Habitat and landscape outweigh stand age as drivers of species composition in managed temperate forests dominated by Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl

Research paper

Key message

Managed oak stands with Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. supported a range of natural forest communities differing in species composition despite regular forest management. Habitat was the most influential driver shaping species composition, followed closely by landscape, whereas stand age showed a relatively small contribution. Soil fertility and the proportions of oak stands and deciduous stands in the research plot surroundings were the strongest independent determinants of species composition.

Keywords
Deciduous forests; Oaks; Coexisting species; Forest types; Vascular plant species

Publication
Mazurek, N., Stefańska-Krzaczek, E. & Kącki, Z. Habitat and landscape outweigh stand age as drivers of species composition in managed temperate forests dominated by Quercus robur L. and Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl. Annals of Forest Science 83, 43 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-026-01361-7

Data availability 
The data that support the findings of this study are available online: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21505738 (Mazurek et al, 2026).

Handling editor
Thomas Cordonnier