Saproxylic insect ecology and the sustainable management of forests

Saproxylic insects comprise a diverse, species-rich and dominant functional group that share a dependence on dead wood and the old trees that generate it (mature timber habitat). Recent research has highlighted their sensitivity to forest management, with managed or secondary forests generally supporting fewer individuals, fewer species, and different assemblages compared to old-growth or primary forests. This sensitivity is a product of their association with a habitat that tends to diminish in managed forests. Many species also have low powers of dispersal relative to human-induced fragmentation, making breaks in habitat continuity particularly harmful. In western Europe, many species are now regionally extinct. Information is largely lacking elsewhere, but similar ecological and management principles should apply. Measures taken to protect the habitat of hollow-dependent vertebrates may ensure the survival of some saproxylic insects, but unless their needs are expressly considered, there remains the risk that many others may be lost as forest areas shrink and management of remaining areas intensifies.