Strengthening the Network of High Conservation Value Forests in Boreal Landscapes

The natural and old-growth forests their associated biodiversity continues to fade worldwide due anthropogenic impact in various forms. boreal Fennoscandia have been subject intensive clearfelling forestry since the middle of twentieth century. As a result, only fraction with long temporal continuity remains at landscape level. In Sweden, some these primary formally protected, whereas other known high conservation values are not. Collectively, both protected not valuable included nationally delineated network value (HCVF). addition HCVF, older that clearfelled mid-1900s, i.e., “proxy forests,” recently mapped across entire biome Sweden. this paper, we analyze how proxy may strengthen HCVF from green infrastructure perspective. First, evaluate spatial overlap between HCVF. Second, perform large-scale connectivity analysis, which show adding located outside strongly increases structural forests. Finally, by assessing habitat suitability for virtual species specialized pine, spruce, broadleaf forests, find large regional differences ability secure thereby functional considering currently unprotected forest. We that, those network, area low-demanding dependent on spruce or pine can be largely increased. For high-demanding species, additional restoration matrix is needed. By contrast, even counting all available enough provide suitable indicates need landscape-scale initiatives, particular,