Second, to answer our secondary research questions, we conducted a mixed‐effects meta‐analysis, in which the causes of heterogeneity were explored by including the above‐described effect modifiers as fixed effects. Logging operations change natural patterns of spatial juxtaposition of different kinds of forests stands (i.e., patterns of landscape heterogeneity) (Franklin & Forman 1987). This in turn requires explicit consideration of natural disturbances in natural resource management policies to avoid hasty and unplanned decision making. 2006a), dry east side coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest (Spies et al. For each data point, we calculated the effect size of salvage logging with Hedges’ g (Hedges and Olkin 1985), which is a standardized mean difference and allows comparisons across different units of measurement (Higgins and Green 2011). Hence, it is critical to identify and then manage the factors that may exacerbate problems associated with altered fire regimes (Malhi et al.

This is an important issue because it could have profound consequences for how forests are managed, including some that are currently reserved.

Similarly, in Asian rainforests, post fire salvage logging changed the vegetation composition towards more fire‐prone grassland taxa, which in turn damaged fire sensitive remnant rainforest stands (van Nieuwstadt et al. 2009).

The distribution of the data across each of the continuous variables is shown in WebFigure 1. 2009). 2000) and protected areas (eg Schiermeier 2016; Leverkus et al. Priorities in policy and management when existing biodiversity stressors interact with climate-change. 2004; Odion et al.

This question often arises after major wildfires, but data suggest that answers differ substantially among different types of forest.

There was no initial effect of salvage logging on downed coarse wood (>7.6 cm diameter; mainly tree trunks), but the effect size followed a negative trend and became significantly negative ~4 years after logging. These include forests where prolonged fire suppression activities have altered natural fire regimes by increasing fuel loads and thereby elevated the risk of uncharacteristic high severity wildfires (Harrod et al. Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Quantifying Responses of Dung Beetles to Fire Disturbance in Tropical Forests: The Importance of Trapping Method and Seasonality.

Shocking Effects of Illegal Logging 1. Estimating retention benchmarks for salvage logging to protect biodiversity, The ecological effects of salvage logging and its impacts on subsequent wildfires are the subjects of ongoing policy debates, Our global meta‐analysis reveals that salvage logging has a negative effect on regulating ecosystem services (eg regulation of water conditions and soil quality), Salvage logging affected surface fuel loading by increasing small fuels (eg small branches) in the short term and reducing large fuels (eg tree trunks) in the long term, Despite these general findings, individual studies on salvage logging report variable effects; management can therefore be adjusted to address case‐specific ecological conditions and management goals, Delaying logging after the occurrence of natural disturbances can mitigate ecological impacts without affecting surface fuel loads. The Effects of Wildfire on Mortality and Resources for an Arboreal Marsupial: Resilience to Fire Events but Susceptibility to Fire Regime Change. The primary motivations for salvage logging are to recover a forest's economic value and to reduce the risk of other, subsequent disturbances (Lindenmayer et al. The land use–climate change–energy nexus. 2006) has failed to support the presumed efficacy of road networks in facilitating wildfire containment and prompt fire suppression. Our goal here was to answer our research questions through a quantitative assessment of the responses measured in those studies. Heterogeneity across the data was also very high for this analysis (Q = 798.50, df = 224, P < 0.001). Ecological impacts also occur through the mechanical effects of logging operations, for example through soil disturbance (d). Relationships between some kinds of logging practices (e.g., thinning operations) and fire regimes may differ between moist forests and dry forests (e.g., Covington 2003; Noss et al. Patterns of Biodiversity Change in Anthropogenically Altered Forests ☆. 2018). 2015) to identify research addressing the ecological effects of salvage logging. Enter your email address below and we will send you your username, If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to retrieve your username. A quantitative study of the proximity of satellite detected active fires to roads and rivers in the Brazilian tropical moist forest biome. The Philippines has always been a part of the logging industry. 2009; Malhi et al. Examples include ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the south western United States (Covington 2003; Noss et al.

2008).

The potential negative ecological effects of salvage logging have been highlighted repeatedly (Lindenmayer et al.

