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Indicator Assessment
Since 2000, an overall increase of deadwood has been observed in several countries, a sign of more biodiversity-friendly management practices, but also of large disturbances such as storms.
The quantity of deadwood in Europe’s forests has decreased significantly since the middle of the 19th century due to intense forest exploitation and the widespread burning of small wood and other debris. Since 2000, however, a small overall increase in this indicator has been observed (figure 1). This may be due to forest management practices that deliberately increase the amount of deadwood in managed forests either as a result of government policy or because of the establishment of requirements for forest certification. Large disturbances such as storms could also have contributed to the increase. Better reporting on deadwood must be noted, with 17 EEA countries providing data in 2010 against just eight in 1990. At national level, the average volume is variable across the European region (figure 2).
Deadwood (coarse woody debris) is a proxy indicator for biodiversity, since it is a habitat for a wide array of organisms including vertebrates, invertebrates, lichens, bryophytes and fungi. Deadwood decomposition plays a key role in the recycling of nutrients and organic matter, as well as in providing a wide variety of (micro)habitats for plants and invertebrates, particularly insect species and other organisms. Deadwood in forests can be measured relatively easily. The amount of deadwood is thus a good indicator of the biodiversity value of a forest.
Overall, deadwood in most European countries is nowadays generally low compared to natural conditions. However, many European countries have recently launched initiatives to increase the amount of deadwood, though not all increases are the result of biodiversity considerations.
Disturbances such as storms, fires and insect outbreaks also produce deadwood. In some areas the accumulation of deadwood may not be desirable, for example where forest fires or the risk of insect pests (such as bark beetle plagues) is considered unacceptable, such as in Mediterranean coniferous plantations where deadwood must be removed to reduce the risk of fires. Although most countries legally require harvesting of extensive amounts of damaged trees, such as deadwood from recent storm damage, it has not been possible to completely remove the entire extent of deadwood produced by these disturbance events.
REFERENCES
FURTHER INFORMATION
This indicator shows the volume of standing and lying deadwood in forest and other wooded land, classified by forest type (Forest Europe - Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe (MCPFE)). In national forest inventories, countries generally classify according to type (standing, snags, lying, species and state of decay).
tonnes/hectare
cubic metre/ha
Deadwood (coarse woody debris) in the form of snags (dead standing trees) and logs (dead lying trees) is a habitat for a wide array of organisms and, after humification, an important component of forest soil. During some parts of their life cycle, some species are dependent on finding a place to live either on the surface or in the cavities/protected places of dead or dying wood of moribund or dead trees (standing and fallen), or upon wood-inhabiting fungi or other species. Because of a lack of deadwood in multipurpose forests, many of the species dependent on deadwood are endangered.
At present it is still debated what amount of deadwood is required in order to maintain the most valuable species and under what circumstances the accumulated deadwood component may give rise to a risk for insect outbreaks.
Decaying wood habitats are important components of biodiversity in European forests and recognised as an indicator for assessing and monitoring biodiversity as well as sustainable forest management.
2020 EU biodiversity targets - target 3: Increase the contribution of agriculture and forestry to biodiversity
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Definition of terms:
Terminology is well defined for international reporting by Forest Europe. Deadwood (coarse woody debris) as such, and the methodology for reporting its volume are thus defined according to Forest Europe standards.
On a national scale, the monitoring of deadwood is carried out in several National Forest Inventories (NFIs). Work towards the harmonisation of terminology is carried out by the COST E43 action. This comprises type classification (standing, bending, lying) as well as potentially important additional parameters (uprooted stems, clearcut stems, pieces of stems, cut branches, uprooted staves, logging residues, fine woody debris, intact snags, broken snags, broken, lying stems without uprooting). There are several approaches to register state of decay, most commonly this is classified in five classes. Noting the tree species is desirable but data are not collected by everybody.
MCPFE has defined the following reporting of the indicator "Deadwood":
Measurement units
Figures to be reported on
Minimum length and diameter of standing and lying dead trees
Standing deadwood: 10 cm d.b.h.
Lying deadwood: 10 cm mean diameter.
N/A
No uncertainty has been specified
No uncertainty has been specified
MAIN DISADVANTAGES OF THE INDICATOR
ANALYSIS OF OPTIONS
The 35 MCPFE quantitative indicators (http://www.mcpfe.org/documents/r_2007/ici)
all relate to sustainable forestry management. From this set, those with most direct relevance to biodiversity were selected.
For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/forest-deadwood-1/assessment-1 or scan the QR code.
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