Work

Forest Management Effects on Structural and Functional Connectivity of Relict Abies pinsapo Forests in Southern Spain

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study examines the effects of silvicultural management on the functional connectivity of fragmented Abies pinsapo forests in southern Spain. Using biomass stock as a resistance proxy, connectivity was assessed through accumulated cost-distance and least-cost path analyses under three scenarios: low intervention, traditional silviculture, and intensive thinning aimed at reducing climate vulnerability. The intensive thinning scenario produced the greatest connectivity gains, reducing mean accumulated costs by approximately 18% and standard deviation by 15%, with local reductions reaching up to 60% between specific population pairs. Median costs also declined, indicating widespread improvements rather than isolated effects. Spatial analyses revealed that previously high-resistance zones, particularly in central and northern sectors, shifted toward more permeable conditions. Least-cost paths were shortened and alternative, more efficient corridors emerged, especially in areas subjected to silvicultural treatments. Connectivity benefits extended to peripheral populations, decreasing their relative isolation and contributing to a more balanced network structure. Targeted biomass reduction may reshape landscape resistance patterns and strengthened ecological linkages, highlighting adaptive silviculture as a potentially valuable strategy for improving landscape connectivity and supporting conservation planning.

Source: Forests

DOI: 10.3390/f17070777

Authors: Rafael Mª Navarro Cerrillo, Carlos A. Rivas, Mª Ángeles Varo Mártinez, Antonio Jesús Ariza-Salamanca, Guillermo Palacios-Rodríguez

Institutions: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, University of Córdoba

Language: English

Topic: Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation

Subfield: Ecology

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137