Tiny woodlands are more important than previously thought

Tiny woodlands are more important than previously thought
Soil sampling, Karin Hansen and Alicia Valdés pictured. Credit: Guillaume Decocq

Small woodlands in farmland have more benefits for humans per area, compared to large forests according to a new study. The small woodlands, sometimes even smaller than a football field, can easily go unnoticed in agricultural landscapes. Yet, these small forest remnants can store more carbon in the topsoil layer, are more suitable for hunting activities and host fewer ticks than large forests.

"The value of these tiny forests has never been unraveled before, although the occurrence of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes has increased due to fragmentation," says Alicia Valdés, one of the authors of the study.

The reason why these tiny woodlands may provide us with more services is because they naturally have more edges exposed to the influence of the surrounding environment.

"For example, there is more for , such as blueberries and seedlings of birch and oak, because edges receive more sunlight and nutrients from the surrounding farmlands. This in turn, is predicted to attract more roe deer that can be hunted by humans," says Alicia Valdés.

These tiny forests can also store more carbon per area in the topsoil layer than older big woodlands, because they have an increased soil biological activity, which makes them faster at absorbing organic matter. Potentially these can act as better carbon sinks and help counterbalance the effects of global warming.

Another benefit of the tiny forests is that they represent a of contracting a tick borne disease. This is because less tick larvae can survive in the dry and hot environments characterizing woodland edges.

Tiny woodlands are more important than previously thought
Small woodland. Credit: Pieter De Frenne

"This is just a prediction of all the potential benefits. How people would use these is something that needs to be looked into," says Alicia Valdés.

Now that the authors found out that the smaller woodlands are of than previously thought, they argue that more are needed to maintain their important role and value in agricultural landscapes.

"Preserving the large forests is important because of their higher biodiversity, but conserving smaller woodlands, especially the older ones, will help to increase human well being in agricultural landscapes. These small woodlands need specific policy instruments ensuring their future conservation," says Alicia Valdés.

More information: Alicia Valdés et al. High ecosystem service delivery potential of small woodlands in agricultural landscapes. Journal of Applied Ecology First published: 01 December 2019 doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13537

Journal information: Journal of Applied Ecology

Citation: Tiny woodlands are more important than previously thought (2019, December 2) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2019-12-tiny-woodlands-important-previously-thought.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Improving habitats for bats

355 shares

Feedback to editors