Modelling coarse woody debris in Pinus spp. plantations. A case study in Northern Spain

International audienceCoarse woody debris (CWD) plays a substantial role in several ecological processes in forest ecosystems, providing a habitat for many organisms and participating in biogeochemical fluxes. Understanding CWD dynamics is important to classify adequate density, size and amount into different decay classes and to make decisions that include biodiversity and the carbon budget in practical forestry.* A two-step model has been developed to quantify CWD in Pinus spp. plantations in Northern Spain. The two-step approach was composed of a logistic model to predict the probability of CWD occurrence and linear models to quantify the two components considered, basal area of snags and volume of logs.* Site conditions, and climatic and stand variables were included in the models as independent variables. Good performance of the two-step model (R2snag = 39.9%, R2log = 62.8%) was observed.* Modelling CWD is a useful tool for simulating future scenarios in the current context of climate change. Models inform stakeholders properly about defining the best silvicultural options for the distribution of CWD under sustainable forest management