Forests now cover approximately 30% of the Earth’s land surface1, support high levels of biodiversity and provide essential ecosystem services to humanity2. About 30% of the world’s forests were lost during the past 5,000 years following human population growth, and forest cover is still being reduced at unprecedented rates, through deforestation and conversion to agriculture1. Reforestation and afforestation programmes exist in many countries to compensate for the loss of forest cover, with China’s Grain-for-Green programme being the largest. It is predicted that > 50% of industrial timber will come from plantations by around the middle of this century3. While planting restores tree cover, virtually all industrial plantations are single-species monocultures, most often of fast-growing cultivars or hybrids of pine, eucalypt, acacia, spruce, poplar or larch. Foremost among the many reasons for this are the high yields normally achieved with intensive, high-input silviculture under a predictable and stable climate, low disturbances, and minimal pests and diseases. However, with increasing recognition of the environmental costs of high-input systems, a changing climate, increasing exotic pests and diseases, and the increasing importance given to other ecosystem services provided by forests, the historical arguments in favour of monocultures are becoming less persuasive4. Indeed, over the past quarter century, research demonstrated a general trend for ecosystem functioning and the provisioning of ecosystem services to increase with higher levels of diversity5. This research was generally conducted with herbaceous plants that are more convenient experimental systems, but forests are now one of the main areas of research in this field despite the challenges they present.
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Verheyen Kris, Vanhellemont Margot, Auge Harald, Baeten Lander, Baraloto Christopher, Barsoum Nadia, Bilodeau-Gauthier Simon, Bruelheide Helge, Castagneyrol Bastien, Godbold Douglas, Haase Josephine, Hector Andy, Jactel Hervé, Koricheva Julia, Loreau Michel, Mereu Simone, Messier Christian, Muys Bart, Nolet Philippe, Paquette Alain, Parker John, Perring Mike, Ponette Quentin, Potvin Catherine, Reich Peter, Smith Andy, Weih Martin, Scherer-Lorenzen Michael, Contributions of a global network of tree diversity experiments to sustainable forest plantations, 10.1007/s13280-015-0685-1
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Baeten Lander, Verheyen Kris, Wirth Christian, Bruelheide Helge, Bussotti Filippo, Finér Leena, Jaroszewicz Bogdan, Selvi Federico, Valladares Fernando, Allan Eric, Ampoorter Evy, Auge Harald, Avăcăriei Daniel, Barbaro Luc, Bărnoaiea Ionu, Bastias Cristina C., Bauhus Jürgen, Beinhoff Carsten, Benavides Raquel, Benneter Adam, Berger Sigrid, Berthold Felix, Boberg Johanna, Bonal Damien, Brüggemann Wolfgang, Carnol Monique, Castagneyrol Bastien, Charbonnier Yohan, Chećko Ewa, Coomes David, Coppi Andrea, Dalmaris Eleftheria, Dănilă Gabriel, Dawud Seid M., de Vries Wim, De Wandeler Hans, Deconchat Marc, Domisch Timo, Duduman Gabriel, Fischer Markus, Fotelli Mariangela, Gessler Arthur, Gimeno Teresa E., Granier André, Grossiord Charlotte, Guyot Virginie, Hantsch Lydia, Hättenschwiler Stephan, Hector Andy, Hermy Martin, Holland Vera, Jactel Hervé, Joly François-Xavier, Jucker Tommaso, Kolb Simon, Koricheva Julia, Lexer Manfred J., Liebergesell Mario, Milligan Harriet, Müller Sandra, Muys Bart, Nguyen Diem, Nichiforel Liviu, Pollastrini Martina, Proulx Raphael, Rabasa Sonia, Radoglou Kalliopi, Ratcliffe Sophia, Raulund-Rasmussen Karsten, Seiferling Ian, Stenlid Jan, Vesterdal Lars, von Wilpert Klaus, Zavala Miguel A., Zielinski Dawid, Scherer-Lorenzen Michael, A novel comparative research platform designed to determine the functional significance of tree species diversity in European forests, 10.1016/j.ppees.2013.07.002
Fichtner Andreas, Härdtle Werner, Li Ying, Bruelheide Helge, Kunz Matthias, von Oheimb Goddert, From competition to facilitation: how tree species respond to neighbourhood diversity, 10.1111/ele.12786
Laforest-Lapointe Isabelle, Paquette Alain, Messier Christian, Kembel Steven W., Leaf bacterial diversity mediates plant diversity and ecosystem function relationships, 10.1038/nature22399
Williams Laura J., Paquette Alain, Cavender-Bares Jeannine, Messier Christian, Reich Peter B., Spatial complementarity in tree crowns explains overyielding in species mixtures, 10.1038/s41559-016-0063
Barrette Martin, Leblanc Marc, Thiffault Nelson, Paquette Alain, Lavoie Luc, Bélanger Louis, Bujold Frédéric, Côté Lévis, Lamoureux Jean, Schneider Robert, Tremblay Jean-Pierre, Côté Sylvie, Boucher Yan, Deshaies Marie-Ève, Issues and solutions for intensive plantation silviculture in a context of ecosystem management, 10.5558/tfc2014-147
Grossman Jake J., Vanhellemont Margot, Barsoum Nadia, Bauhus Jürgen, Bruelheide Helge, Castagneyrol Bastien, Cavender-Bares Jeannine, Eisenhauer Nico, Ferlian Olga, Gravel Dominique, Hector Andy, Jactel Hervé, Kreft Holger, Mereu Simone, Messier Christian, Muys Bart, Nock Charles, Paquette Alain, Parker John, Perring Michael P., Ponette Quentin, Reich Peter B., Schuldt Andreas, Staab Michael, Weih Martin, Zemp Delphine Clara, Scherer-Lorenzen Michael, Verheyen Kris, Synthesis and future research directions linking tree diversity to growth, survival, and damage in a global network of tree diversity experiments, 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2017.12.015
Van de Peer Thomas, Verheyen Kris, Ponette Quentin, Setiawan Nuri N., Muys Bart, Overyielding in young tree plantations is driven by local complementarity and selection effects related to shade tolerance, 10.1111/1365-2745.12839
Tobner Cornelia M., Paquette Alain, Gravel Dominique, Reich Peter B., Williams Laura J., Messier Christian, Functional identity is the main driver of diversity effects in young tree communities, 10.1111/ele.12600
Castagneyrol Bastien, Giffard Brice, Péré Christelle, Jactel Hervé, Plant apparency, an overlooked driver of associational resistance to insect herbivory, 10.1111/1365-2745.12055
Nguyen Nhu H., Williams Laura J., Vincent John B., Stefanski Artur, Cavender-Bares Jeannine, Messier Christian, Paquette Alain, Gravel Dominique, Reich Peter B., Kennedy Peter G., Ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and saprotrophic fungal diversity are linked to different tree community attributes in a field-based tree experiment, 10.1111/mec.13719
Paquette Alain, Vayreda Jordi, Coll Lluís, Messier Christian, Retana Javier, Climate Change Could Negate Positive Tree Diversity Effects on Forest Productivity: A Study Across Five Climate Types in Spain and Canada, 10.1007/s10021-017-0196-y
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Bibliographic reference
Paquette, Alain ; Hector, Andy ; Castagneyrol, Bastien ; Vanhellemont, Margot ; Koricheva, Julia ; et. al. A million and more trees for science. In: Nature Ecology & Evolution, Vol. 2, no.5, p. 763-766 (2018)
