Epixylic, forest-interior bryophytes in young stands : importance of local environmental variables, propagule sources, and distance to bordering woodland key habitats

Abstract: The reduction of coarse, dead wood is considered to be the biggest threat to flora and faunain boreal forests. Extensive harvest of logging residues would increase this reduction evenmore. However, the role of dead wood created at final felling for boreal, epixylic species isstill largely unclear. It is therefore of interest to examine whether epixylic species inhabit thedead wood in young, boreal stands, especially species considered to be confined to forests inlate successional stages.The aim of this study was to investigate whether forest-interior species in fact can inhabitearly-successional forests arisen after logging. The study was conducted in young standsbordering dead wood rich woodland key habitats. All CWD and totally 202 FWD in five plotswere searched for the presence and abundance of the study species, and local environmentalvariables, propagule sources and distance to bordering woodland key habitats were recorded.The effects of the variables on the presence and abundance of five forest-interior epixylicbryophytes, (Anastrophyllum hellerianum, Buxbaumia viridis, Herzogiella seligeri,Lophocolea heterophylla and Nowellia curvifolia) were analysed. For comparison epixylicbryophytes and lichens considered to be open-forest species and generalist species was alsoincluded.Predictive models could be built for the abundance of A. hellerianum and H. seligeri and forthe occurrence of all forest-interior species (see above) but N. curvifolia. Predictive modelswere also built for many of the comparison species both concerning occurrence andabundance.The study showed that forest-interior species can inhabit early-successional forests arisenafter logging. However, it was concluded that all CWD in young stands immediatelysurrounding woodland key habitats should be excluded from biofuel harvest because speciesspecific guidelines are not useful for the forest industry.