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

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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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Nature of Ireland’s forest estate

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Land Cover in Ireland

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

Hen Harrier nesting habitat

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from Wilson et. al 2009. Ibis 151:332-343

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

Lysimeter experiment

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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

Acknowledgements• PLANFORBIO team• BIOFOREST team• COFORD• NPWS• Forest Service• IRCSET• EPA• Forest Research UK• Simon Harrison, Conor Graeme, Tom Drinan• Lucas Jagodzinski, Marcel Jansen,Frank van Pelt, Brian

O’Gallachoir26