Microclimate buffering and species responses to clearcut and non-clearcut forestry

Modern forestry, particularly clear-cut forestry, is widely recognized as a major driver of biodiversity loss in boreal and temperate forest ecosystems. However, species do not respond uniformly to this disturbance. While some plants, mosses, and lichens decline rapidly after harvesting, others persist or even benefit from the altered environmental conditions. 

The mechanisms underlying these contrasting responses remain poorly understood, limiting our ability to design forest management strategies that effectively conserve biodiversity while maintaining timber production.

This project aims to identify the environmental factors that determine species’ sensitivity to forest harvesting. It also investigates whether continuous-cover forestry methods can reduce negative impacts on forest biodiversity.

The project uses an experimental transplantation approach to assess how species perform under different forest management regimes. Individuals from selected vascular plants, mosses, and lichens will be transplanted into forest stands representing three management conditions: clear-cut forestry with retention structures (i.e. tree retention patches), shelterwood forestry, and relatively closed-canopy forest conditions.

Species performance will be quantified through measurements of survival, growth, and physiological functioning, including photosynthetic performance. By directly comparing performance across management types, the project will improve understanding of how variation in species performance is linked to changed environmental conditions and whether alternative silvicultural systems provide environmental conditions that better meet requirements of sensitive species.

A central focus of the project is the role of microclimate. Forestry practices strongly influence light availability, temperature variability, soil moisture, and humidity, all of which can affect organism performance.

Detailed microclimate data will therefore be collected at each experimental site to evaluate how environmental conditions differ among management systems and how these differences relate to species responses. This will make it possible to determine whether species sensitivity is primarily driven by microclimatic buffering capacity, resource availability, or other environmental constraints.

The results will be used to develop predictive models linking forest management, microclimate, and species performance. These models will improve our ability to forecast biodiversity outcomes under different forestry scenarios and guide the design of harvesting practices that better support biodiversity conservation. Ultimately, the project will contribute to evidence-based forest management strategies that support both sustainable wood production and long-term biodiversity conservation.

Research team

PhD student: Sandra Abele

Main supervisor: Joachim Strengbom, Department of Ecology, SLU

Assistant supervisors:

Mari Jönsson, Department of Ecology, SLU

Caroline Greiser, Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University

Klara Joelsson, Södra

Collaborating partner: Södra

Project period: January 2026 – January 2031

This project is part of WIFORCE – the Wallenberg Initiative in Forest Research, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.