Effects of Buffer-Strip Retention and Clearcutting on Land Snails in Boreal Riparian Forests

Abstract:  We investigated the short-term effects of forest clearcutting on land snails (terrestrial gastropods) in 15 forest stands along small streams in Sweden. Two different silvicultural treatments were applied at each site: clearcutting across the stream channel and buffer strips 10 m wide on each side of the stream. Additionally, we studied 10 reference sites in unlogged riparian forests along similar-sized streams. All sites were studied before logging and then 2.5 years after logging. After clearcutting the number of individuals in a 0.5-m² sample from each site decreased on average from 107 to 87, and the mean number of species per sample decreased from 9.9 to 7.7. Most species were negatively affected, but there were also clear differences in sensitivity. There were correlations between species survival and ground moisture. At the wettest clearcut sites with an almost intact bryophyte cover, the land snails were unaffected by clearcutting. This result suggests that wet or moist forest floors can serve as refugia even at very small spatial scales (e.g., shallow hollows, crevices). If this is an important mechanism, the spatial distribution of small habitats could be important for the long-term survival of the snail fauna or other small, dispersal-limited organisms at clearcut sites. In the buffer strips, the number of individuals decreased but not the number of species, indicating that buffer-strip retention is a good practice for protecting land snails in riparian forests. The varying effectiveness of the buffer strip could partly be explained by the proportion of the remaining basal area, emphasizing that buffer strips could be even more effective if efforts are made to avoid heavy damage by windthrows.