Long-term impacts of forest ditching on non-aquatic biodiversity: conservation perspectives for a novel ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Artificial drainage (ditching) is widely used to increase timber yield in northern forests. When the drainage systems are maintained, their environmental impacts are likely to accumulate over time and along accompanying management, notably after logging when new forest develops on decayed peat. Our study provides the first comprehensive documentation of long-term ditching impacts on terrestrial and arboreal biodiversity by comparing natural alder swamps and second-generation drained forests that have evolved from such swamps in Estonia. We explored species composition of four potentially drainage-sensitive taxonomic groups (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and snails), abundance of species of conservation concern, and their relationships with stand structure in two-ha plots representi

SUBMITTER: Remm L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3639956 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature