Continuous-cover forestry in Sweden - carbon sink, economic returns and soil biodiversity

Soil fertility reflects the capacity of belowground biology to support wood production and C sequestration. In Swedish forest soils, fungi play a pivotal role as decomposers and mycorrhizal symbionts. They mediate plant–soil feedbacks, which may either boost or hamper tree growth and C storage.

Fungal functionality is altered by stand-replacing harvests, and the resilience of mycorrhiza as well as long-term legacies of rotation forestry are uncertain. Better knowledge is needed to reveal synergies and conflicts between forest goods and services.

We will evaluate the utility of continuous-cover forestry in relation to revenue, carbon storage and soil biodiversity/biofunctionality, and investigate the potential of policy instruments to steer forest management towards a balance between conflicting goals.

In two major field ventures we will measure C and N pools and fluxes and employ metatranscriptomics to analyse fungal communities and their functional traits. National inventory data and process based modelling will be used for upscaling under different climate regimes.

Derived relationships between forestry revenue, carbon storage and biological impacts will then be entered into economic models.

The project will provide ecological understanding and economic tools to resolve conflicts between landowners’ rights and collective goals.

We will deliver methods for monitoring of soil functionality and models to predict long-term impacts of forestry and climate.