Detecting the imprints of past clear-cutting on riparian forest plant communities along a Mediterranean river

In riparian forests, clear-cutting causes long-lasting changes in both riparian and aquatic biota. In this work, we examined if past clear-cutting events occurred at different times have imprints on riparian forests in a Mediterranean river in central Italy. We carried out a randomized, plot-based vegetation survey of riparian forests in systematically sampled 500 m-long sectors along the whole river, dividing the riparian zone into two internal and two external strips. From historical aerial photos, past clear-cutting events within plots were detected and classified in age classes: (i) cut in the past 8 years (recent); (ii) cut between 8 and 19 years ago (intermediate); (iii) no signs of clear-cutting in the last 19 years (distant). We analyzed the responses of vegetation to clear-cutting and strip position. Alien species richness was higher and woody species richness was lower in recently clear-cut areas compared to those with a distant clear-cutting event. Moreover, recently cut woods had more alien and synanthropic species. Intermediate clear-cut areas had higher levels of invasion by alien species compared to areas with distant cut. Riparian forests of internal strips are impacted by clear-cutting, but seem to recover in 8–19 years thanks to their natural resilience. Conversely, recent or intermediate clear-cutting events did not affect any of the investigated vegetation attributes in the external strips since such forests were already invaded by alien and synanthropic species after human disturbance. Our results confirm that clear-cutting events can have long-lasting effects on Mediterranean riparian forests, confirming the vulnerability of river ecosystems to clear-cutting and suggesting the need for more caution in management practices to improve the conservation status of riparian forests.