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Wha a e he e ec s o e en-aged and une en-aged o es managemen on bo eal
o es biodi e si y in Fennoscandia and Eu opean Russia? : A sys ema ic e iew p o ocol
© The Au ho (s) 2019
Published e sion
Sa ilaakso, Sini; Häkkilä, Ma i; Johansson, Anna; Uusi alo, Anne; Sandg en, Te hi;
Mönkkönen, Mikko; Pu onen, Pasi
Sa ilaakso, S., Häkkilä, M., Johansson, A., Uusi alo, A., Sandg en, T., Mönkkönen, M., &
Pu onen, P. (2019). Wha a e he e ec s o e en-aged and une en-aged o es managemen on
bo eal o es biodi e si y in Fennoscandia and Eu opean Russia? : A sys ema ic e iew p o ocol.
En i onmen al E idence, 2019(8), A icle 17. h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s13750-019-0160-8
2019
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
h ps://doi.o g/10.1186/s13750-019-0160-8
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW PROTOCOL
Wha a e hee ec s o e en-aged
andune en-aged o es managemen
onbo eal o es biodi e si y inFennoscandia
andEu opean Russia? Asys ema ic e iew
p o ocol
Sini Sa ilaakso1,3* , Ma i Häkkilä2, Anna Johansson1, Anne Uusi alo4, Te hi Sandg en5, Mikko Mönkkönen2
and Pasi Pu onen3
Abs ac
Backg ound: Biodi e si y is i al o human well-being, bu is h ea ened by human ac ions wo ld-wide. In he
bo eal zone, ha es ing and managemen o o es s on an indus ial scale is he mos impo an ac o d i ing habi a
change and deg ada ion. O e ime di e en o es managemen egimes ha e been implemen ed bu hei impac
on biodi e si y a di e en spa ial and empo al scales has no been sys ema ically e iewed al hough non-sys ema ic
e iews on he opic exis . The aim o his a icle is o desc ibe a p o ocol o a sys ema ic e iew o syn hesise and
compa e he impac s o wo di e en o es managemen sys ems on biodi e si y a di e en spa ial and empo al
scales. The opic o he sys ema ic e iew a ose om he discussions wi h he Finnish o es y sec o and was u he
de ined in a s akeholde wo kshop. Resea ch ques ions add essed by he sys ema ic e iew p o ocol a e: (1) Wha
a e he s and-le el e ec s o e en-aged and une en-aged o es managemen on bo eal o es biodi e si y in Fen-
noscandia and Eu opean Russia? (2) Wha is he e ec o hese same o es managemen sys ems on biodi e si y a
landscape le el?
Me hods: Animal, plan , and ungal di e si y is add essed. Bibliog aphic da abases and o ganiza ional websi es will
be sea ched, and in e ne sea ch engines will be u ilized o ind ele an li e a u e. The sea ches will be conduc ed in
English, Finnish, Swedish, and Russian. A icles will be sc eened ega ding he inclusion and exclusion c i e ia a i le,
abs ac , and ull- ex s age. The alidi y o included s udies will be e alua ed agains app aisal c i e ia and s udies
ca ego ized based on hei isk o bias. A na a i e syn hesis will be conduc ed o desc ibe he indings. I enough
quan i a i e da a can be e ie ed om he s udies, a me a-analysis will be conduc ed.
Keywo ds: Clea -cu , Con inuous co e o es y, Landscape, Species di e si y, Species ichness
© The Au ho (s) 2019. This a icle is dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License
(h p://c ea i eco mmons .o g/licen ses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in any medium,
p o ided you gi e app op ia e c edi o he o iginal au ho (s) and he sou ce, p o ide a link o he C ea i e Commons license,
and indica e i changes we e made. The C ea i e Commons Public Domain Dedica ion wai e (h p://c ea i eco mmons .o g/
publi cdoma in/ze o/1.0/) applies o he da a made a ailable in his a icle, unless o he wise s a ed.
Open Access
En i onmen al E idence
*Co espondence: sini.sa ilaakso@me sa eho. i
1 Me sä eho Oy, Ve nissaka u 1, 01300 Van aa, Finland
Full lis o au ho in o ma ion is a ailable a he end o he a icle
Page 2 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
Backg ound
In he bo eal zone, ha es ing and managemen o o -
es s on an indus ial scale is he mos impo an ac o
d i ing habi a change and deg ada ion [1]. In addi ion
o egula ha es ing, emo al o s umps and ha es ing
esidues o ene gy wood has inc eased in ecen dec-
ades because o he cu en clima e policies in Eu ope [2]
bu also in No h Ame ica [3]. S ump emo al inc eases
he deg ee o dis u bance by dec easing he amoun o
dead wood d ama ically [4, 5] and may he e o e lead o
s onge esponses o he dead-wood dependen species.
