%0 Review article
%T Forest naturalness in northern Europe: perspectives on processes, structures and species diversity
%A Brumelis, Guntis
%A Jonsson, Bengt Gunnar
%A Kouki, Jari
%A Kuuluvainen, Timo
%A Shorohova, Ekaterina
%D 2011
%J Silva Fennica
%V 45
%N 5
%R doi:10.14214/sf.446
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/446
%X Saving the remaining natural forests in northern Europe has been one of  the main goals to halt the ongoing decline of forest biodiversity. To  facilitate the recognition, mapping and efficient conservation of  natural forests, there is an urgent need for a general formulation,  based on ecological patterns and processes, of the concept of “forest  naturalness”. However, complexity, structural idiosyncracy and dynamical  features of unmanaged forest ecosystems at various spatio-temporal  scales pose major challenges for such a formulation. The definitions  hitherto used for the concept of forest naturalness can be fruitfully  grouped into three dimensions: 1) structure-based concepts of natural  forest, 2) species-based concepts of natural forest and 3) process-based  concepts of natural forest. We propose that explicit and simultaneous  consideration of all these three dimensions of naturalness can better  cope with the natural variability of forest states and also aid in  developing strategies for forest conservation and management in  different situations. To become operational, criteria and indicators of  forest naturalness need to integrate the three dimensions by combining  species (e.g. red-listed-, indicator- and umbrella species) with stand  and landscape level structural features that are indicative of  disturbance and succession processes.