Do harvest retention patches in the boreal forest emulate those resulting from wildfire? A comparison of understory vegetation a decade after disturbance

To sustain a breadth of ecosystem services, Ecosystem-based forest management (EBM) aims to reduce differences between managed and natural forests. Based on observed structural complexity of forests following natural disturbance, retention of forest structure at harvest is being implemented globally. Despite a decade of including retention patches in managed forests, it remains unclear if patches in forests disturbed by fire and harvest exhibit similar structural characteristics and biodiversity as intact forest. Such knowledge is critical within an adaptive management framework.
We present the first study comparing understory vegetation of post-fire and post-harvest remnants in the boreal. A decade following disturbance, we examine forest structure and plant diversity in key locations of harvests and burns: the disturbed matrix, island remnants within the disturbance, adjacent undisturbed forest, and edges of these. We utilize a trait-based framework for plant diversity to test hypothe..., , # Do harvest retention patches in the boreal forest emulate those resulting from wildfire? A comparison of understory vegetation a decade after disturbance

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.12jm63z9f](10.5061/dryad.12jm63z9f)

## Description of the data and file structure

This datset contains the data needed to replicate the analyses in Schneider et al. (in review), examining the vascular understory plant composition and forest structure of post-harvest and post-fire island remnants in the Boreal forest of Alberta. Data collected includes plant cover data, leaf trait data, and tree measurements and also includes trait data sourced from the TOPIC and TRY databases.   

### Files and variables

#### File: Species\_Codes.csv

**Description:** A list of species codes (column A) and their associated Latin Binomial (column B)

#### File: Trait\_Site\_Data.csv

**Description:** Dataset with explanatory forest structure variables to be used in the fourth corner analysis

##### Variables

* BADR: Ra...,