Distribution of deadwood and other forest structural indicators relevant for bird conservation in Natura 2000 special protection areas in Poland.

ABSTRACT: Numerous bird species, often rare or endangered, rely on the presence of standing and downed deadwood for shelter, nesting, and foraging. Habitat quality was evaluated on the basis of deadwood volume, the density of large standing deadwood, and the space filling index (SFI). The SFI reflects the degree of space filling of the bottom layers taking into account tree trunks, seedlings, saplings, ground vegetation, stumps, and downed deadwood. Analysis encompassed all special protection areas (SPAs) in Poland (a total of 107 SPAs containing 7974 sample plots monitored under the National Forest Inventory). An additional in-depth analysis was conducted for 30 SPAs with the greatest share of forest habitats. The studied indicators varied substantially both between and within individual SPAs, with

SUBMITTER: Bujoczek L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8298385 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature