Same, but different: similar states of forest structure in temperate mountain regions of Europe despite different social-ecological forest disturbance regimes

Context Ecosystem services provided by mountain forests are critically linked to forest structure. Social-ecological disturbance regimes (i.e., the rate, frequency, and patch size distribution of disturbances driven by interacting natural and anthropogenic processes) and land use affect forest struc...

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Published in:Landscape ecology 2024-06, Vol.39 (6), p.114, Article 114
Main Authors: Stritih, Ana, Senf, Cornelius, Kuemmerle, Tobias, Munteanu, Catalina, Dzadzamia, Lasha, Stritih, Jernej, Matijašić, Dragan, Cortner, Owen, Seidl, Rupert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Canopies
Disturbance
Disturbances
Ecology
Ecosystem services
Environmental Management
Forest management
Forests
Human influences
Land use
Landsat
Landscape Ecology
Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning
Lidar
Life Sciences
Mountain forests
Mountain regions
Mountains
Nature Conservation
Remote sensing
Research Article
Size distribution
Small mammals
Sustainable Development
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Summary:Context Ecosystem services provided by mountain forests are critically linked to forest structure. Social-ecological disturbance regimes (i.e., the rate, frequency, and patch size distribution of disturbances driven by interacting natural and anthropogenic processes) and land use affect forest structure, but their specific impacts are not fully understood. Objectives We examine how differences in disturbance regimes affect patterns of forest structure across three European mountain ranges with similar vegetation types but different land-use histories: the European Alps, the Carpathians, and the Caucasus. Methods We related data on horizontal and vertical forest structure, measured by spaceborne lidar (GEDI), with Landsat-derived information on forest disturbances (1986–2020) and topographic, climatic, and anthropogenic predictors. Results We found similar social-ecological disturbance regimes in the Alps and Carpathians (average annual disturbance rates of 0.34% and 0.39%, respectively, and median patch size 
ISSN:1572-9761
0921-2973
1572-9761
DOI:10.1007/s10980-024-01908-x