Table 2 Summary of experimental results on different species groups. Short- (up to 3 years post harvest) and long-term effects (> 3 years) are separated by a slash line. + = positive, − = negative and ± = not detectable or ambiguous effect, and na = not assessed. Retention = effect of standard or higher retention; Fire = effect of prescribed burning; CWD = effect of artificial large-sized dead wood; Paludified = effect of moist micro-sites within forest; Site prep = effect of site preparation (usually disc trenching or mounding); Interactions = two of the previous variables have been observed to interact; Other aspects = other important determinants of species-group abundance or species richness. 1 = experimental data contain several red-listed or highly specialized species
Ecological group | Retention | Fire | CWD | Paludified | Site prep | Interactions | Other aspects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Understory vegetation | |||||||
 Late successional | +/+ | −/− | na/na | +/+ | −/na |  |  |
 Pioneer | −/− | +/+ | na/na | na/na | +/na |  |  |
 Mosses and lichens | +/+ | −/na | na/na | +/+ | −/− |  |  |
Epiphytic and epixylic bryophytes and lichens | |||||||
 Epiphytic 1 | +/+ | −/− | na/na | +/na | −/na |  | Long−term effect of fire may be positive |
 Epixylic 1 | +/+ | −/na | na/na | na/na | −/− |  |  |
Fungi | |||||||
 Polypores 1 | ±/+ | −/+ | +/+ | na/na | na/na | Rete x Fire | Downed CWD better than high stumps |
 Macrofungi | na/na | na/+ | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
Ground-dwelling arthropods | |||||||
 Ground beetles, shade-requiring | +/+ | −/− | na/+ | na/± | −/na |  | Microsite variation larger than felling effect |
 Ground beetles, open-habitat | −/− | +/+ | na/− | na/− | +/na |  | Microsite variation larger than felling-effect |
 Ground beetles, shade generalists | −/− | −/+ | na/± | na/− | ±/na |  |  |
 Ground beetles, mire species | +/+ | na/− | na/± | +/+ | na/na |  |  |
 Spiders, forest web builders | +/na | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Spiders, hunting spiders | −/na | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Harvestmen (Opilionidae) | +/na | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
Saproxylic and other actively-flying beetles | |||||||
 Early-stage xylophages 1 | +/± | +/± | +/± | na/na | na/na | Fire x CWD | CWD quality important; if CWD is abundant, felling is of minor importance |
 Late-stage xylophages 1 | ±/+ | ±/+ | ±/+ | na/na | na/na | Fire x CWD | CWD quality important; if CWD is abundant, felling is of minor importance |
 Mycetophages 1 | +/+ | −/− | +/+ | na/na | na/na | Fire x CWD | CWD quality important; if CWD is abundant, felling is of minor importance |
 Non-saproxylic | −/− | +/+ | ±/± | na/na | na/na |  |  |
Other groups | |||||||
 Flat bugs 1 | ±/+ | +/+ | na/+ | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Red wood ants (Formica) | ±/na | na/− | na/± | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Millipedes and centipedes | +/+ | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Springtails and soil mites | +/+ | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Soil decomposers | +/+ | na/na | na/na | na/na | −/− |  |  |
 Pollinator insects | na/− | na/+ | na/± | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Tachinid flies | na/− | na/± | na/± | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Fungus gnats | +/na | na/na | +/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Eastern pygmy shrew | +/na | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Wood lemming | +/na | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |
 Northern bat | na/+ | na/na | na/na | na/na | na/na |  |  |