Contributions of a global network of tree diversity experiments to sustainable forest plantations.
The area of forest plantations is increasing worldwide helping to meet timber demand and protect natural forests. However, with global change, monospecific plantations are increasingly vulnerable to abiotic and biotic disturbances. As an adaption measure we need to move to plantations that are more diverse in genotypes, species, and structure, with a design underpinned by science. TreeDivNet, a global network of tree diversity experiments, responds to this need by assessing the advantages and disadvantages of mixed species plantations. The network currently consists of 18 experiments, distributed over 36 sites and five ecoregions. With plantations 1-15 years old, TreeDivNet can already provide relevant data for forest policy and management. In this paper, we highlight some early results on the carbon sequestration and pest resistance potential of more diverse plantations. Finally, suggestions are made for new, innovative experiments in understudied regions to complement the existing network.
Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium. kris.verheyen@ugent.be.
Kris
K
Verheyen
Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium. margot.vanhellemont@ugent.be.
Margot
M
Vanhellemont
Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120, Halle, Germany. harald.auge@ufz.de.|German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (Halle-Jena-Leipzig), iDiv, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany. harald.auge@ufz.de.
Harald
H
Auge
Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium. lander.baeten@ugent.be.
Lander
L
Baeten
Department of Biological Sciences, International Center for Tropical Botany, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, OE 167, Miami, FL, 33199, USA. chris.baraloto@ecofog.gf.|INRA, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane, 97310, Kourou, French Guiana. chris.baraloto@ecofog.gf.|Department of Botany, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil. chris.baraloto@ecofog.gf.
Christopher
C
Baraloto
Centre for Ecosystems, Society and Biosecurity, Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, GU10 4LH, Surrey, UK. nadia.barsoum@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.
Nadia
N
Barsoum
Centre for Forest Research (CFR), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQM), P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada. simonbgauthier@yahoo.ca.
Simon
S
Bilodeau-Gauthier
Institute of Biology/Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany. helge.bruelheide@botanik.uni-halle.de.
Helge
H
Bruelheide
INRA, UMR 1202 BIOGECO, 69 route d'Arcachon, 33612, Cestas, France. bastien.castagneyrol@pierroton.inra.fr.|INRA, UMR 1202 BIOGECO, 33610, Cestas, France. bastien.castagneyrol@pierroton.inra.fr.|UMR 1202, BIOGECO, University of Bordeaux, 33615, Pessac, France. bastien.castagneyrol@pierroton.inra.fr.
Bastien
B
Castagneyrol
Institute of Forest Ecology, Universität für Bodenkultur (BOKU), Peter Jordan Str 82, 1190, Vienna, Austria. douglas.godbold@boku.ac.at.
Douglas
D
Godbold
Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Austria. josephine.haase@biologie.uni-freiburg.de.|Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. josephine.haase@biologie.uni-freiburg.de.|Ecosystem Management, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Universitaetsstr. 16, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland. josephine.haase@biologie.uni-freiburg.de.
Josephine
J
Haase
Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK. andrew.hector@plants.ox.ac.uk.
Andy
A
Hector
INRA, UMR 1202 BIOGECO, 33610, Cestas, France. herve.jactel@pierroton.inra.fr.|UMR 1202, BIOGECO, University of Bordeaux, 33615, Pessac, France. herve.jactel@pierroton.inra.fr.
Hervé
H
Jactel
School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, TW20 0EX, Surrey, UK. julia.koricheva@rhul.ac.uk.
Julia
J
Koricheva
Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Station d'Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS, 2 route du CNRS, 09200, Moulis, France. michel.loreau@ecoex-moulis.cnrs.fr.
Michel
M
Loreau
Department of Science for Nature and Natural Resources, University of Sassari, Via Enrico De Nicola 1, 07100, Sassari, Italy. simonemereu@uniss.it.|Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Impacts on Agriculture, Forest, and Natural Ecosystems, Lecce, Italy. simonemereu@uniss.it.
Simone
S
Mereu
Centre for Forest Research (CFR), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQM), P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada. messier.christian@uqam.ca.|Institut des Sciences de la Forêt tempérée (ISFORT), Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), 8, Rue Principale, Ripon, QC, JOV 1V0, Canada. messier.christian@uqam.ca.
Christian
C
Messier
Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, Department of Earth & Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, Box 2411, 3001, Louvain, Belgium. bart.muys@ees.kuleuven.be.
Bart
B
Muys
Département des Sciences naturelles, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58 Principale, Ripon, QC, J0V 1V0, Canada. philippe.nole@uqo.ca.
Philippe
P
Nolet
Centre for Forest Research (CFR), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQM), P.O. Box 8888, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada. alain.paquette@gmail.com.
Alain
A
Paquette
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA. parkerj@si.edu.
John
J
Parker
Forest & Nature Lab, Department of Forest and Water Management, Ghent University, Geraardsbergsesteenweg 267, 9090, Melle-Gontrode, Belgium. michael.perring@uwa.edu.au.|Ecosystem Restoration and Intervention Ecology Research Group, School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia. michael.perring@uwa.edu.au.
Mike
M
Perring
Earth and Life Institute - Environmental Sciences, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Croix du Sud 2, Box L7.05.09, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. quentin.ponette@uclouvain.be.
Quentin
Q
Ponette
Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield, Montréal, QC, H3A-1B1, Canada. catherine.potvin@mcgill.ca.|Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, USA. catherine.potvin@mcgill.ca.
Catherine
C
Potvin
Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA. preich@umn.edu.|Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, 2753, Australia. preich@umn.edu.
Peter
P
Reich
School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography, Bangor University, Thoday Building, Bangor, LL57 2UW, Gwynedd, UK. a.r.smith@bangor.ac.uk.
Andy
A
Smith
Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7043, 750 07, Uppsala, Sweden. martin.weih@slu.se.
Martin
M
Weih
Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schaenzlestrasse 1, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. michael.scherer@biologie.uni-freiburg.de.
Michael
M
Scherer-Lorenzen
D044822:Biodiversity; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D065928:Forests; D014197:Trees
Biodiversity experiments; Ecological restoration; Functional biodiversity research; Plantation forest; Sustainable forest management