1. BACKGROUND

• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Fennoscandian
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.418.6653; http://www.environmentalevidence.org/Documents/Final protocols/Protocol17.pdf

Saproxylic invertebrates particularly Coleoptera make up one of the largest groups of red-listed species in Fennoscandian, and European countries (Speight 1989, Berg et al. 1995, Jonsell et al. 1998, Martikainen & Kaika 2004). A lack of dead wood and low numbers of deciduous trees resulting from forest management practices have been identified as major factors contributing to the loss of saproxylic biodiversity especially in Fennoscandian forests (Esseen et al. 1997). More sympathetic management regimes have been advocated to address this decline. These include the creation of man-made stumps and retention of natural stumps (Jonsell et al. 2004), maintenance of over-mature trees (tree surgery, reduction of competition), leaving fallen wood under light Bracken or Bramble cover and lying in water, inducing decay in young trees where over-mature trees are absent (Alexander et al.), leaving large diameter fallen wood where possible, pollarding young trees, leaving woodpiles in preference to removing timber and creating large piles of tightly packed brash rather than small piles of open brashings (Kirby 1992). The National Trust (NT) is interested 1 in ascertaining the efficacy of these interventions for the maintenance of saproxylic