The e a e lo s o s udies on he impac s o o es ha es -
ing on di e en species g oups in Fennoscandia, and
long- e m moni o ing shows declines o biological com-
muni ies, o example in many o es bi d popula ions [6,
7]. Also, species assemblages may no be main ained in
p o ec ed a eas i hey a e embedded in hea ily managed
landscape [8, 9]. Unde hese ci cums ances he manage-
men o p oduc i e o es s is a key aspec o main aining
biodi e si y.
A common o es managemen egime in he whole
bo eal zone has long been e en-aged managemen
(Table1) [10]. In Finland, o example, e en-aged man-
agemen was he p ima y managemen egime in o es y
dic a ed by law o mo e han 60yea s, un il he yea
2014, when une en-aged managemen egime was ena-
bled again [11]. As bo eal o es s in hei na u al s a e a e
usually he e ogenic wi h ees and s ands o di e en spe-
cies, ages and size, e en-aged managemen simpli ies he
o es s uc u e which is no iced o ha e nega i e impac s
on biodi e si y [12].
To slow down he decline o o es species di e -
si y al e na i e managemen egimes ha e been aken
in o p ac ice. Re en ion o es y [13] is usually simila
o e en-aged managemen , bu some old ees, dead o
li ing, o small s ands o ees a e e ained in ha es
o c ea e s uc u al di e si y [14, 15]. In une en-aged
managemen , i.e. con inuous-co e o es y, ha es ed
pa ches a e usually smalle han in e en-aged man-
agemen , ma u e ees o ee g oups a e selec ed o
ha es ing, and younge ees a e le o g ow [10]. Une-
en-aged o es managemen aims o mo e he e oge-
neous s and s uc u es, assumed o be less damaging o
o es biodi e si y han clea -cu s [16].
E en hough e en-aged managemen is s ill he mos
common ha es ing me hod in Finland, Sweden and
No way, he public in e es owa ds une en-aged o es
managemen has inc eased in he las decades [17–21].
In Eu opean Russia, mos inal eellings a e clea -cu s and
con inuous co e o es y wi h selec i e logging me hod
is mo e widely used only in wes e n pa s o he coun y
in Mu mansk and Lening ad egions [22].
Despi e he ising public in e es , he adop ion o une-
en-aged o es managemen in Finland, Sweden and
No way has been ela i ely modes . The e is a s ong,
ongoing deba e on economic p o i abili y o une en-aged
managemen , wi h s udies showing ha a leas in some
o es ypes une en-aged managemen would be mo e
p o i able han e en-aged managemen [23, 24]. Simi-
la ly, ecen scien i ic s udies sugges ha une en-aged
managemen p o ides highe alues o some biodi e -
si y aspec s bu e en-aged managemen o o he s [10,
25]. The e o e, i is no su p ising ha he e is no s ong
consensus be ween s akeholde s on he impac s o hese
wo o es managemen egimes on biodi e si y [26].
The opic o he sys ema ic e iew a ose om he
discussions wi h he Finnish o es indus y on hei
e idence needs ela ed o sus ainabili y issues. In
Table 1 De ini ions o di e en o es managemen egimes.Also, common synonyms o  hemain e m a e gi en
Fo es managemen egime Synonyms De ini ion
E en-aged o es managemen clea -cu ing, clea - elling Managemen me hod ha p oduces ela i ely homog-
enous o es s uc u es. Fo es o a ion is con olled
by plan ing, hinning and egene a ion elling. Du ing
he egene a ion elling all he ees in he a ea a e
emo ed.
Re en ion o es y Managemen me hod almos simila o e en-aged
managemen , bu some indi idual ees (dead o
ali e) o ee g oups a e le s anding du ing he
egene a ion ell. This aims o enhance he s uc u al
di e si y o he ha es ing a ea.
Une en-aged o es managemen con inuous co e o es y, selec i e cu ing/ elling,
selec ion cu ing/ elling, pa ial cu ing/ elling, gap
cu ing/ elling, pa ch cu ing/ elling
Managemen me hod whe e only some o he ees a e
emo ed in one ha es . Fo es egene a es h ough
he ees le s anding and no plan a ion is needed.
The o es s uc u e s ays he e ogenous and his can
be achie ed by cu ing single ees (selec i e elling)
o ee g oups (gap elling).
Page 3 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
Finland 91% o o es s a e in comme cial imbe p o-
duc ion [27] and hence, o es indus y has la ge in lu-
ence on o es biodi e si y. Speci ically, h ee o es y
companies (Me sä G oup, S o a Enso Oyj, and UPM-
Kymmene Oyj), indus y ep esen a i e g oup Finn-
ish Fo es Indus ies, and he s a e-owned en e p ise
Me sähalli us, which is esponsible o he managemen
o one- hi d o Finland’s su ace a ea, pa icipa ed in
he discussions ha lead o he b oad de ini ion o he
opic. The opic was u he de ined in a s akeholde
wo kshop ha was held 23 Augus 2018. Pu posi e
selec ion based on known con ac s, snowballing, and
in e ne sea ch we e used o compile a lis o s ake-
holde s ollowing ecommenda ions by Haddaway e al.
