Forest Biodiversity: Lessons from History for Conservation (The International Union of Forestry Research Organizations)

This book focuses on the diverse impact of forest history in general, and of forest continuity, fragmentation and past management in particular, on the diversity and distribution of species. The implications for the conservation of biodiversity in forests are also addressed. Chapters have been developed from papers presented at a conference held in Leuven in January 2003. The emphasis is on temperate forests in Europe and North America, but the information may also be applicable to other regions or biomes. The book will be of significant interest to researchers working within the areas of forestry, ecology, conservation and environmental history. Contributors......Page 10 Preface......Page 14 1 What History Can Teach us About Present and Future Forest Biodiversity......Page 16 2 The Holocene Structure of North-west European Temperate Forest Induced from Palaeoecological Data......Page 26 3 Landscape Changes in the History of the Austrian Alpine Regions: Ecological Development and the Perception of Human Responsibility......Page 42 4 Natural Tree Colonization of Former Agricultural Lands in the French Massif Central: Impact of Past Land Use on Stand Structure, Soil Characteristics and Understorey Vegetation......Page 56 5 Fire, Death and Disorder in the Forest: 150 Years of Change in Critical Ecological Structures and Processes in Boreal Scandinavia......Page 70 6 Relative Importance of Habitat Quality and Forest Continuity for the Floristic Composition of Ancient, Old and Recent Woodland......Page 82 7 Land-use History and Forest Herb Diversity in Tompkins County, New York, USA......Page 96 8 Ancient Forests in Denmark and the Importance of Tilia......Page 112 9 Ecology and Population Genetics of Carabus problematicus in Flanders, Belgium: is Forest History Important?......Page 132 10 Colonization of Oak Plantations by Forest Plants: Effects of Regional Abundance and Habitat Fragmentation......Page 144 11 Multiple-scale Factors Affecting the Development of Biodiversity in UK Plantations......Page 158 12 Metapopulation Dynamics Following Habitat Loss and Recovery: Forest Herbs in Ancient and Recent Forests......Page 178 13 Short-term and Mid-term Response of Ground Beetle Communities (Coleoptera, Carabidae) to Disturbance by Regeneration Felling......Page 194 14 Changes in the Composition of Wytham Woods (Southern England) 1974–2002, in Stands of Different Origins and Past Treatment......Page 208 15 Forest History, Continuity and Dynamic Naturalness......Page 220 16 Integrating Historical Ecology to Restore a Transitional Pinus palustris Community......Page 236 17 Is the US Concept of ‘Old Growth’ Relevant to the Cultural Landscapes of Europe? A UK Perspective......Page 248 18 The Use of Dendrochronology to Evaluate Dead Wood Habitats and Management Priorities for the Ancient Oaks of Sherwood Forest......Page 262 19 Forest Regulations in the USA: Evolving Standards for Conserving Forest Biodiversity in the Past 300 Years......Page 284 Index......Page 296 Annotation This book focuses on the diverse impact of forest history in general, and of forest continuity, fragmentation and past management in particular, on the diversity and distribution of species. The implications for the conservation of biodiversity in forests are also addressed. Chapters have beendeveloped from papers presented at a conference held in Leuven in January 2003. The emphasis is on temperate forests in Europe and North America, but the information may also be applicable to other regions or biomes Reconstructing the past to evaluate its effects on present ecosystems is like a puzzle, where the researcher knows the outcome but not the rules.