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Biodiversity across the forest cycle in ash and Sitka spruce plantations:

Biodiversity across the forest cycle in ash and Sitka spruce plantations:. Stand structure and vegetation change. Laura French, George Smith, Saoirse O’Donoghue, Anne-Marie McKee, Sue Iremonger, Daniel Kelly, Fraser Mitchell Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin.

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Biodiversity across the forest cycle in ash and Sitka spruce plantations:

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  1. Biodiversity across the forest cycle in ash and Sitka spruce plantations: Stand structure and vegetation change Laura French, George Smith, Saoirse O’Donoghue, Anne-Marie McKee, Sue Iremonger, Daniel Kelly, Fraser Mitchell Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin

  2. University College, Cork University of Dublin, Trinity College Coillte Teoranta

  3. Forestry and biodiversity • Forestry an increasing land use in Ireland

  4. Forestry and biodiversity • Forestry an increasing land use in Ireland • Can represent a threat to existing biodiversity

  5. Forestry and biodiversity • Forestry an increasing land use in Ireland • Can represent a threat to existing biodiversity • Can be an opportunity to enhance biodiversity at local and landscape scales

  6. Forestry and biodiversity • What is the biodiversity of commercial forestry plantations?

  7. OR?

  8. Objectives • How does stand structure develop in plantations?

  9. Objectives • How does stand structure develop in plantations? • How does species richness change over the forest cycle?

  10. Objectives • How does stand structure develop in plantations? • How does species richness change over the forest cycle? • How does tree species influence vegetation species richness?

  11. Objectives • How does stand structure develop in plantations? • How does species richness change over the forest cycle? • How does tree species influence vegetation species richness? • How does species richness of typical woodland plants change?

  12. Sitka spruce ash Study sites • 20 Sitka spruce • 12 ash • 12 spruce-ash mix • Spruce 5 - 46 yr old • Ash 5 - 80 yr old • 3 100m2 plots per site / species combination

  13. Sitka spruce structural types PCA Ordination Axis 2 (Var Expl = 21%) Prethicket 30% Canopy Cover Axis 1 (Var Expl = 73%)

  14. Prethicket spruce site: Brackloon, Co. Galway

  15. Sitka spruce structural types PCA Ordination Axis 2 (Var Expl = 21%) Thicket 80% Canopy Cover Axis 1 (Var Expl = 73%)

  16. Sitka spruce structural types PCA Ordination Axis 2 (Var Expl = 21%) Closed-maturing 87% Canopy Cover Axis 1 (Var Expl = 73%)

  17. Closed-maturing spruce site: Buffanoky, Co. Limerick

  18. Sitka spruce structural types PCA Ordination Axis 2 (Var Expl = 21%) Reopening 71% Canopy Cover Axis 1 (Var Expl = 73%)

  19. Sitka spruce structural types PCA Ordination Axis 2 (Var Expl = 21%) Mature 55% Canopy Cover Axis 1 (Var Expl = 73%)

  20. Mature spruce site: Union Wood, Co. Sligo

  21. A A C BC B BC B BC A C Vascular plants Bryophytes Species richness over the Sitka spruce forest cycle Mean species richness per plot

  22. 45 y = -0.6162x + 63.062 40 R2 = 0.71 35 30 25 Mean total species richness per plot 20 15 10 5 0 30 50 70 90 Canopy cover (% cover per 100 m2 quadrat) Canopy cover and species richness

  23. Ash canopy cover

  24. Pole ash site: Coolross, Co. Tipperary

  25. Ash canopy cover

  26. Closed-maturing ash site: Sinnot’s Bog, Co. Wexford

  27. Ash canopy cover

  28. A AB AB B B Vascular plants Bryophytes Species richness over the ash forest cycle Mean species richness per plot B B B A A

  29. Ash Sitka spruce Ash compared with Sitka spruce A A A Mean species richness per plot B B A

  30. Ash Sitka spruce Woodland species over the forest cycle D C CD Mean species richness per plot BC B AB A AB A A

  31. Conclusions • Species richness changes significantly over the forest cycle

  32. Conclusions • Species richness changes significantly over the forest cycle • Ash forests have higher species richness of vascular plants

  33. Conclusions • Species richness changes significantly over the forest cycle • Ash forests have higher species richness of vascular plants • Sitka spruce forests have higher species richness of bryophytes

  34. Conclusions • Species richness changes significantly over the forest cycle • Ash forests have higher species richness of vascular plants • Sitka spruce forests have higher species richness of bryophytes • Species richness of woodland vascular plants increases along forest cycle

  35. Conclusions • Plantations of ash and Sitka spruce are not necessarily “ecological deserts”

  36. Conclusions • Plantations of ash and Sitka spruce are not necessarily “ecological deserts” • Not “oases of biodiversity” either

  37. The BIOFOREST project is funded by the National Development Plan through the EPA and COFORD as part of the Environmental RTDI Programme 2000-2006 Project Website: http://bioforest.ucc.ie

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