Messier forest stands support more spider species under retention forestry

Background Managed forests often become structurally simple: fewer layers, less deadwood, and a poorer understory. Retention forestry tries to avoid this by keeping key habitat features during timber use. Spiders matter because they are common predators in forests, but we still need clearer evidence on which forest features support them, and whether food availability plays a role. What did we study? We worked in 55 … Continue reading Messier forest stands support more spider species under retention forestry

Green-tree retention benefits recovery of ground beetles

In their new research, Linhao Wu and colleagues set out to answer the question ‘how do retention harvest and forest type together affect the conservation and recovery of ground beetles assemblages’?  Ground beetles (members of the family Carabidae) are common and important components of forest biodiversity. Because they are easy to collect, highly diverse and sensitive to habitat changes, they have been widely used as … Continue reading Green-tree retention benefits recovery of ground beetles