Forest Ecology and Management最新文献

{"title":"Corrigendum to “The pace and scale challenge: Leveraging wildfire footprints to increase forest resilience to future high-severity fire” [For. Ecol. Manag. 603 (2026) 123443]","authors":"Kristen N. Wilson , Kristen L. Shive , John N. Williams , Malcolm P. North , Michelle Coppoletta , J. Nicholas Hendershot , Charlotte K. Stanley","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123520","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123520"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thinking outside the bog: Planting dwarf birch (Betula nana) for mountain woodland restoration beyond habitat refugia constrained by overgrazing","authors":"Sarah H. Watts ,&nbsp;Andrew Warwick ,&nbsp;Kirsty J. Park ,&nbsp;Nadia Barsoum ,&nbsp;Alistair S. Jump","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123430","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123430","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The contemporary distribution of threatened species may not be in equilibrium with their full ecological niche. Understanding range contraction due to anthropogenic land-use pressures will reduce bias in management aimed at expanding present-day forests. Many mountain woodlands currently occur as fragments, with uncertainty regarding their optimal distribution and restoration potential, particularly in landscapes shaped by large herbivore management. Our high-altitude planting experiment replicated at three sites in Scotland investigates the influence of browsing on the extent and condition of mountain woodland. Planting of dwarf birch (<em>Betula nana</em>) in three different habitats monitored for up to six consecutive years tested whether this upland tree species may currently be confined to blanket bog because of historical and contemporary overgrazing. At red deer (<em>Cervus elaphus</em>) densities managed at 3–6 per km², browsing of planted <em>B. nana</em> and mortality linked to browsing were much greater in grass and heath vegetation than in blanket bog. In contrast, survival was similar for all three habitats when large herbivores were excluded, while growth outputs were not more productive in blanket bog at any of the three sites, and at one location interannual growth was significantly greater in the grass and heath. Therefore, blanket bog is not more favourable for <em>B. nana</em> establishment in Scotland compared to potential alternatives based on distributions elsewhere in northern Europe, and may instead represent a refugium where relict populations escape overgrazing. Our results suggest that active management to reduce deer densities to approximately 3 per km² or below is currently pivotal for mountain woodland restoration outside of such refugial sites in Scotland. This research illustrates the value of a “thinking outside the box” approach in applied forest ecology whereby restoration management moves beyond simply reproducing the features of constrained present-day fragments and accounts for land-use legacies while addressing the original causes of habitat loss at scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123430"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fine root vitality decline results in reduced branch formation in mature beech stands after drought","authors":"Alexandra Koller ,&nbsp;Alina Azekenova ,&nbsp;Karl-Heinz Feger ,&nbsp;Karsten Kalbitz ,&nbsp;Goddert von Oheimb","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is deteriorating the health, growth and thus functioning and services of forests through ongoing droughts and an increase in the severity of these effects is predicted. Although fine roots can serve as an early indicator of drought stress, we still lack a basic understanding of how tree fine root vitality is reflected in aboveground tree morphology. Our study uses multitemporal fine root data obtained by sequential coring, as well as high-resolution tree crown data obtained by terrestrial laser scanning in mature European beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em>) stands. First, we assessed which fine root vitality traits are affected by drought, and second, evaluated the relationship between fine root vitality and crown vitality including trees within three different radial distances (5, 8 or 10 m) from the fine root sampling point. We found that fine root necromass, fine root biomass to necromass ratio and turnover were correlated with drought. Mainly fine roots in the upper 10 cm of soil affected the crown vitality of beech trees within a 5-m radius of the fine root sampling point, highlighting the tree-centred horizontal distribution of fine roots and shallow rooting pattern of beech. A decreased fine root vitality in the upper soil in the previous growing seasons led to decreased crown vitality. Including fine root inventories in forest monitoring protocols could substantially improve our understanding of the status and trends of forests and enable forest management to deal more effectively with the growing pressure on forests.