[28]. An open in i a ion o pa icipa e in he wo kshop
was published on he websi e o he E idence-Based
Fo es y in Finland ini ia i e 24 July 2018 and sen by
email o 35 s akeholde o ganisa ions (Addi ional ile1)
wi h a no ice ha i can be u he sha ed wi h in e -
es ed indi iduals and o ganisa ions. A eminde email
was sen 2weeks la e o hose indi iduals and o gani-
sa ions ha had no esponded.
In he end, 13 indi iduals om 12 s akeholde o gani-
sa ions pa icipa ed in he wo kshop (Addi ional ile1).
A he wo kshop, he opic, esea ch ques ions, ini ial
heo y o change, PECO-based sea ch e ms, and ac o s
c ea ing he e ogenei y we e p esen ed and discussed.
Based on he discussion wi h he pa icipan s he opic
was na owed o he wo esea ch ques ions ha a e
p esen ed in his p o ocol. The pa icipan s also sug-
ges ed sou ces o g ey li e a u e and po en ial sou ces o
unpublished da a. Commen s and sugges ions o he pa -
icipan s ela ed o o he elemen s discussed ha e been
in eg a ed in o he p o ocol.
Objec i e o  he e iew
The objec i e o he e iew is o sys ema ically e iew
and syn hesise esul s o he s udies on he impac s o
e en-aged and une en-aged o es managemen on bio-
di e si y, speci ically species o di e en axa, a di e en
spa ial and ime scales. Figu e1 shows a simple heo y o
change o he impac s o o es ha es ing on biodi e si y.
The e iew will ocus on Fennoscandia (Finland, Swe-
den and No way) and Eu opean Russia. The geog aphi-
cal scope o he e iew was discussed a he s akeholde
wo kshop and is based on he simila i y o he o es s,
including ee species, and hei managemen .
The e iew has wo key esea ch ques ions:
1. Wha a e he s and-le el e ec s o e en-aged and
une en-aged o es managemen on bo eal o es
biodi e si y in Fennoscandia and Eu opean Russia?
2. Wha is he e ec o o es managemen on bo eal
o es biodi e si y in Fennoscandia and Eu opean
Russia a landscape le el?
The impac s o e en-aged and une en-aged o es man-
agemen egimes will be compa ed o each o he as well
as o o es a eas whe e no in e en ion has aken place o
gi e a ull pic u e o he impac s. The i s ques ion ocuses
on he impac o di e en o es managemen egimes on
alpha di e si y whe eas he second ques ion ocuses on
gamma di e si y. Mos o he biodi e si y s udies a e s and-
le el s udies ocused on species ichness and o he alpha
di e si y measu es, which commonly dec ease in esponse
o ha es ing. Howe e , i is impo an o know whe he
he s and-le el habi a loss means an o e all loss o bio-
di e si y a a la ge scale o whe he biodi e si y is main-
ained despi e a empo a y loss o a habi a in one o mo e
places in he landscape ha is o med by he di e en o es
s ands. The ques ion componen s a e ou lined in Table2.
Me hods
This p o ocol ollows he guidelines o Collabo a ion o
En i onmen al E idence and complies wi h he ROSES
epo ing s anda ds. The ROSES o m is included as an
Addi ional ile2.
Sea ching o a icles
Sea ch s ing
A lis o sea ch e ms ela ing o he PECO componen s
was p oposed a he s akeholde mee ing and alida ed
by he pa icipan s (Table3).
Fig. 1 Simpli ied depic ion o impac pa hways in luencing
species assemblages o e ime. Clea -cu is a ypical managemen
p ac ice o e en-aged o es managemen whe eas une en-aged
o es managemen e ains con inuous o es co e . In p ac ice,
he dicho omy be ween e en-aged and une en-aged o es
managemen egimes is less dis inc han depic ed he e due o e ec
modi ie s such as he numbe o e en ion ees, gap size, and elling
s yle
Page 4 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
Based on he i e ca ego ies, a sea ch s ing was o -
mula ed using Boolean ope a o s ‘OR’, ‘AND’ and ‘NEAR’.
The pe o mance o he sea ch s ing was es ed using
a es lis o 20 a icles collec ed om p e ious e iews
and om expe s (Addi ional ile3). The es ing was con-
duc ed p ima ily in he Web o Science (Co e Collec ion)
bu also included es ing in Scopus and CAB Abs ac s
(Addi ional ile4). A e scoping and aking e iewe sug-
ges ions in o accoun , he sea ch s ing was modi ied in o
i s cu en o m. The inal sea ch s ing in English is:
#1 TS = ((Bo eal NEAR/5 ( o es * OR zone OR ee*))
OR aiga OR sp uce* OR picea OR pine* OR pinus OR
bi ch* OR aspen* OR populus).
