Work

How to make deadwood? Comparing the effects of practical artificial deadwood enrichment techniques on early-arriving saproxylic beetles in Scots pine plantations

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Much of the biodiversity of forest ecosystems depends on the abundance and diversity of deadwood, which is often scarce or absent in forestry systems. Deadwood enrichment is a commonly used intervention for restoring saproxylic biodiversity, but how effectiveness of deadwood enrichment techniques – such as girdling, felling and uprooting – for biodiversity restoration relate to each other is poorly researched. This study aimed to experimentally assess how attraction of saproxylic beetles (Coleoptera) differs between different deadwood enrichment methods. We used flight interception traps to compare attraction of saproxylic beetles between seven methods of tree damaging and killing, replicated in a randomized block design in dead-wood deficient Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) plantations in the Netherlands. We compared saproxylic beetle richness, abundance and assemblage composition. In total 163 saproxylic beetle taxa from 57 families were collected. All deadwood enrichment treatments attracted a higher saproxylic beetle abundance and richness than vital control trees. Abundance and richness of beetles attracted were lower for treatments involving sub-lethal damaging than for treatments involving instant tree death. Snagging trees or creating high- and low stumps was more effective than girdling or uprooting trees, while damaging trees had little effect. Beetle richness varied across time during the sampling the season, regardless of the treatment but beetle abundance varied across time dependent on treatment. The species assemblage composition of saproxylic beetle communities also differed between treatments. Overall, the early-decomposer beetle communities attracted to deadwood enrichment techniques are mainly dominated by common coniferous-wood associated species. The results of our study suggest that early attraction of saproxylic beetles to deadwood substrate is driven by a combination of primary attraction and random landing strategies. Some treatments have a higher short-term impact than others and bear promise for forestry practices aimed at boosting the biodiversity of impoverished tree plantations. These findings suggest that the greatest variety of saproxylic beetles is attracted by felling trees with a combination of techniques.

Source: Forest Ecology and Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123987