Artificial deadwood habitat for beetles

As much as a quarter of Finnish forest species need decayed wood to exist. The largest group of insects are beetles, and each species is adapted to live in a particular type of decayed wood. A single individual tree decays slowly, and the species of beetles constantly change as the decay process progresses.

In a UPM trial started in 2003, spruce and aspen trees retained in connection with felling operations were cut into snags some four metres tall on two separate sites. Over 200 cubic metres of wood per hectare had been felled. During the first follow-up year, a total of 302 different beetle species were found, including a number of rare species. These findings show that endangered species living in decaying wood can occur in intensively-managed commercial forests provided that their substrata and habitats are preserved, or more are created. UPM is continuing species monitoring.

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