Publications (23) View all
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Article: A landscape and policy perspective on forest conversion: Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) and the allocation of deciduous forests in southern Sweden
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ABSTRACT: As resources allocated specifically for conservation are limited, there is a need to ensure conservation policy initiatives lead to effective conservation outcomes. In this study, we investigated the potential conservation benefits from alternative spatial allocations of old deciduous stands to a landscape dominated by coniferous production forests owned primarily by non-industrial private forest owners. As a target species, we used the long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus), a species associated with deciduous forests and known to be sensitive to isolation. We used a previously published model based on empirical data on the occurrence of this species, to assess the probability of occurrence of the bird in a 4,000km2 area in southern Sweden for which we possess detailed spatial GIS data (kNN data) of tree species composition and age. We assessed alternative scenarios where old deciduous forest was allocated with or without respect to distance from existing old deciduous forests. Due to the long-tailed tit’s habitat requirement increasing the amount of old deciduous forests close to existing habitats was the most effective strategy. However, the potential advantages of this strategy may in fact be overturned in favor of the other scenarios if ownership structures and probable uptake rates of policy initiatives are also considered. If a policy initiative is targeted toward owners with properties in close proximity to existing suitable habitat, when compared to if all forest owners are targeted, a higher proportion of owners is needed to participate in order to achieve the same degree of habitat creation for the species. Here, we discuss the potential benefits for effective conservation policy formulation from integrating spatially explicit datasets and detailed ecological knowledge with land-ownership structures and policy uptake scenarios. Keywords Aegithalos caudatus –Broadleaved forests–Conservation–Habitat fragmentation–k-nearest neighbors algorithm–kNN–Suitable habitatEuropean Journal of Forest Research 05/2012; 130(5):861-869. · 1.98 Impact Factor -
Article: From wooded pasture to timber production - Changes in a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forest landscape between 1840 and 2010
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 01/2012; 27(3):245-254. · 1.20 Impact Factor -
Article: A Comparison of Avian Diversity in Spruce Monocultures and Spruce-Birch Polycultures in Southern Sweden
Silva Fennica. 01/2011; 45(5):1143-1150. -
Article: Halland's forests during the last 300 years: a review of Malmstrom (1939)
Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 01/2011; 26:81-90. · 1.20 Impact Factor -
Article: Dynamics of long‐lived foundation species: the history of Quercus in southern Scandinavia
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ABSTRACT: Summary1. The long-term history of Quercus in southern Scandinavia has received little attention despite its important role in modern conservation. In this study the 4000-year dynamics of Quercus, its habitat and other important taxa were analysed with pollen data from 25 small hollows and 6 regional sites across southern Scandinavia. The aim was to provide a context for understanding the species’ current status and managing its future dynamics.2. The results indicate that Quercus is much less abundant today than at any time during the previous 4000 years and corroborate the rapid decline reported in 18th- and 19th-century historical records. Modern pollen percentages are 45–60% of 17th-century values and only 20–35% of the maximum values reached in the 3rd century.3. A strong positive correlation exists between the abundance of Quercus and the abundance of Tilia, Corylus and Alnus, which also experienced a steady decline across the region in the last two millennia. Climate change is the broad-scale driver of the observed dynamics, but human activity introduced considerable variation in the regional and temporal details of these changes. In the hemiboreal northern part of the study area the decline of Quercus appears to be controlled largely by competition with other tree species (especially Pinus and Picea), mediated by harvesting. In the temperate south part Quercus forests decreased through deforestation for agriculture.4. Multivariate analyses indicate that although substantial phytogeographical variation has existed through past millennia the regional vegetation is more homogeneous today than in earlier periods.5. Synthesis. The long-term decline and recent rapid reductions in Quercus populations throughout southern Scandinavia are striking and indisputable. From the perspective of both the populations of Quercus and its associated species of insects and epiphytes, the recent rate of decline is extremely rapid. Given the former abundance, longevity and capacity for persistence of Quercus, current populations of Quercus and its associated species appear to represent biological legacies in the midst of protracted decline. Based on these results, a reasonable conservation goal is to restore the abundance and distribution of Quercus to levels that preceded the drastic decline in the 18th and 19th centuries.Journal of Ecology 10/2010; 98(6):1330 - 1345. · 4.69 Impact Factor