#2 TS = (Finland OR Finnish OR Swed* OR No w* OR
Russia* OR Fennoscan* OR Scandin* OR “no h* eu op*”
OR “no d* coun *”) and TS = ( o es * OR ee*).
#3 TS = (clea -cu * OR clea cu * OR clea ell* OR clea -
ell* OR “clea ell*” OR e en-aged OR une en-aged).
#4 TS = ( o es * NEAR/5(“con inu* co e *” OR “na -
u al* egene a *” OR mul iage* OR al e na i * OR
“common* sens*” OR unmanaged OR managed OR
sus ainabl*)).
#5 TS = (sil icul * NEAR/5(“con inu* co e *” OR
“na u al* egene a *” OR mul iage* OR al e na i * OR
“common* sens*” OR unmanaged OR managed OR
sus ainabl*)).
#6 TS = (Regene a * NEAR/5 (cu * OR ell* OR ha -
es * OR log*)) OR TS = (selec * NEAR/5 (cu * OR
ell* OR ha es * OR log*)) OR TS = (pa ial* NEAR/5
(cu * OR ell* OR ha es * OR log*)) OR TS = (al e -
na * NEAR/5 (cu * OR ell* OR ha es * OR log*)) OR
TS = ( e en * NEAR/5 (cu * OR ell* OR ha es * OR
log*)) OR TS = (conse * NEAR/5 (cu * OR ell* OR ha -
es * OR log*)) OR TS = (gap* NEAR/5 (cu * OR ell* OR
ha es * OR log*)) OR TS = (pa ch* NEAR/5 (cu * OR
ell* OR ha es * OR log*)) OR TS = (dispe s* NEAR/5
(cu * OR ell* OR ha es * OR log*)).
#7 TS = (biodi e si* OR auna OR lo a OR ungi OR
euka yo * OR e eb a * OR in e eb a * OR animal* OR
plan * OR a h opod* OR lichen* OR insec * OR bi d*
OR mammal* OR ege a * OR b yophy e* OR amphib-
ian* OR ep ile*).
#8 TS = (species NEAR/5 (di e s* OR ich* OR assemb*
OR abund*)).
#9 #2 OR #1.
#10 #6 OR #5 OR #4 OR #3.
#11 #8 OR #7.
#12 #11 AND #10 AND #9.
The sea ch s ing will be ansla ed o o he sea ch
languages. I will be simpli ied by educing he numbe
o sea ch e ms o sea ch o ganiza ional websi es and
o conduc in e ne sea ches whe e he sea ch in e ace
o en has mo e limi ed capaci y ega ding sea ch s ings.
Boolean ope a o s will be used o combine main sea ch
e ms whene e he sea ch engine allows i . The used
sea ch s ings will be eco ded and published as addi-
ional in o ma ion in he e iew epo .
A sea ch ale will be se in bibliog aphic da abases o
sc een a icles ha a e published be o e he da a syn he-
sis commences. The numbe o a icles e ie ed h ough
he sea ch ale s will be epo ed in he e iew epo .
Languages
The sys ema ic e iew will include s udies published in
English, Finnish, Swedish, and Russian. The selec ion o
languages is based on he geog aphical scope o he sys-
ema ic e iew and limi ed by he language skills o he
e iew eam. O ganisa ional websi es will be sea ched in
he p ima y language he websi e is published excep he
websi es in No wegian, which will be sea ched in English.
Table 2 Componen s o  he e iew ques ions
Subjec Exposu e Compa a o Ou comes
Bo eal o es E en-aged o une en-aged o es manage-
men No in e en ion; O he o es managemen Biodi e si y indica o s, such as species
di e si y, ichness, indi idual abundance
Table 3 Sea ch e ms p oposed a  hes akeholde mee ing
Fo es
ype
(subjec )
Taxa o in e es In e en ion Compa a o Ou comes
Bo eal,
sp uce,
pine
Vege a ion, plan , ungi, bi d,
polypo e, insec , bee le,
mammal, a h opod
Clea -cu , clea cu , clea -
ell, clea ell, e en-aged,
une en-aged, con inuous
co e , egene a ion ell,
managemen
P o ec ed a ea, na ional pa k,
na u e ese e, na u al
o es , p ima y o es , selec-
i e ha es , e en ion cu ,
pa ial ha es , old-g ow h,
ma u e
Di e si y, ichness, assemblage, abun-
dance

Page 5 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
In addi ion, i he publica ions sec ion includes s ud-
ies published in o he o he e iew languages (e.g. main
websi e language is Swedish bu he e a e also unique
publica ions in English), he sea ch will be conduc ed in
hose languages as well.
Bibliog aphic sea ches
The ollowing bibliog aphic sea ches will be conduc ed:
• CAB Abs ac s (h ps ://www.cabi.o g/); Keywo d
sea ch om 1973 onwa ds.
• Di ec o y o Open Access Reposi o ies (h ps ://doaj.
o g/); ‘Sea ch all’ ield will be used wi h no u he
limi a ions.
