This research will determine the influence of key habitat structures, early in the rotation of planted stands, on animal and plant taxa and thereby on key ecosystem processes, and how these can be incorporated into management strategy. We are focusing on taxa that have a clear connection to deadwood and thinning response - namely invertebrates, bryophytes, and bird species that are directly dependent upon deadwood, ground vegetation species sensitive to disturbance, and small mammal species that have been observed to have low density in planted stands. We will experimentally manipulate habitat structure elements