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123506"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon stock and flux predictions in second-growth Sitka-spruce and western hemlock dominated stands of Southeast Alaska","authors":"Dryw A. Jones ,&nbsp;David V. D’Amore ,&nbsp;Kellen N. Nelson ,&nbsp;Frances Biles ,&nbsp;Michael C. Howe","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123487","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123487","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impact of forest management on carbon stocks and pools in temperate rainforests is critical to estimating current and future carbon dynamics. Using data from thinned and unthinned Sitka spruce (<em>Picea sitchensis</em> (Bong.) Carrière) and western hemlock (<em>Tsuga heterophylla</em> (Raf.) Sarg.) dominated second-growth stands we developed a carbon model system to predict carbon stocks using stand age, site productivity, and thinning intensity as input variables. We estimated current and future carbon stocks and fluxes for second-growth stands within the Tongass National Forest. Our estimates were in line with other studies in the area. Our estimates showed rapid growth that peaked in year 2022 with a doubling of total tree carbon to 67.64 (±1.78) Tg C by 2075 in the control scenario and no significant differences by thinning intensity. Higher total stocks in the controls were driven primarily by higher snag carbon stocks compared to the thinned scenarios. Growth rates showed a reverse trend compared to stocks with the lowest growth in the control scenarios and higher growth for increasing thinning intensities. Growth was significantly influenced by site index with thinned stands surpassing controls in total carbon for the highest site index stands and for the highest quartile of site index stands but not for the average site index or the lowest quartile site index stands. The peak growth of simulated stands in 2022 corresponds to a shifting of carbon mass allocation to older age classes suggesting that the average second-growth stand in the Tongass may be experiencing declining growth rates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123487"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphological and heat-tolerance traits are associated with progression and impact of, but not vulnerability to, tree decline","authors":"Sabina M. Aitken ,&nbsp;Pieter A. Arnold ,&nbsp;Matthew T. Brookhouse ,&nbsp;Alicia M. Cook ,&nbsp;Lisa M. Danzey ,&nbsp;Rosalie J. Harris ,&nbsp;Andy Leigh ,&nbsp;Adrienne B. Nicotra","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Warming and drying climate trends have been linked to tree-dieback phenomena worldwide with broad-reaching impacts on ecosystem services. Studying tree decline is unavoidably a retrospective exercise in which a challenge lies in determining whether trait values contribute to, or are consequences of, decline. Here we used sub-alpine snow gum (<em>Eucalyptus pauciflora</em> ssp. <em>niphophila</em>) to test whether plant traits explain vulnerability of individual trees to decline, assess how progression of dieback symptoms affect traits and physiological tolerance, and ask whether those responses could exacerbate decline. Snow gum woodlands are in widespread decline reflecting the compounding effects of climate warming and drought, and infestation by the wood-boring cerambycid, <em>Phoracantha mastersi</em>. While the impact of drought on tree mortality is well documented, we considered the potential role of heat stress, given exposure of high-elevation forests to increasing temperature. We measured changes in leaf and stem morphology, and stomatal anatomy across orthogonal dieback severity and elevation gradients. Trees showing severe dieback exhibited trait values indicating water stress, while less severely- and un-affected trees did not differ. This suggests observed differences are responses to stress caused by the impacts of wood-borer infestation and provide no evidence of underlying differences in vulnerability. We also modelled the viability of photosynthetic machinery in leaves under current and future climate scenarios; models indicated that leaves on severely-affected trees were likely to accumulate lethal damage to photosystems within a growing season. Even under the current thermal regime, dieback affected trees have lower capacity to tolerate compounded extreme events, contributing to a feedback cycle of decline.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123523"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Wildfire alters forest structure while belowground multifunctionality remains unchanged in a karst Pinus massoniana forest","authors":"Jinlan Xiao ,&nbsp;Olusanya Abiodun Olatunji ,&nbsp;Dong Wang ,&nbsp;Mathias Neumann","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfires constitute major forest disturbances that substantially influence the forest structure and ecosystem functions. The impacts of wildfires on ecosystem services and associated microbial communities remain poorly understood—particularly in sensitive and nutrient-limited karst forests. Here, we examined the short-term effects of wildfire (approximately one year after) on multiple ecosystem functions (carbon sequestration, plant diversity, nutrient cycling, habitat provision, nutrient support, soil fertility, microbial habitat, microbial decomposition, microbial diversity, and soil physical stability) and overall aboveground, belowground, and ecosystem multifunctionality in two adjacent <em>Pinus massoniana</em> stands with contrasting fire histories (burned vs. unburned). Belowground functions and microbial communities were assessed in surface (0–3 cm) and subsurface (3–10 cm) soil layers. Wildfire resulted in a mean char height of 2.64 m and tree mortality rate of 56 %, indicating moderate fire severity. Wildfire significantly reduced litter biomass and litter nutrient cycling; however, it enhanced understory vegetation diversity. Despite lower microbial decomposition in the subsurface layer, belowground multifunctionality remained stable. Wildfire considerably altered soil bacterial and fungal community structures across both soil layers, with bacterial Shannon diversity increasing in the surface layer, while fungal diversity remained unaffected. Mantel test indicated that fire-induced changes in soil pH, understory plant diversity, and litter biomass jointly influenced bacterial and fungal community structures, potentially contributing to the observed stability of belowground and ecosystem multifunctionality. Our results highlight the inherent resilience of nutrient-limited karst ecosystems to moderate-severity, short-term wildfire disturbances, driven by the compensatory mechanisms of rapid understory development, fine root persistence, and microbial community reorganization.