• Digi al Disse a ions Lib a y o Russian S a e Lib a y
(h p://diss. sl. u/).
• Do ia (h ps ://www.do ia . i/).
• Helka—Uni e si y o Helsinki Ca alogue (h ps ://
helka . inna . i/); All ields will be sea ched wi h no
u he limi a ions.
• Jul ika—Uni e si y o Oulu eposi o y; All ields will
be sea ched wi h no u he limi a ions.
• JYX—Publica ion a chi e o he Uni e si y o
Jy äskylä.
• Russian Science Ci a ion Index on he Web o Sci-
ence (h ps ://cla i a e.com/); Topic sea ch, access
om 2005 onwa ds.
• Russian Scien i ic Elec onic Lib a y (h ps ://elib a y.
u/).
• Scopus (h ps ://www.scopu s.com/home.u i); Ti le,
abs ac , and keywo d sea ch.
• Swedish Uni e si y Disse a ions (h p://www.a han
dling a .se/).
• UTUPub—Uni e si y o Tu ku eposi o y.
• Web o Science Co e collec ion (h ps ://cla i a e.
com/); Topic sea ch co e ing all yea s wi hin Sci-
ence Ci a ion Index Expanded (1945-p esen ), Social
Sciences Ci a ion Index (1956-p esen ), A s &
Humani ies Ci a ion Index (1975-p esen ), Con e -
ence P oceedings Ci a ion Index-Science (1990-p e-
sen ), Con e ence P oceedings Ci a ion Index-Social
Science & Humani ies (1990-p esen ), Eme ging
Sou ces Ci a ion Index (2015-p esen ).
Sea ch engines
• Google Schola (h ps ://schol a .googl e.com/); Ti le
sea ch will be conduc ed wi h he unc ion ‘a leas
one o he wo ds’.
• Google (h ps ://www.googl e.com/).
The in e ne sea ches will be conduc ed in ‘p i a e’
mode o p e en he in luence o p e ious b owsing his-
o y and loca ion on sea ch esul s. The esul s will be
o ganised by ele ance. A e he i s 50 hi s, esul s will
be checked un il ele an a icles a e no longe e ie ed
as ad ised in Li o eil e al. [29]. The da e and numbe o
hi s ecei ed and sea ched will be eco ded and included
in he e iew epo .
O ganisa ional websi es
The websi es o he specialis o ganisa ions lis ed below
will be sea ched. The Russian websi es will be sea ched
manually due o he low pe o mance o he “sea ch”
unc ion o ind ele an hi s based on scoping o he
o ganisa ional websi es. I he o ganisa ion is publishing
a jou nal, he si e o he jou nal will also be sea ched i
he jou nal is no al eady included in some o he biblio-
g aphic da abases sea ched.
• All-Russian Resea ch Ins i u e o Sil icul u e and
Mechaniza ion o Fo es y (h p://www. niil m. u)
• Bellona Founda ion (h p://bello na. u/)
• Biodi ERsA— he ne wo k p og amming and und-
ing esea ch on biodi e si y and ecosys em se ices
ac oss Eu opean coun ies and e i o ies (h ps ://
www.biodi e sa .o g/)
• Biodi e si y Conse a ion (Russia) (h p://www.biodi
e si y. u/)
• Cen e o Economic De elopmen , T anspo and
he En i onmen (Finland) (h ps ://www.ely-kesku
s. i/)
• Communi y Resea ch and De elopmen In o ma ion
Se ice (h ps ://co di s.eu op a.eu/home_en.h ml)
• Con ede a ion o Eu opean Fo es Owne s (h p://
www.cep -eu.o g/)
• Con en ion on Biological Di e si y (h ps ://www.
cbd.in /)
• Eu opean Fo es Insi i u e (h ps ://www.e i.in /)
• Fede al Fo es y Agency (Russia) (h p:// osle shoz.
go . u/)
• Fede al S a e Budge Educa ion Ins i u ion o Highe
Educa ion Vo onezh S a e Uni e si y o Fo es y and
Technologies named a e G.F. Mo ozo (h p:// gl u
. u/)
• Finnish Associa ion o Na u e Conse a ion (h ps
://www.sll. i/)
• Finnish En i onmen Insi i u e (h p://www.syke. i/)
• Finnish Fo es Associa ion (h ps ://smy. i/)
• Finnish Fo es Cen e (h ps ://www.me sa kesku s. i/)
• Finnish Fo es Founda ion (h p://www.me sa saa i
o. i/)
Page 6 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
• Finnish Na u e League—Luon o-Lii o (h p://www.
luon olii o. i/)
• Finnish Socie y o Fo es Science (h p://www.me sa
ie e ellin enseu a. i/)
• Food and Ag icul u e O ganiza ion o he Uni ed
Na ions (h p://www. ao.o g/home/en/)
• Fo es y Resea ch Ins i u e o Sweden (h ps ://www.
skog o sk.se/)
• Founda ion o S a egic En i onmen al Resea ch
(Sweden) (h ps ://www.mis a.o g/)
• G eenpeace Finland (h p://www.g een peace .o g/
inla nd/ i/)
• G eenpeace In e na ional (h ps ://www.g een peace
.o g/in e na io nal/)
• G eenpeace Russia (h ps ://www.g een peace .o g/
ussi a/ u/)
• G eenpeace Sweden (h p://www.g een peace .o g/
swede n/se/)
• In e na ional Bo eal Fo es Resea ch Associa ion
(h p://ib a .o g/).
