DOI: 10.5061/dryad.tf1fm
title: Data from: Forest restoration as a double-edged sword: the conflict between biodiversity conservation and pest control

description: 1. Forestry has markedly changed a large proportion of the world’s boreal
 forests, often with negative effects on biodiversity. As a result, forest
 restoration is increasingly implemented to counteract the negative
 effects. However, restoration measures aimed at mimicking natural
 disturbance regimes could simultaneously increase the risk of unwanted
 negative effects, such as damage by forest pest species. This study
 compares the effect of two restoration methods (prescribed burning and
 gap-cutting), on both biodiversity conservation and pest control, to
 provide a basis for solutions to this potential conflict. 2. Bark beetles
 are ideal for studying this conflict, as this group is both species-rich
 and contains notorious pest species. We conducted a unique, large-scale
 field experiment in which we compared the effect of two different
 restoration methods on the abundance, species richness and assemblage
 composition of bark beetles. In addition, we estimated uncontrolled tree
 mortality by the number of trees that died post-restoration. 3. Beetles
 were divided in two groups, primary and secondary, the former with an
 ability to kill growing trees. Bark beetle diversity did not differ
 between treatment groups prior to restoration. However, after restoration,
 assemblage composition and primary bark beetle abundance differed between
 the treatments. Furthermore, species richness was higher in burned and
 gap-cut stands compared to reference stands. 4. The number of trees that
 died post-restoration was highest on burned sites, whereas no difference
 was found between gap-cut and reference stands. The number of dead trees
 was correlated with the number of primary beetles. 5. Synthesis and
 applications. We demonstrate the potential for a conflict between forest
 restoration for biodiversity conservation and the potential risk for tree
 mortality caused by forest pests. This is likely to become a problem in
 many boreal forests; however, our results suggest that this conflict can
 be moderated by the choice of restoration method. The restoration method
 gap-cutting had a similar positive impact on bark beetle species richness
 as compared to the burning method, but did not as burning increase tree
 mortality. Thus, in areas where there is an apparent risk for pest
 outbreaks, our data suggest that gap-cutting should be the chosen method
 to avoid an unwanted increase in tree mortality at the stand level.
 13-Mar-2017
description: Tree mortality and
 bark-beetle abundance and species richnessAll data were collected
 in the field, tree mortality from transects (400 m/site) and bark beetle
 abundance and species richness from window traps. Sites=our names of the
 sites, RT90_X/Y=coordinates from RT90-projection, Treat=Treatments
 (G=gap-cuts, B=Burnes, C=Control), Sp.rich2010=Bark beetle (bb) species
 richness pre restoration, Abund2010=bb abundance pre restoration,
 Sp.rich_11_12=Two year bb species richness post restoration,
 Abund_11_12=Two year bb abundance post restoration, Sp.rich_11=First year
 bb species richness post restoration, Sp.rich_12=Second year bb species
 richness post restoration, Abund_pbb_11=First year primary bb abundance
 post restoration, Abund_pbb_12=Second year primary bb abundance post
 restoration, Abund_sbb_11=First year secondary bb abundance post
 restoration, Abund_sbb_12=Second year secondary bb abundance post
 restoration,Karvemo_et_al_2017.csv