Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden
Wood bioenergy may decrease the reliance on fossil carbon and mitigate anticipated increases in temperature. However, increased use of wood bioenergy may have large impacts on forest biodiversity primarily through the loss of dead wood habitats. We evaluated both the large-scale and long-term effect...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-07-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/8/457 |
| _version_ | 1811283528593178624 |
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| author | Anouschka R. Hof Therese Löfroth Jörgen Rudolphi Timothy Work Joakim Hjältén |
| author_facet | Anouschka R. Hof Therese Löfroth Jörgen Rudolphi Timothy Work Joakim Hjältén |
| author_sort | Anouschka R. Hof |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Wood bioenergy may decrease the reliance on fossil carbon and mitigate anticipated increases in temperature. However, increased use of wood bioenergy may have large impacts on forest biodiversity primarily through the loss of dead wood habitats. We evaluated both the large-scale and long-term effects of different bioenergy extraction scenarios on the availability of dead wood and the suitability of the resulting habitat for saproxylic species, using a spatially explicit forest landscape simulation framework applied in the Swedish boreal forest. We demonstrate that bioenergy extraction scenarios, differing in the level of removal of biomass, can have significant effects on dead wood volumes. Although all of the scenarios led to decreasing levels of dead wood, the scenario aimed at species conservation led to highest volumes of dead wood (about 10 m3 ha−1) and highest connectivity of dead wood patches (mean proximity index of 78), whilst the scenario aimed at reaching zero fossil fuel targets led to the lowest levels (about 8 m3 ha−1) and least connectivity (mean proximity index of 7). Our simulations stress that further exploitation of dead wood from sites where volumes are already below suggested habitat thresholds for saproxylic species will very likely have further negative effects on dead wood dependent species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:13:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-dad067c2326b4e27b4355ced406e539c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T02:13:09Z |
| publishDate | 2018-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-dad067c2326b4e27b4355ced406e539c2022-12-22T03:07:14ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072018-07-019845710.3390/f9080457f9080457Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in SwedenAnouschka R. Hof0Therese Löfroth1Jörgen Rudolphi2Timothy Work3Joakim Hjältén4Resource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, SwedenDepartment of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, SwedenDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, CanadaDepartment of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, SwedenWood bioenergy may decrease the reliance on fossil carbon and mitigate anticipated increases in temperature. However, increased use of wood bioenergy may have large impacts on forest biodiversity primarily through the loss of dead wood habitats. We evaluated both the large-scale and long-term effects of different bioenergy extraction scenarios on the availability of dead wood and the suitability of the resulting habitat for saproxylic species, using a spatially explicit forest landscape simulation framework applied in the Swedish boreal forest. We demonstrate that bioenergy extraction scenarios, differing in the level of removal of biomass, can have significant effects on dead wood volumes. Although all of the scenarios led to decreasing levels of dead wood, the scenario aimed at species conservation led to highest volumes of dead wood (about 10 m3 ha−1) and highest connectivity of dead wood patches (mean proximity index of 78), whilst the scenario aimed at reaching zero fossil fuel targets led to the lowest levels (about 8 m3 ha−1) and least connectivity (mean proximity index of 7). Our simulations stress that further exploitation of dead wood from sites where volumes are already below suggested habitat thresholds for saproxylic species will very likely have further negative effects on dead wood dependent species.http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/8/457boreal forestbiodiversitybiofuelmodellingsaproxylic species |
| spellingShingle | Anouschka R. Hof Therese Löfroth Jörgen Rudolphi Timothy Work Joakim Hjältén Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden Forests boreal forest biodiversity biofuel modelling saproxylic species |
| title | Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden |
| title_full | Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden |
| title_fullStr | Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden |
| title_full_unstemmed | Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden |
| title_short | Simulating Long-Term Effects of Bioenergy Extraction on Dead Wood Availability at a Landscape Scale in Sweden |
| title_sort | simulating long term effects of bioenergy extraction on dead wood availability at a landscape scale in sweden |
| topic | boreal forest biodiversity biofuel modelling saproxylic species |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/9/8/457 |
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