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Purpose of Review As litter decomposition is a fundamental process in forest ecosystems, representing the link between aboveground and belowground biogeochemical processes, we developed an effect size summarisation of the implications of forest management on litter decomposition rate, by applying a multi-level meta-analysis and multivariate mixed-effects meta-analytic linear models. Our aim was to review the findings of the current literature and to understand how forest management, silvicultural treatment, and forest operations could affect litter decomposition rate. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of environmental variables that included stand type, climatic conditions, and the percentage of biomass removal on litter decomposition rate. Recent Findings We found a statistically significant reduction in litter decomposition rate associated with clear-cutting, and no statistically significant differences for the overall effects of retention forestry and logging activities (disturbed forest soil in the form of skid trails or strip roads). Concerning the sub-group analysis and multivariate meta-regression, there were no significant effects for stand type (broadleaf, coniferous, or mixed) or climatic conditions (mean annual temperature and annual precipitation). The percentage of biomass removal showed a significant positive correlation with the effect size, thus indicating that higher biomass removal in the framework of retention forestry leads to an increase in litter decomposition rate. Also, the mesh size of the litterbag showed a positive correlation with the effect size, suggesting that there is a probability of a factor of stronger disturbance to large-body decomposer organisms such as microarthropods. Summary Litter decomposition rate is related, among other factors, to soil microclimatic conditions and soil biota. Therefore, this process can be strongly influenced by active forest management, meant as a silvicultural treatment carried out by applying a given harvesting system. In the context of retention forestry, increased light availability seems to be the driving force in shaping increased litter decomposition rates with increasing biomass removal. On the other hand, when a clear-cut is applied, the stronger modification to the edaphic community leads to decreased litter decomposition rates. It is worth noting that the modification may also be related to soil manipulation to favour the establishment of artificial regeneration. The findings, however, showed very large variability, thus suggesting the need for further research on such a complex topic. Multidisciplinary studies that analyse the microclimate and the edaphic biological communities along with the litter decomposition are particularly recommended.

Purposeof Review Paired catchment studies have documented the extent to which forest harvesting impairs forested watersheds. Adverse effects on stream water quality and aquatic ecosystems following ground-based harvesting operations that open forest canopies and compact soils have spurred the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) that are intended to limit runoff volumes (i.e., water yield increase, WYI) and total sediment yields (TSY) into streams. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent insights from water and sediment yield studies, ranging in scale from hillslope plots to catchments, that reveal the sources and mechanisms of hydrological impairment and recovery, and point to specific strategies for developing more targeted BMPs that help prevent, mitigate, and rehabilitate forested watersheds. Recent Findings In the context of forested watersheds, contemporary BMPs have successfully lowered runoff (WYI) and total sediment yields (TSY) relative to previously reported values. Recent research strongly indicates that the delivery of WYIs and TSYs to streams following forest harvesting is still high. Because many factors such as the intensity and extent of management activities and headwater catchment activities interact, improving the effectiveness of generic, inflexible BMPs will be challenging. Recent findings indicate that a site-specific, highly tailored application of a combination of BMP measures before, during, and after the harvesting operation is needed if a further reduction of runoff and sediment delivery to streams is to be achieved. Summary Analyses of 155 paired catchment studies and 39 hillslope plots revealed that forest harvesting resulted in average increases of WYI by 180 mm (+ 46%) and TSY by 477 t km −2  year −1 (+ 700%). Smaller hillslope plots established on forest roads, skid trails, and harvested areas underestimate these values (WYI of 8.2 mm, TSY was 42.2 t km −2  year −1 ). In extreme circumstances such as clearcutting, enhanced WYI and TSY may persist up to several decades before returning to pre-harvest levels. WY increased with increasing precipitation and with, and proportional to, the catchment area harvested, regardless of climatic zone or tree species composition; TSY increased with increasing rainfall and catchment area. Both the impact of harvesting and the time required for natural recovery of hydrologic responses depended on the response but can be shortened when applying contemporary forestry BMPs.

Purpose of Review Climate change poses a threat to European forests and threatens their capacity to deliver ecosystem services. Innovation is often considered critical to increasing resilience in wood-based value chains. However, the knowledge about types of innovation processes and how they enhance resilience, if at all, is largely dispersed. In this conceptual paper, we refer to examples from the forestry, bioeconomy, adaptation, and innovation literature to develop an overview of innovation pathways along the wood value chain. Thereafter, we evaluate the extent to which they enhance or compromise resilience to climate change and how they do so. Recent Findings We differentiate between forest and value chain resilience and assume that innovation positively influences both types of resilience via three resilience drivers: diversifying the product portfolio, making operations more efficient, or making the processes more flexible. Our literature review revealed nine innovation pathways along the value chain. Summary The pathways rarely connect forest management and the processing industry. Consequently, a mismatch was identified between the innovation pathways and resilience drivers applied to increase diversification at the beginning of the value chain (in forest management) and those applied to increase efficiency towards the end of the value chain (in the processing industry). Considering this mismatch, we stress that it is critical to reconsider the term innovation as a silver bullet and to increase the awareness of resilience drivers and innovation pathways, as well as reconsider ways to combine them optimally. We recommend engaging in open innovation activities to cooperatively draft innovation strategies across the entire wood value chain and intercept pathways by making processes more flexible.

Purpose of Review Continuous cover forestry (CCF) is a sustainable management approach for forestry in which forest stands are manipulated to create irregular stand structures with varied species composition. This approach differs greatly from the traditional approaches of plantation-based forestry, in which uniform monocultures are maintained, and thus, traditional methods of assessment, such as productivity (yield class) calculations, are less applicable. This creates a need to identify new methods to succeed the old and be of use in operational forestry and research. By applying remote sensing techniques to CCF, it may be possible to identify novel solutions to the challenges introduced through the adoption of CCF. Recent Findings There has been a limited amount of work published on the applications of remote sensing to CCF in the last decade. Research can primarily be characterised as explorations of different methods to quantify the target state of CCF and monitor indices of stand structural complexity during transformation to CCF, using terrestrial and aerial data collection techniques. Summary We identify a range of challenges associated with CCF and outline the outstanding gaps within the current body of research in need of further investigation, including a need for the development of new inventory methods using remote sensing techniques. We identify methods, such as individual tree models, that could be applied to CCF from other complex, heterogenous forest systems and propose the wider adoption of remote sensing including information for interested parties to get started.