Development of research on retention forestry over the last four decades

Abstract

Four decades ago, a modified form of forest management was introduced with the aim of reconciling wood production and environmental values. Central is the deliberate retention at harvest of structural components key to biodiversity and ecological processes such as old trees, dead trees and specific tree species. This “retention forestry” model was initially implemented in clearcutting forestry but has later been introduced also in continuous-cover forestry and is today widespread on different continents. This review describes and analyses scientific publications on retention forestry in boreal and temperate regions with a focus on biodiversity, a key aspect of the model, based on a systematic literature search. The expansion of the practical application of the model in different parts of the world is described, as well as large-scale experiments. The use of terms associated with retention forestry (green-tree retention”, “variable retention”, “microhabitat”, “lifeboating”, “biological legacy”) regionally and over time is described. Beetles is the most studied taxonomic group. Several meta-analyses on biodiversity response indicate positive effects compared to traditional forestry systems. Retention research has been influential for the realization that post-disturbance phases with biological legacies are important to biodiversity. The complexity in spatially delineating retention components is discussed, as well as how the effectiveness of retention actions will vary depending on the starting point. Future important research is suggested. Maintaining the large experiments is of utmost importance to the understanding of the retention system, as only a limited part of the rotation cycles has been studied to date.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Forest Research, 2026 · DOI ↗