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123515"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974872","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoupling abundance and biomass in secondary Atlantic Rainforest: Differential responses of rare and common tree species to environmental drivers","authors":"Otávio Miranda Verly ,&nbsp;Pedro Manuel Villa ,&nbsp;Marcelo Vitor Gualberto Santos Chaves ,&nbsp;Samuel José Silva Soares da Rocha ,&nbsp;Luiz Claudio Medeiros Cabral-da-Silva ,&nbsp;Klisman Oliveira ,&nbsp;Maria Paula Miranda Xavier Rufino ,&nbsp;Samuel Braz Vieira ,&nbsp;D’lano Figueiredo Teixeira Sathler ,&nbsp;Jacinto Moreira de Lana ,&nbsp;Carlos Moreira Miquelino Eleto Torres","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the fragmented landscape, such as Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, anthropogenic and environmental factors shape tree diversity. These factors modulate the dynamics among species with different population proportions. We explored how anthropogenic and environmental conditions, as well as diversity, influence forest dynamics in the Atlantic Rainforest. We used 20 years of forest inventory data from 53 plots in four fragments with different land-use histories. Environmental variables and taxonomic and functional diversity indices were obtained at the plot level. We also calculated net values of abundance (NDA) and biomass (NDB) dynamics for different species abundance classes (SAC): common, intermediate, and rare. We explored the relationships between the variables sets and NDB and NDA of each SAC by building linear mixed-effects models (LMM), in which land-use history (LUH) was included as a random effect, while the other variables were grouped as fixed effects. Over 20 years, we conducted 24,379 measurements on 6838 stems, with continuous increases in biomass, basal area, and diversity in most areas, despite local fluctuations in stem density. A total of 514 species were recorded, rotating between 423 (2002) and 440 (2022), with Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, and Lauraceae standing out. The SAC contributed distinctly to abundance and biomass. The richest forests had dominance distributed among a greater number of species, and poorer forests concentrated it in fewer species, a pattern maintained over 20 years. The abundance of common species decreased, but their biomass increased; rare species increased in both. The LMMs varied in performance across variable groups and dynamic components. For the NDB and dynamics of intermediate species, the models were not very accurate. Diversity and landscape models were the most explanatory variables, dominated by the random effect of LUH. At the fixed effects level, in general, common species responded to temperature, dry-season precipitation, and diversity; and rare species to anthropogenic landscape and soil variables. We revealed that different tree abundance classes respond differently to environmental and historical factors and highlight the importance of conserving rare species and maintaining diversity to ensure forest biomass stability and growth in the face of climate change and anthropogenic pressures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123503"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tree species choice by forest management and biodiversity: Replacing Abies alba by Picea abies and Pseudotsuga menziesii drives epiphytes to higher elevations","authors":"Stefan Kaufmann ,&nbsp;Mareike Delp,&nbsp;Denise Heinze,&nbsp;Line Kreimeyer,&nbsp;Miriam Rosenbach,&nbsp;Markus Hauck","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123501","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123501","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> is considered as a replacement tree species for the drought-sensitive <em>Picea abies</em> in Central European forests, which was often cultivated outside its natural elevational distribution range. Hence, the natural tree species composition at lower elevations was replaced mostly by <em>Picea abies</em>, which in turn is partly displaced by <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>. How epiphytic bryophytes and lichens respond to such alterations of the natural tree species composition has been only insufficiently studied so far. Hence, we compared taxonomic and functional diversity patterns of epiphytes between each 48 tree individuals of <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> with native <em>Abies alba</em> along an elevation gradient in temperate mountain forests of southwest Germany. Lichen α- and γ-diversity was significantly higher on <em>Abies alba</em>, whereas no difference was found for bryophytes. Our models indicated that stem diameter and elevation as well as <em>Abies alba</em>, contrary to <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>, favoured lichen richness. Again, no impact on bryophyte richness was detectable. Trait-based analysis revealed that <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> was preferred by acidophytes. Especially lichen species with the secondary metabolite fumarprotocetraric acid were apparently able to colonize the highly acidic bark. Contrary to this, lichens with parietin and usnic acid avoided Douglas fir and were rather associated with <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Abies alba</em>, which was