The OPTMix annual meeting will take place on January 25, 27 and 28, 2022 by videoconference.

For more information please contact Nathalie Korboulewsky.

The data usage conditions and agreement forms and a data request form are available on the following page:

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An article has been published in the “Ecological Indicators” journal presenting a handbook to sample biodiversity in European forests. Biodiversity data of the OPTMix device were used in this article which was part of the COST Action BOTTOMS-UP:

Burrascano, S., G. Trentanovi, Y. Paillet, J. Heilmann-Clausen, P. Giordani, S. Bagella, A. Bravo-Oviedo, T. Campagnaro, A. Campanaro, F. Chianucci, P. De Smedt, I. Garcia-Mijangos, D. Matosevic, T. Sitzia, R. Aszalos, G. Brazaitis, A. Cutini, E. D’Andrea, I. Doerfler, J. Hofmeister, J. Hosek, P. Janssen, S. K. Rojas, N. Korboulewsky, D. Kozak, T. Lachat, A. Lohmus, R. Lopez, A. Marell, R. Matula, M. Mikolas, S. Munzi, B. Norden, M. Partel, J. Penner, K. Runnel, P. Schall, M. Svoboda, F. Tinya, M. Ujhazyova, K. Vandekerkhove, K. Verheyen, F. Xystrakis and P. Odor (2021). « Handbook of field sampling for multi-taxon biodiversity studies in European forests. » Ecological Indicators 132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.108266

Highlights:

• Forest multi-taxon studies have similar aims but different sampling protocols.
• The most sampled taxonomic groups are plants, beetles, lichens, birds, fungi.
• Soil, litter and canopy resulted as undersampled forest habitats.
• Sampling units and substrates differed widely within and among taxonomic groups.
• Sampling methods for stand structure were relatively homogeneous.

Abstract:

Forests host most terrestrial biodiversity and their sustainable management is crucial to halt biodiversity loss. Although scientific evidence indicates that sustainable forest management (SFM) should be assessed by monitoring multi-taxon biodiversity, most current SFM criteria and indicators account only for trees or consider indirect biodiversity proxies. Several projects performed multi-taxon sampling to investigate the effects of forest management on biodiversity, but the large variability of their sampling approaches hampers the identification of general trends, and limits broad-scale inference for designing SFM. Here we address the need of common sampling protocols for forest structure and multi-taxon biodiversity to be used at broad spatial scales. We established a network of researchers involved in 41 projects on forest multi-taxon biodiversity across 13 European countries. The network data structure comprised the assessment of at least three taxa, and the measurement of forest stand structure in the same plots or stands. We mapped the sampling approaches to multi-taxon biodiversity, standing trees and deadwood, and used this overview to provide operational answers to two simple, yet crucial, questions: what to sample? How to sample? The most commonly sampled taxonomic groups are vascular plants (83% of datasets), beetles (80%), lichens (66%), birds (66%), fungi (61%), bryophytes (49%). They cover different forest structures and habitats, with a limited focus on soil, litter and forest canopy. Notwithstanding the common goal of assessing forest management effects on biodiversity, sampling approaches differed widely within and among taxonomic groups. Differences derive from sampling units (plots size, use of stand vs. plot scale), and from the focus on different substrates or functional groups of organisms. Sampling methods for standing trees and lying deadwood were relatively homogeneous and focused on volume calculations, but with a great variability in sampling units and diameter thresholds. We developed a handbook of sampling methods (SI 3) aimed at the greatest possible comparability across taxonomic groups and studies as a basis for European-wide biodiversity monitoring programs, robust understanding of biodiversity response to forest structure and management, and the identification of direct indicators of SFM.

An article presenting the main results of Jordan Bello’s thesis defended in March 2019 was published in the latest issue of the journal “Rendez-Vous Techniques” of the National Forest Office:

• Bello, J., P. Vallet, T. Perot, L. Arnaudet, A. Calas, C. Proult, D. Devanne and N. Korboulewsky (2021). « Peuplements mélangés à faible densité : une solution face au changement climatique ? Le cas du chêne sessile et du pin sylvestre. » Rendez-Vous Technique de l’ONF 71-72: 58-68. https://www.onf.fr/onf/+/12f1::les-rendez-vous-techniques-de-lonf-no71-72.html

An article presenting the latest results obtained on the OPTMix device was published in the latest issue of the journal “Rendez-Vous Techniques” of the National Forest Office:

• Korboulewsky, N., P. Balandier, Y. Dumas, M. Gosselin, A. Marell and T. Perot (2021). « Quels intérêts et limites du mélange d’essences face aux changements globaux ? Les apports du dispositif OPTMix. » Rendez-Vous Technique de l’ONF 71-72: 51-57. https://www.onf.fr/onf/+/12f1::les-rendez-vous-techniques-de-lonf-no71-72.html

A tree health status scoring campaign was carried out in 2020 on all OPTMix plots on sessile oak and Scots pine tree samples. We used the DEPERIS protocol developed by the French Forest Health Department. A new scoring campaign was carried out in summer 2021. The first analyzes show an increase in the percentage of tree diebacks for Scots pine. This indicator rose from 8% in 2020 to 34% in 2021. This scoring will be continued in future years to monitor the health status of trees in the experiment.

Camera traps were set up in September 2021 on the OPTMix plots as part of the Snapshot 2021 project (USA and EURO) which aims at monitoring and studying mammal populations.

On September 22, 2021, 25 people from the CETEF Normandie came to visit the OPTMix plots.

On September 2, 2021, 20 people from the National Forest Office (ONF) came to visit the experimental plots of the OPTMix device. The objective of this visit was to provide elements in order to develop a forestry guide on mixed forests.

On July 6, 2021, a delegation of 10 people from the Romanian ministerial forest service came to visit OPTMix.