Deer game, a key factor affecting population of European yew in beech forests of the Veľká Fatra Mts, Slovakia

Browsing and bark peeling by ungulates is known to affect biodiversity and may constitute the main driving factor of single tree population dynamics. In Slovakia, European yew (Taxus baccata L.) is a threatened species protected by law and present in many protected areas. In the study, we emphasize that protecting land and individual plants may not be sufficient for maintaining of yew populations, unless controlling over damage by deer game is also undertaken. Our results show that in beech forests of the Veľká Fatra Mts, browsing and bark peeling constitute the main negative factor affecting yew seedling-sapling ingrowth transition, and the mortality and vitality loss of adult yew trees. We argue that ungulates may have a larger effect on biodiversity conservation than currently realized

Irregular Shelterwood Cuttings Promote Viability of European Yew Population Growing in a Managed Forest: A Case Study from the Starohorské Mountains, Slovakia

The increasing probability of Taxus baccata (L.) decline given climate change brings forth many uncertainties for conservation management decisions. In this article, the authors present the effects of applying regeneration cuttings since the year 2000 on the viability of the understory yew population. By collecting data from a stand located at the centre of the largest population of European yew in Slovakia, containing approximately 160,000 individuals, and analysing tree-ring records from 38 sampled trees, the improved performance of yews, including stem growth, seed production, and number of regenerated individuals, was revealed. Thinning the canopy by removing 15% of the growing stock volume per decade, combined with the subsequent irregular shelterwood cuttings, was assessed as a useful strategy. Moreover, lower radial growth of females compared to males, but simultaneously their similar response to climate, suggests a possible trade-off between reproduction and growth. Release cuttings of up to 30% of the standing volume in the vicinity of the female trees, executed in the rainy summers following warmer winters, and consistent elimination of deer browsing, can further enhance the positive effects of applied cuts on yew viability. Overall, the suggested active measures could be considered as an effective option to preserve the unique biodiversity of calcareous beech-dominated forests in Central Europe

Multi-decade tree mortality in temperate old-growth forests of Europe and North America

Aim: Old-growth, mesic temperate forests are often assumed to be structured by gap-phase processes, resulting in quasi-equilibrial long-term dynamics. This assumption influences management focused on simulation of natural disturbance dynamics and is embedded in most models of forest successional dynamics. We use multi-decade monitoring of permanent plots in old-growth forests to assess demographic assumptions directly with respect to tree mortality rates. Location: Sixteen sites in mesic, temperate old-growth forests in eastern North America and Europe with multi-decade monitoring. Time period: Variable across sites, spanning c. 20%78 years from 1936 to 2014. Major taxa studied: Tree species of late-successional, cool-temperate forests of Europe and eastern North America. Methods: We calculated and compared the annualized mortality rates (m), with confidence intervals, by species, size class and measurement interval, for tree species of sufficient abundance. Results: Retrospective analysis shows dynamic and diverse demographic properties across populations and sites. Stand-scale mortality rates of 0.7%2.5%/ year average higher than previous estimates for old-growth temperate forests. Variations among species, over time and among size classes, suggest that gap-phase models are inadequate to explain stand dynamics, implying instead that rare disturbance events of moderate severity have long-lasting effects in old-growth forests and that indirect anthropogenic influences affect old-growth, unlogged forests. Main conclusions: Multi-decade baseline data, essential for understanding community assembly and long-term dynamics in these %slow systems,% are rare and poorly integrated. Our analysis demonstrates the value of the few long-term, %legacy% data sets. Results suggest that differences in life history interact with complex disturbance histories, resulting in non-equilibrial dynamics in old-growth temperate tree communities, and that changes in disturbance patterns through anthropogenic climate change might, there%fore, be an important driver of ecosystem change

Multi‐decade tree mortality in temperate old‐growth forests of Europe and North America: Non‐equilibrial dynamics and species‐individualistic response to disturbance

Aim: Old-growth, mesic temperate forests are often assumed to be structured by gap-phase processes, resulting in quasi-equilibrial long-term dynamics. This assumption influences management focused on simulation of natural disturbance dynamics and is embedded in most models of forest successional dynamics. We use multi-decade monitoring of permanent plots in old-growth forests to assess demographic assumptions directly with respect to tree mortality rates. Location: Sixteen sites in mesic, temperate old-growth forests in eastern North America and Europe with multi-decade monitoring. Time period: Variable across sites, spanning c. 20%78 years from 1936 to 2014. Major taxa studied: Tree species of late-successional, cool-temperate forests of Europe and eastern North America. Methods: We calculated and compared the annualized mortality rates (m), with confidence intervals, by species, size class and measurement interval, for tree species of sufficient abundance. Results: Retrospective analysis shows dynamic and diverse demographic properties across populations and sites. Stand-scale mortality rates of 0.7%2.5%/ year average higher than previous estimates for old-growth temperate forests. Variations among species, over time and among size classes, suggest that gap-phase models are inadequate to explain stand dynamics, implying instead that rare disturbance events of moderate severity have long-lasting effects in old-growth forests and that indirect anthropogenic influences affect old-growth, unlogged forests. Main conclusions: Multi-decade baseline data, essential for understanding community assembly and long-term dynamics in these %slow systems,% are rare and poorly integrated. Our analysis demonstrates the value of the few long-term, %legacy% data sets. Results suggest that differences in life history interact with complex disturbance histories, resulting in non-equilibrial dynamics in old-growth temperate tree communities, and that changes in disturbance patterns through anthropogenic climate change might, there%fore, be an important driver of ecosystem change