Is forest certification mitigating oak decline in Mediterranean open woodlands?

Forest certification is a voluntary conservation tool that aims to promote sustainable forest management. While research on forest certification has increased recently, there remains a significant gap in understanding how and to what extent certification can promote forest conservation. Mediterranean cork oak open woodlands are ecosystems of high conservation and socio-economic value. However, these ecosystems are threatened by increased adult oak mortality and regeneration failure, often due to inadequate management and the rise of pests and diseases, aggravated by climate change. Forest certification prescribes management practices intended to enhance tree regeneration and maintain stand health conditions. Therefore, it is anticipated that forest certification could mitigate the observed decline of oak trees in Mediterranean regions. Here, we investigate whether forest certification contributes to the ecological sustainability of Mediterranean cork oak open woodlands in Portugal. We compare the stand biometrics of non-certified and certified cork oak stands before and after certification implementation, using both National Forest Inventory data and field sampling from 2005 and 2020. Our findings indicate that the density of adult oak trees decreased by 16 % in certified estates and 28 % in non-certified estates between 2005 and 2020. Similarly, cork oak cover declined by 6 % tree cover in certified plots and 19 % in non-certified plots during the same period. Consequently, by 2020, tree density was 20 % higher in certified stands than in the non-certified ones, and tree cover was 36 % higher in certified stands. Tree diameter and height increased at similar rates in both certified and non-certified stands from 2005 to 2020.The age structure of the stands also remained consistent, showing a bell-shaped distribution of tree diameters in both years. However, results on oak regeneration were inconclusive. Our results suggest that cork oak decline, measured by the changes in density and cover of adult trees from 2005 to 2020, is slower in certified cork oak woodlands. Nonetheless, the increase in tree diameter and the age structure shape indicate potential regeneration issues in both certified and non-certified stands, needing further measures to address the aging of cork oak open woodlands.