also strongly preferred by liverworts and obligate epiphytic bryophytes. Threshold indicator taxa analysis identified epiphyte communities already increasing in abundance at ∼750 m a.s.l. on <em>Abies alba</em>, but only at ∼950 m a.s.l. on <em>Picea abies</em> and <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em>. <em>Abies alba</em> turned out to be a very valuable tree species for epiphytic bryophytes and lichens compared to non-native <em>Pseudotsuga menziesii</em> and <em>Picea abies</em>, when cultivated outside its natural range. At lower elevations, epiphytes do not seem to have the capability to adapt to Douglas fir and spruce under the present climate, but only at higher elevations under further increased humidity levels. This suggests that the anthropogenic change in tree species composition pushed epiphytes of the natural forest vegetation towards higher elevations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123501"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145974879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Irrigating cork oaks until maturity in the context of climate change: Current insights from long-term experimental plots","authors":"Constança Camilo-Alves ,&nbsp;Ana Poeiras ,&nbsp;Margarida Vaz ,&nbsp;João Barroso ,&nbsp;Nuno Almeida-Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cork oak (<em>Quercus suber</em> L.) is of major importance in the coastal regions of the western Mediterranean basin. However, its widespread chronic decline is compromising the long-term sustainability of its main product, the cork. Fertirrigation has emerged as a potential strategy to accelerate growth and reduce the time to first cork harvest, being discontinued once trees reach their productive stage. This study synthesizes the rationale, methodology, and results from long-term experimental plots in Portugal, where cork oaks were subjected to different irrigation regimes, soil conditions, and management practices. Findings demonstrate that irrigation can advance the first cork debarking to around 14 years after plantation, while promoting more homogeneous stand development. Water requirements increase over time and may reach an efficient threshold of 140 m³ ha⁻¹ per week when trees are near the first debark. However, its success depends on edaphic suitability and adaptive management to prevent adverse outcomes, such as root dependence or pest pressure. Economic analyses indicate that fertirrigation is generally advantageous until the second harvest, except when installation and maintenance costs are exceptionally high. Irrigation suppression demonstrated that trees can adapt to rainfed conditions. From an environmental perspective, irrigation should be restricted to suitable soils and rely exclusively on surface water sources. Beyond productivity, irrigated cork oak stands provided broader ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement. Ultimately, fertirrigation should be considered a temporary support tool that strengthens cork oak establishment and competitiveness, paving the way for resilient and sustainable forests under Mediterranean climate change scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123518"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145924224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Structural complexity across a continuum of woodland establishment methods from planting to natural colonisation","authors":"Samuel Hughes ,&nbsp;Thiago S.F. Silva ,&nbsp;Laura Braunholtz ,&nbsp;Kevin Watts ,&nbsp;Matt Guy ,&nbsp;Kirsty J. Park ,&nbsp;Vanessa Burton ,&nbsp;Marc J. Metzger ,&nbsp;Julia Koricheva ,&nbsp;Elisa Fuentes-Montemayor","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123490","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123490","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Expanding forest and woodland cover is a global strategy to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis and reverse biodiversity decline. While most woodland in temperate regions is created through tree planting, natural colonisation has been advocated for as an alternative or complementary approach. However, there is limited understanding on how the structural attributes of woodlands created through these different approaches develop through time. To address this knowledge gap, we assessed a suite of structural metrics for 28 woodland sites (aged 13–43 years) that were established along a planted to natural colonisation continuum in England. We used an Uncrewed Aerial System to collect LiDAR data alongside field surveys and calculated metrics relating to above-ground biomass accumulation (canopy height and basal area) and metrics relating to structural complexity (the horizontal and vertical arrangement of canopy) as a proxy for biodiversity potential. Canopy height and basal area were higher in woodlands with larger proportions of planting. Additionally, woodlands with higher proportions of planting displayed greater vertical complexity (canopy stratification) whereas there was weak evidence that woodlands with higher proportions of natural colonisation develop greater horizontal complexity (gap fraction). This suggests that tree planting is the better option when biomass accumulation is the primary goal, whereas natural colonisation or hybrid approaches are likely to be beneficial when the focus is biodiversity or a mix of outcomes. Woodlands created through hybrid approaches that combine planting and natural colonisation offered intermediate values of biomass accumulation and structural complexity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"605 ","pages":"Article 123490"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145915417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}