Norway spruce monoculture has lower resilience and carbon sequestration capacity than a more diverse broadleaved forest: A case study in Central Europe

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61388971%3A_____%2F25%3A00638548" target="_blank" >RIV/61388971:_____/25:00638548 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105006692910" target="_blank" >https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105006692910</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122829" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122829</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Norway spruce monoculture has lower resilience and carbon sequestration capacity than a more diverse broadleaved forest: A case study in Central Europe

Original language description

Norway spruce (Picea abies, (L.) H.Karst) monocultures have been widely planted across Europe to meet timber demands, yet their resilience to climate change remains uncertain compared to natural mixed broadleaved forests. This study examines the long-term carbon sequestration potential, soil COQ and CH4 fluxes, and microbial community dynamics in a Norway spruce monoculture and a mixed forest under increasing drought and disturbance pressures in Central Europe. Using a three-year monitoring program combined with long-term treering analysis (2000-2023), we quantified seasonal and annual biomass increments, soil respiration patterns, and microbial diversity shifts. The results indicate that the severe drought of 2022 significantly reduced growth rates and soil COQ efflux in the monoculture, whereas the mixed forest maintained more stable growth and soil respiration. Thereafter, bark beetle outbreaks in 2023 led to rapid mortality and salvage clear-cutting in the spruce stand, triggering a sharp increase in soil COQ emissions and a temporary decline in CH4 oxidation, though CH4 uptake recovered within a year-contrary to previous studies suggesting prolonged suppression. Microbial community analysis revealed a higher proportion of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the mixed forest, while saprotrophs dominated in the spruce stand, influencing soil carbon dynamics. These findings highlight the greater resilience of mixed forests to climate stressors and suggest that the increasing vulnerability of spruce monocultures could lead to long-term carbon losses. The study underscores the need for diversified forest management strategies that enhance climate resilience and carbon sequestration stability.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

10606 - Microbiology

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Forest Ecology and Management

ISSN

0378-1127

e-ISSN

1872-7042

Volume of the periodical

591

Issue of the periodical within the volume

September 1

Country of publishing house

NL - THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS

Number of pages

15

Pages from-to

122829

UT code for WoS article

001502517000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105006692910