Deadwood on clearcut sites during 20 years after harvests: The effects of tree retention level and prescribed burning

Deadwood is essential for species diversity in forests. Forest management has led to the shortage of deadwood in managed forests and, consequently, to the decline of biodiversity. Prescribed burning and tree retention during harvests may promote deadwood formation, but the long-term effectiveness of these methods is not known. We examined patterns of tree mortality and deadwood dynamics following tree retention and prescribed burning in Finnish boreal forests in a large-scale replicated field experiment with two factors: retention level (10 or 50 m3/ ha) and burning (burned or unburned). We monitored 2744 trees individually for 20 years. Deadwood input was initially high after the treatments, since nearly all retention trees on the burned sites and about one third of the trees on the unburned sites died within four years. For the rest of the monitoring period, deadwood input was much lower since the mortality rate of retention trees decreased to a level similar to the background mortality rate. After 20 years from the treatments, deadwood volume varied from about 40 m3/ha on the burned sites with 50 m3/ha retention to about 5 m3/ha on the unburned sites with 10 m3/ha retention. Prescribed burning altered deadwood composition e.g. via the complete mortality of fire-susceptible tree species. Still, deadwood diversity was mainly affected by retention level. Lastly, prescribed burning generated high numbers of snags, which fell rather quickly, with an estimated maximal longevity of 49 years. We conclude that the combination of a high retention level and prescribed burning produces high volumes of diverse deadwood, and thereby has the potential to support the conservation of deadwood-associated biodiversity in managed forests. However, the stand scale continuity of deadwood throughout the forestry rotation period is still uncertain. The application of management methods should be adjusted at the landscape level to ensure the continuity of deadwood habitats.

Automated summary

Deadwood is crucial for maintaining species diversity in forests, but forest management has resulted in its scarcity and a decline in biodiversity. This study investigated the effects of tree retention and prescribed burning on tree mortality and deadwood dynamics in Finnish boreal forests. The results showed that a combination of high retention levels and prescribed burning can generate diverse deadwood, which supports the conservation of deadwood-associated biodiversity in managed forests. However, the continuity of deadwood throughout the forestry rotation period remains uncertain, and management methods should be adjusted at the landscape level to ensure the persistence of deadwood habitats.