The contribution of Mountain birch forests to the conservation of boreal biodiversity associated with broadleaf dead wood.

Forestry has greatly reduced the area of older boreal broadleaf-rich forests and therefore biodiversity associated with boreal broadleaf dead wood (BDW) has deteriorated. However, mountain birch forests (MBFs) cover large areas and are still unaffected by industrial forestry.

They are therefore likely to play a role in conserving boreal species associated with BDW, but there is an almost complete lack of knowledge about this role.

Our project will generate novel empirical knowledge of BDW-associated insects and fungi and compare the local species composition of these in MBFs and boreal broadleaf-rich forests at lower elevations (LBFs).

We will also examine traits and geographical ranges of the Swedish species pool of boreal BDW-associated insects and fungi, identify which of these species that are missing from or are rare in MBFs and should therefore be prioritized in LBFs, and predict which lowland species that may colonize MBFs in response to climate warming using species distribution modeling.

In addition, we will analyze new data on deadwood in MBFs from the Swedish National Forest Inventory. Finally, we will synthesize current knowledge on boreal BDW-associated biodiversity and implications for conservation.

We will discuss this synthesis in a concluding workshop, which also will provide recommendations for how to prioritize conservation measures to favor boreal BDW species at lower altitudes in the light of what the mountain birch forests contribute to conservation.