Master thesis: Tree micro-habitats and habitat trees in the UholkaShyrokyi Luh primeval beech forest, Ukraine Supervisors: Thibault Lachat, Brigitte Commarmot, Andreas Rigling Habitat trees are defined as standing living or dead trees providing ecological niches (tree micro-habitats: TMH) such as cavities, dead branches, bark loss or cracks. These trees are gaining in importance for biodiversity conservation in forest ecosystems as they represent habitat for many highly specialized and threatened species. Several works have been published on habitat-trees and TMH in old growth forest or abandoned managed forests in central Europe and North America, however no study is dealing with this topic in temperate primeval forests. Primeval forests represent a conservation issue due to their role as refuge for e.g. species with high habitat requirements such as big amount of deadwood or long habitat tradition. Furthermore, they represent most valuable reference systems for comparisons with managed forests and forest reserves for forest structures (e.g. deadwood, habitat-trees) as well as for species assemblages. Data from primeval forests provide an important basis for the evaluation and improvement of nature conservation and forest management concepts. In the frame of a forest inventory in the primeval beech forest Uholka-Shyrokyi Luh in Ukraine, tree data, such as DBH, tree species and tree state have been sampled on more than 300 plots and the dead wood volume and other forest structural attributes assessed. Furthermore, tree micro-habitats have been inventoried on each tree within the sampling plots. Nine types of TMH have been distinguished . Consequently, a unique data set is now available on TMH from a primeval European beech forest. Goal of master thesis Analyze data on TMH and habitat trees from a primeval beech forest and establish references for managed forest and forest reserves Objectives 1. 2. 3. Study the amount and variation of TMH under natural condition Highlight the correlations between habitat trees/TMH and other tree and forest structural data such as DBH, dead wood volume, basal area and volume of living trees, and canopy closure and vertical structure (canopy layers). Write a manuscript for a scientific publication on this topic Location and duration: 6 months at WSL Birmensdorf Contact: Dr. Thibault Lachat, Tel. +41 44 7392 309, [email protected]
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