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FORESTSFrom Biodiversity to Ecotoxicology
Professor John O’HalloranSchool of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences
&Environmental Research Institute
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The value of forest ecosystems• Economic timber value
• Non-timber forest products (NTFB)– Biological diversity– Ecological functions– Regulate climate– Store of genetic information– Flood and erosion protection– Carbon sinks– Tourism, recreation and amenity
GOAL: Sustainable timber production2
The challenge Biomass : Energy : Environment Trilemma
Production
Environmental Quality Energy Harvesting3
Forest Ecology Research at BEES• Forest biodiversity and sustainable
forest management• Species of conservation concern• Invasive species• Landscapes and forests• Forest and environmental policy• Interactions of forestry and
environment• ASH
4
Forest Biodiversity Research led by UCC
• BIOFOREST– 2000 – 2006– COFORD & EPA– UCC, TCD, Coillte
• PLANFORBIO– 2007 – 2012– COFORD– UCC, TCD, WIT, Coillte, Forest Research UK
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Modern forest landscapes are dominated by exotic conifer plantations
But broadleaved planting is on the increase.
Value of plantations for biodiversity
Planted forests can complement, but are not an alternative to, biodiversity in natural forests
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Crossbill Conifer specialist
TreecreeperBenefits from plantationsand native woodlands
Blue TitBroadleaf specialist
Biodiversity research: Aims
• Assess biodiversity of plantation forest• Compare with native woodlands• Assess effects of management practices• Biodiversity indicators• Landscape effects on conservation value• Hen Harrier conservation• Rhododendron control
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10 studies and over 200 study sites across Ireland since 2002
Pre-afforestation habitats
1st rotation growth stage
2nd rotation growth stage
Open space in forests
Mixed canopy plantations
Road width experiment
Native woodlands
Level 1 monitoring
Testing forest indicators
Impact of grazing
Forest Biodiversity - BIOFORESTMost basic level is to record species diversity:All species in all groups not feasible. Concentration on:
• Flora: Ground flora and epiphytes– Flowering plants (including trees)– Ferns– Mosses and liverworts– Lichens
• Fauna: Birds, spiders and hoverfliesGroups represent a range of :– Trophic levels– Indicator groups– Mobility capabilities
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Forest Biodiversity - BIOFOREST
Key factors for biodiversity in forests:– Compositional (e.g. species, species
environmental requirements)– Structural (e.g. complexity of vegetation
layers, shape, size, distribution of gaps)– Functional (e.g. management type,
surrounding land use)
These factors operate at different scales:Forest stand, landscape, regional/national
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Forest Biodiversity - PLANFORBIO
• Biodiversity of second rotation forestry– Increasing proportion in Ireland but no comprehensive
biodiversity surveys
• Biodiversity of native woodlands– Provides ‘benchmark’ information against which plantation
biodiversity can be compared
• Biodiversity of forest canopy– Canopies support large proportion of forest biodiversity
largely unexplored due to difficulty in accessing this habitat
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Forest Biodiversity - PLANFORBIO
• PLANFORBIO target taxa: • Birds
• Ground and canopy invertebrates
• Lepidoptera
• Ground-dwelling plants
• Ground and canopy epiphytes
• Assessment of forest canopies• Canopy invertebrates - Thermal fogging
• Canopy epiphytes - Tree climbing
• Achieving effective Rhododendron control• Optimum scenarios for Hen Harrier conservation in Ireland• Landscape scale effects• Testing biodiversity indicators
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Methods
Taxonomic Groups Vegetation - habitat mapping, species
recording, quadrats Ground inverts - pitfall trapping Canopy inverts - fogging Hoverflies - Malaise trapping Birds - Point counts and walkover surveys
Management Information Landowner surveys Database queries (Coillte, FIPS) Examination of maps
Num
ber o
f bird
spe
cies
Shrub and non-crop tree Cover (%)
Bird species richness along forest roads is positively related to cover of shrubs and non-crop trees
Changes in Hen Harrier populations
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-0.01 0 0.01 0.02 0.03 0.04 0.05-1.0
-0.5
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
Change in second rotation forest cover
Cha
nge
in n
umbe
r of
Hen
Har
rier
pairs
Forest Research: EcotoxicologyEcological impacts of forestry
AIMS
1. Quantify the input of substances from forestry operations to small lakes.
2. Investigate the impact of these inputs on biota and ecosystem processes.
3. Test mitigation measures designed to reduce loss of substance from forestry operations.
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Wood Ash – an opportunity to recycle nutrients
AIMS1. Physical and chemical properties
– Adaptation of ICP-Forests Soil Manual and 1999/31/EC waste classification parameter sets
2. Growth promoting effects– Lysimeter trial with Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) in forest soil
samples treated with wood ash and common N fertilizer
3. Ecotoxicity– Tiered approach involving acute and chronic exposure of aquatic and
terrestric invertebrates to doses of ash
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Physical and chemical analyses
Properties of soils and ashGrain size distribution, bulk density, water retention capacity, conductivity, pH, buffer capacity, exchangeable cations, base saturation, nutrient and contaminant contents in bulk samples and various leachates
Background, element flux and effects of amelioration
Needles, test organisms and water samplesChemical analysis of nutrient and contaminant contents
Transfer and accumulation factors in the bioassays22
Growth promoting effect on Sitka Spruce saplings
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Open Peat and Podzol lysimeters with reconstructed litter layer treated with ash and ash+N fertilizer
Control, 3-10-30 t/ha ash Reflecting but exceeding current practice
levels
3 year monitoring of terrestrial meso and macro infauna changes, effluent toxicity assessment with aquatic model organisms
Percolation
Tree
Soil
Ecotoxicity
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Risk assessment for aquatic and terrestric lifeCommon cellular bioassays such as Microtox (Vibrio), Mutatox
(Protobacterium), DR-CALUX (recombinant Yeast)Standard aquatic model organisms such as Scenedesmus, Daphnia,
Gammarus, Lumbriculus, Chironomus, Deissena, Lemna Terrestrial models such as Folsomia, Eisenia
OECD Guideline adaptation, food web trophic levels represented, resident species
Gammarus pulex