• In e na ional Union o Conse a ion o Na u e
(h ps ://www.iucn.o g/)
• In e na ional Union o Fo es Resea ch O ganiza-
ions (h ps ://www.iu o .o g/)
• IVL Swedish En i onmen al Resea ch Ins i u e (h ps
://www.i l.se/).
• Me sähalli us (h p://www.me sa . i/)
• Me sä eho (h p://www.me sa eho. i/)
• Minis y o Ag icul u e and Food (No way) (h ps ://
www. egje inge n.no/no/dep/lmd/id627 /)
• Minis y o Ag icul u e and Fo es y (Finland) (h ps
://mmm. i)
• Minis y o he En i onmen (Finland) (h p://www.
ym. i)
• Minis y o he En i onmen and ene gy (Sweden)
(h ps ://www. ege ingen .se/s e i ges- ege ing/miljo –
och-ene g idepa eme n e /)
• Minis y o Na u al Resou ces and En i onmen o
he Russian Fede a ion (h p://www.mn .go . u/)
• Na u al Resou ces Ins i u e Finland (h ps ://www.
luke. i/)
• NOLTFOX—No he n Eu opean Da abase o Long-
Te m Fo es Expe imen s (h p://nol ox.me la . i/)
• No he n Resea ch Ins i u e o Fo es y (h p://www.
se ni ilh-a h. u)
• No wegian Fo es Resea ch Ins i u e (h p://www.
skog o sk.no/)
• No wegian Ins i u e o Bioeconomy Resea ch
(NIBIO) (h ps ://www.nibio .no/)
• No wegian Ins i u e o Na u e Resea ch (h ps ://
www.nina.no/)
• No wegian Socie y o he Conse a ion o Na u e,
F iends o he Ea h No way (h ps ://na u e n
o bun de .no/)
• No wegian S a e Fo es and Land Co po a ion (h ps
://www.s a s kog.no/)
• Regional Public Na u e Conse a ion O ganiza ion
o Ka elia (Russia) (h p://spok-ka el ia. u/)
• Resea ch ins i u e o Sweden (h ps ://www. i.se/)
• Royal Swedish Academy o Ag icul u e and Fo es y
(h p://www.ksla.se/)
• Russian Academy o Sciences (h p://www. as. u/)
• Cen e o Fo es Ecology and P oduc i i y (h p://
cepl. ssi. u/)
• Fo es Resea ch Ins i u e o Ka elian Resea ch
Cen e (h p:// o es y.k c.ka el ia. u/)
• U al B anch, Ins i u e o Biology o Komi Scien-
i ic Cen e, Depa men o Fo es Science (h ps
://ib.komis c. u/ us/)
• Russian Cen e o he P o ec ion o Fo es s (h p://
c h. u/)
• Russian Ins i u e o Con inuous Educa ion in Fo -
es y (h p:// ipkl h. u/)
• Sain -Pe e sbu g Fo es y Resea ch Ins i u e (h p://
spb-niilh . u/)
• Sain -Pe e sbu g S a e Fo es Technical Uni e si y
(h p://spb u. u/)
• SNS No dic Fo es Resea ch (h p://no di c o e s es
ea ch .o g/)
• Skydda Skogen (h p://skydd askog en.se/s /)
• S ockholm En i onmen Ins i u e (h ps ://www.sei.
o g/)
• Swedish en i onmen al p o ec ion agency (h p://
www.na u a ds e ke .se/)
• Swedish Fo es Agency (h ps ://www.skogs s y e lsen.
se/)
• Swedish Fo es Socie y (h ps ://www.skogs salls kape
.se/)
• Swedish Fo es y Associa ion (h ps ://www.skoge
n.se/)
• Swedish Resea ch Council Fo mas (h p://www.
o ma s.se/)
• Swedish Socie y o Na u e Conse a ion (h ps ://
www.na u skydd s o e ninge n.se/)
• Tapio (h p:// apio . i/)
• Uni ed Na ions Fo um on Fo es s (h p://www.
un.o g/esa/ o es s/)
• WWF Finland (h ps ://ww . i/)
• WWF Global (h p://ww .panda .o g/)
• WWF Russia (h ps ://ww . u/)
• WWF Sweden (h p://www.ww .se/)
Page 7 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
Supplemen a y sea ches
Ci a ion chasing will be unde aken o supplemen he
sea ch. A call o unpublished da a will be published
on he websi e o he E idence-Based Fo es y in Fin-
land p ojec (h p://npme sa. i/en/ on page/) and sen
di ec ly o s akeholde o ganisa ions ha may ha e
unpublished da a on he opic. Also, da a will be asked
om indi iduals sugges ed a he s akeholde wo kshop.
