Open AccessAim of study: In this study, a methodology has been designed to assess biodiversity in the frame of the Spanish National Forest Inventory with the aim of evaluating the conservation status of Spanish forests and their future evolution. This methodology takes into account the different national and international initiatives together with the different types and characteristics of forests in Spain. Area of study: Álava province (Basque country, Spain). Material and methods: To analyse the contribution of each of the different indices to the biodiversity assessment, a statistical analysis using PCA multivariate techniques was performed for structure, composition and dead wood indicators. Main Results: The selected biodiversity indicators (based on field measurements) are presented along with an analysis of the results from four representative forest types in Álava by way of an example of the potential of this methodology. Research highlights: The statistical analysis revealed the important information contribution of Mingling index to the composition indicators. Regarding the structure indicators, it is remarkable the interest of using standard deviations and skewness of height and diameter as indicators. Finally it is interesting to point out the interest of assessing dead saplings since they provide additional information and their volume is a particularly useful parameter for analyzing the success of regeneration.
Keywords: species richness; structural diversity; dead wood; NFI; PCA.