Variation in Eucalyptus delegatensis post-fire recovery strategies: The Tasmanian subspecies is a resprouter whereas the mainland Australian subspecies is an obligate seeder. For each response variable and post‐disturbance treatment (salvaged/unsalvaged), we extracted the number of independent measurements (eg stands with a given treatment) and the mean and standard deviation of the response variable; these data were obtained from the text, figures, tables, and appendices of the publication, or directly from the authors. However, this effect disappeared after 5 years, likely due to the combination of decomposition in salvaged areas and the gradual addition of fallen branches from dead standing trees in non‐intervention areas. Nevertheless, if thinnings are left on site rather than taken out of the forest for disposal, these operations too can elevate the risk of unplanned ignitions (Schroeder et al. More refined studies of relationships between industrial logging and wildfire also might identify ways to manage post harvesting slash (e.g., prescribed burning, biofuel production) to reduce fire risks (Weatherspoon & Skinner 1995). All analyses were conducted in R v3.3.1 (R Core Team 2016), with the meta‐analysis fitted using the rma.mv function of the metafor package (Viechtbauer 2010). Our meta‐analysis revealed that salvage logging produces negative impacts on regulating ecosystem services. Calls to log forests to save them (Tuckey 2001) are overly simplistic.

Furthermore, limited case studies to date show that salvage logging can reduce (Johnson et al. Because salvage harvesting reduces the gradual accumulation of coarse surface fuels, slightly lessens live biomass, and increasingly reduces the amount of litter and duff compared to untreated areas, it could have a mitigating effect on the intensity of potential future wildfires.

2007; Krawchuk & Cumming 2009). However, our results show that the effectiveness of this practice not only varies for different surface fuel types but also changes over time. For more details about the effect modifiers, see Leverkus et al. Whether these modifications constitute an actual reduction in fire risk must be evaluated on a case‐specific basis, as flammability may vary strongly across vegetation types (Bond and Keeley 2005) and may change throughout plant successional stages (Collins et al. First, to answer our primary research question, we conducted a random‐effects meta‐analysis. 2018b; Müller et al. As an example, work in western North America has highlighted how post fire salvage logging created additional fine fuels and led to elevated short‐term risks of subsequent fires (Donato et al.

We obtained the significance of effect modifiers from Q tests covering all the parameters related to a given factor (Viechtbauer 2010). Cutting down trees is necessary to produce wood for construction, paper and other applications, but logging and other activities that kill trees can potentially lead to negative impacts on ecosystems and the environment as a whole. Logging knockring processor mashing wood for paper, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_knockring_processors_mashing_wood_for_paper.mp3, Logging, loading logs onto truck with hydraulic lift 1, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_loading_logs_on_truck_with_hydraulic_lift_001.mp3, Logging, loading logs onto truck with hydraulic lift 2, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_loading_logs_on_truck_with_hydraulic_lift_002.mp3, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_portable_slasher_operating.mp3, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_saw_cutting_log.mp3, Logging, skidder picks up tree with men shouting, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_skidder_picks_up_tree_men_shouting.mp3, Logging, skidder pulling logs out of forest, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_skidder_pulling_logs_out_of_forest.mp3, Logging, truck idling and dumps logs into river, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_truck_idling_and_dumps_logs_into_river.mp3, Logging, undoing chains from around logs while truck idles, https://www.zapsplat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/sound-effects-one/industrial_logging_undoing_chains_from_around_logs_truck_idling.mp3, Introducing 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication), Marcel and Libby at FreeToUseSounds.com update, Sound Yeti $200,000 Music Plugin Giveaway. The effect modifiers that were retrieved consisted of disturbance type (wildfire, windthrow, insect outbreak), disturbance severity, logging intensity, time elapsed between disturbance and logging, and time elapsed between logging and the measurement of the response variable (the latter four modifiers are numerical covariates).

Six principles for managing forests as ecologically sustainable ecosystems. Illegal logging takes away their traditional way of life and livelihoods. 2017), which can increase the severity of subsequent wildfires (Cannon et al. This is because, in part, many elements of forest flora and fauna depend on particular fire return intervals and associated habitat features (Saint‐Germain et al. Effects of salvage logging on soil properties and vegetation recovery in a fire-affected Mediterranean forest: A two year monitoring research Author links open overlay panel F. García-Orenes a V. Arcenegui a K. Chrenková a J. Mataix-Solera a J. Moltó a A.B.

2004; Thompson et al. These include changing: (1) microclimates, (2) stand structure and species composition, (3) fuel characteristics, (4) the prevalence of ignition points, and (5) patterns of landscape cover (Figure 1). We found that the longer the time between a natural disturbance and logging, the less negative the effect of salvage logging; this is – to the best of our knowledge – the first time that this trend has been identified. For this analysis, we fitted only the intercept (ie the overall mean effect size) and the random effects, which permitted us to assess whether the overall effect of salvage logging on ecosystem services differed from zero. Salvage logging is a common management response to natural disturbances around the world, exemplified here by two specific wildfire events: (a and b) the Västmanland fire in Sweden in 2014, and (c and d) the Lanjarón fire in Spain in 2005.