Sea ch eco d da abase
The sea ch esul s will be expo ed in o sepa a e iles
using a e e ence managemen so wa e. I he documen
canno be expo ed in o a e e ence managemen so -
wa e, a eco d will be c ea ed manually in o a sepa a e
ile. Once all he sea ches ha e been conduc ed, he e e -
ence iles will be me ged, and duplica es will be emo ed
be o e commencing a icle sc eening.
A icle sc eening ands udy eligibili y c i e ia
Sc eening p ocess
A icles will be sc eened by h ee people a he i le,
abs ac , and ull ex le el. A he i le s age, a andom
se o 100 a icles will be independen ly sc eened by all
h ee sc eene s. I hei sc eening decisions a e in ag ee-
men , i.e. hey would include/exclude he same a icles,
es o he a icles will be di ided among he sc eene s. I
hei sc eening decisions di e , disc epancies in inclusion
decisions a e discussed o acili a e consis ency be o e
ano he 100 a icles will be independen ly sc eened.
The p ocess will be epea ed un il 95 o 100% sc eene
ag eemen is achie ed. The p ocess will be epea ed a
he abs ac s age wi h a andom se o 50 a icles. I a
sc eene is unsu e whe he o include an a icle, i will
be mo ed o he nex s age. A icles a he ull ex s age
will be sc eened by all h ee sc eene s excep o s udies
in Russian ha will be sc eened by only one pe son a all
s ages. To check ha inclusion c i e ia is used consis -
en ly, he Russian speake will alk he o he sc eene s
h ough he decision p ocess on a andom se o 20 a i-
cles a each o he sc eening s ages.
The e iew may include a icles published by he
au ho s o he e iew. Thei inclusion in he e iew a he
sc eening and c i ical app aisal s age will be join ly de e -
mined by he o he au ho s in acco dance wi h he eligi-
bili y and app aisal c i e ia.
Eligibili y c i e ia
The eligibili y c i e ia a e based on he PECO compo-
nen s, s udy design and geog aphical loca ion o he s ud-
ies (Tables4 and 5). Only s udies conduc ed in Finland,
Sweden, No way and Eu opean Russia will be included.
A each s age o he sc eening a sepa a e ile will be
c ea ed o he excluded a icles. A he ull ex s age, a
eason o exclusion will be eco ded, and a lis o he
excluded a icles wi h he eason o ejec ion will be
included as addi ional in o ma ion in he e iew epo .
I he e a e mul iple a icles om one s udy si e (i.e.
linked a icles), hey will be app aised as a g oup o a oid
inclusion o duplica e da a ollowing F amp on e al. [30].
T ue duplica e s udies will be emo ed, and he es will
be sc eened as a single uni o conside all a ailable da a
pe inen o he s udy when making eligibili y decisions.
S udy alidi y assessmen
All s udies included in he ull ex s age will be c i ically
app aised and ca ego ized as ‘low’, ‘medium’ o ‘high’ isk
o bias. The assessmen is based on he ollowing ac o s
(Table6):
Table 4 The eligibili y c i e ia o  a icle sc eening
o  hes udy ques ion 1
Ques ion elemen s Eligibili y c i e ia
Popula ion Included: Bo eal o es s in Fennoscandia and
Eu opean Russia
Exposu e Included: E en-aged and une en-aged manage-
men
Compa a o s Included: Di e en o es managemen egimes,
including e en ion o es y, and a eas wi h no
in e en ion, including p o ec ed o es a eas,
na ional pa ks
Excluded: Non- o es lands, e.g. ag icul u al a eas,
pa ks in u ban a eas, wooded ields, e.g. ch is -
mas ee plan a ions
Ou comes Included: Species ichness, species di e si y,
abundance
Excluded: Communi y composi ion indices
S udy design Included: Be o e-a e (BA), con ol-in e en ion
s udies (CI), and s udies combining bo h (BACI).
Also, andomized con olled ials (RCT).
Table 5 The eligibili y c i e ia o  a icle sc eening
o  hes udy ques ion 2
Ques ion elemen s Eligibili y c i e ia
Popula ion Included: Bo eal o es s in Fennoscandia and
Eu opean Russia
Exposu e Included: E en-aged and une en-aged manage-
men
Compa a o s Included: Fo es a eas wi h no in e en ion, includ-
ing, p o ec ed o es a eas, ma u e p oduc ion
o es , na ional pa ks
Ou comes Included: Species ichness and abundance
S udy design Included: Be o e-a e (BA), con ol-in e en ion
s udies (CI), and s udies combining bo h (BACI).
