Forestry's Waste Wood Offers Habitat for Small Forest-Floor Animals

ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) — The wood that remains after a tree harvesting operation is often burned to reduce the hazard of fire or is removed for bioenergy production. But another option should be considered -- leaving the wood for forest wildlife whose habitat has been disturbed during clear-cut forestry operations. Woody debris on the floor of the forest is essential for maintaining biodiversity and long-term ecosystem productivity.

The Journal of Mammalogy presents a study of coarse woody debris left behind from forestry and salvage harvesting of wood. Researchers tested the abundance and species diversity of small forest-floor mammals under varying wood conditions: dispersed wood debris, piles of wood debris, windrows of wood debris, and uncut mature forest.

Clear-cutting remains the dominant method of forestry in North America and northern Europe. This process can interrupt the ecology of the forest. Small mammals that offer prey for predators, consume plants and invertebrates, and disperse fungal spores may disappear.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121024124625.htm