Resumen:
Background and Objectives: The forest in the Southwestern Pyrenees Mountains (North ern Spain) is mainly composed of pure Pinus sylvestris L. or a mix of P. sylvestris and Fagus
sylvatica L. The most common forest management technique to harvest pine is the application of
forest thinning with different intensities. It promotes a change in the forest composition and struc ture. Taking into consideration this region as a site specific research about this topic, we aimed to
understand the CWD invertebrate composition response to different thinning intensities and can opy type of these tree species. Materials and Methods: CWD samples were collected belonging to
intermediate and advanced decay classes, approximately 10 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. Using a
design of three thinning intensities (0%, 20%, and 40% of basal area removed), with three replica tions per treatment (nine plots in total), four samples were taken per plot (two per canopy type) to
reach 36 samples in total. Meso- and macrofauna were extracted from CWD samples with Berlese–
Tullgren funnels, and individuals were counted and identified. Results: Most of the taxonomic
groups belonged to mesofauna, mainly to Acari and Collembola orders. On the other hand, the
macrofauna represented a minimum percentage of the community composition. Our results indi cated that although thinning intensities did not significantly affect the invertebrate community, can opy type and CWD water content influenced significantly. It is imperative to consider in forest
management the responses of canopy type and thinning intensities in CWD water content, this dis turbance could also slow down the organic matter decomposition process in the soil, thus affecting
in the long term the natural cycle of nutrients.