Also, andomized con olled ials (RCT).
Page 8 o 10
Sa ilaaksoe al. En i on E id (2019) 8:17
• S udy design.
• Sampling.
• Accoun ing o po en ial e ec modi ie s and he e o-
genei y.
• Da a analysis me hods.
S udies ha ul il any one o he c i e ia in he ca -
ego y ‘high’ will be excluded. Also, s udies wi h insu -
icien me hodological desc ip ion will be excluded i
su icien cla i ying de ails a e no ecei ed by con ac ing
he au ho o he s udy. All he s udies will be assessed
by wo pe sons, and any inconsis encies o unce ain ies
discussed wi h o he esea ch g oup membe s.
Da a coding andex ac ion s a egy
Da a om included s udies will be ex ac ed and
eco ded in an Excel sp eadshee (Addi ional ile5) and
will be made a ailable as supplemen a y in o ma ion o
he sys ema ic e iew. Da a will include s udy me a-da a
(s udy cha ac e is ics) and da a on ou comes, e.g. sample
size, mean, s anda d de ia ion (SD), and s anda d e o
(SE) (see Addi ional ile5 o a ull lis ). Da a on es s a-
is ics ha can be con e ed in o e ec size me ics will
be collec ed in case da a on ou come mean, SD o SE is
no a ailable. Also, da a on e ec modi ie s and po en-
ial sou ces o he e ogenei y will be ex ac ed o enable
s a is ical explo a ion o he ela ionship be ween ou -
comes and sou ces o he e ogenei y a he da a analysis
s age. All he ex ac ed da a will be published as supple-
men a y in o ma ion o he e iew. I an a icle con ains
independen esul s om mo e han one s udy, hese will
be ea ed as sepa a e s udies in da a ex ac ion. Au ho s
o he s udies will be con ac ed o e ie e any missing
in o ma ion o da a.
Da a will be ex ac ed by mo e han one pe son. Hence,
a se o i e s udies will be coded oge he o ensu e
consis ency. I he e a e con lic ing decisions on wha
da a o ex ac , he decisions will be discussed among he
g oup. Also, any unce ain ies ega ding da a ex ac ion
will be discussed among he g oup. Da a om he s udies
in Russian will be ex ac ed by one pe son only. The pe -
son will discuss any unce ain decisions wi h he esea ch
g oup membe s.
Po en ial e ec modi ie s and easons o he e ogenei y
To unde s and possible a ia ion in he e ec s o s ud-
ies be e , possible e ec modi ie s will be ex ac ed om
he s udies. As he s udies included in his sys ema ic
e iew may ha e been comple ed in a ela i ely la ge
a ea, he e a e se e al ac o s ha may cause he e oge-
nei y among s udies, such as clima ic condi ions and
geog aphic loca ion o he s udy si e. Also, empo al a i-
a ion is expec ed. The yea a s udy was conduc ed may
in luence he esul s as o es managemen has changed
o e he yea s. Also, ime passed since in e en ion was
s a ed may cause a ia ion depending on he iming and
na u e o ha es s as well as na u al succession o ege a-
ion a e ha es s. Ene gy wood ha es ing, i.e. emo -
ing s umps and b anches beyond egula ha es ing may
ha e a ious impac s on biodi e si y mainly by educing
he amoun o dead wood [2, 31]. Habi a connec i -
i y can be an impo an ac o in he dispe sal o species
ac oss he landscape, and he e a e se e al es ima es ha
can be used o quan i y connec i i y. In case he used
connec i i y es ima es di e be ween he included s ud-
ies, we will ins ead use ca ego ies low, medium o high in
he da a analysis.
Below is a non-comp ehensi e lis o po en ial e ec
modi ie s and sou ces o he e ogenei y. Addi ional e ec
modi ie s and sou ces o he e ogenei y may be iden i-
ied om he s udies included in he e iew. The lis was
Table 6 C i ical app aisal c i e ia oassess s udies in he ull ex s age
Fac o Low Medium High
S udy design Expe imen al s udies (includes also
quasi-expe imen al s udies) Obse a ional s udies Case s udies
Sampling La ge sample size
Sampling me hod sui able o he
popula ion o in e es
P ope ly conduc ed andomisa ion o
s udy a eas
Random sampling o s udy subjec s
Con ol and in e en ion a eas
ma ched
Small o medium sample size
Sampling me hod sui able o he
popula ion o in e es
Con ol and in e en ion a eas com-
pa able based on hei ecological
cha ac e is ics
Sampling me hod no sui able o
collec ing da a on he popula ion
o in e es
Accoun ing o he e ogene-
i y and po en ial e ec
modi ie s
E ec modi ie s iden i ied, and da a
collec ed on hem E ec modi ie s iden i ied and consid-
e ed in ela ion o he esul s E ec modi ie s no iden i ied o
conside ed
Da a analysis me hods Me hods app op ia e Me hods app op ia e Me hods no app op ia e