Purpose of Review: Lowering the impact of forest utilisation on the forest environment is a part of the improvement in sustainable forest management. As part of forest utilisation, timber harvesting can also cause environmental implications. The main impact of forest operations is on the soil, on regeneration and on the residual stand. The aim of the present review was to identify the state of the art in forest utilisation, identifying how and how much forest operations affect forest soil, regeneration and the remaining stand. Particular attention was paid to the level of impact and potential to limit this. Recent Findings: There are a large number of publications tackling forest harvesting, but most of them do not give a comprehensive framework and they mainly focus on one or very few aspects of forest damage. In order to improve general knowledge of the impact of forest operations, it was proposed that the scope of recent findings should be examined and a compilation of the available results from different regions should be presented in one paper. Summary: It was found that the least impactful machine-based forest operations were harvester–forwarder technologies, while a larger scale of damage could be expected from ground-based extraction systems (skidders) and cable yarders. Animal power, if applicable, tended to be very neutral to the forest environment. A decrease in damage is possible by optimising skid trail and strip road planning, careful completion of forest operations and training for operators. The existence of legal documents controlling post-harvesting stand damage are rare and have been implemented in only two countries; there is no post-harvesting control on soil damage and natural regeneration.

Purpose of Review: Biodiversity is one of the most important features of forest ecosystems. One of the goals of Sustainable Forest Management is to reduce biodiversity disturbance, which can occur as a consequence of timber harvesting. The aim of this review was to define which silvicultural systems and forest operations can have an influence on forest tree biodiversity by summarising the findings of nearly 60 papers published in the last ten years (2013–2022). Recent Findings: In natural forest ecosystems characterised by a high level of structural complexity, such as uneven-aged tropical forests, selective logging and retention forestry are, in general, suitable forms of intervention that have a limited impact on tree biodiversity. Forest operations, in particular, should be of low intensity and try to simulate as much as possible small-scale natural disturbances. Thinning has proved to be a valid treatment for managing tree biodiversity. However, it is important to shape the magnitude of thinnings according to the management aims. Limited removal is recommended in interventions for maintaining the current structure, and more extensive removal is appropriate in cases when a change in species composition is expected, e.g. in the conversion of planted coniferous stands to uneven-aged mixed or broadleaved stands. In addition, coppicing is suitable for maintaining tree biodiversity due to its effectiveness in fostering the presence of light-demanding tree species. Findings show that it is important to establish the right rotation age, considering that an excessively short period between coppicing interventions can be detrimental to functional biodiversity. Skid trails and landing sites represent suitable areas for the initial establishment of natural regeneration. However, generally, the level of biodiversity on these sites declines with time as a consequence of soil compaction, thus highlighting the importance of the forest infrastructure network planning. Summary: In uneven-aged tropical forests, selective logging and retention forestry are the most suitable options for maintaining tree biodiversity. Thinning and coppicing help to manage biodiversity, whilst intensive thinning helps to change species composition. Skid trails and landing sites can support natural regeneration. Recommendations and management options were developed, as well as possible future research directions. The authors recommend that future studies should investigate how much tree biodiversity depends on different levels of harvesting technology applied within the same silvicultural treatment.

Purpose of the Review: The review synthesises the current knowledge of post-windstorm management in selected European countries in order to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research. Recent Findings: Despite the differences in forest ownership and national regulations, management experiences in Europe converge at (1) the need for mechanization of post-windthrow management to ensure operator safety, (2) the importance to promote operator training and optimise the coordination between all the actors involved in disturbance management and (3) the need to implement measures to consolidate the timber market while restoring forest ecosystem services and maintain biodiversity. Summary: Windstorms are natural disturbances that drive forest dynamics but also result in socio-economic losses. As the frequency and magnitude of wind disturbances will likely increase in the future, improved disturbance management is needed. We here highlight the best practices and remaining challenges regarding the strategic, operational, economic and environmental dimensions of post-windthrow management in Europe. Our literature review underlined that post-disturbance management needs to be tailored to each individual situation, taking into account the type of forest, site conditions, available resources and respective legislations. The perspectives on windthrown timber differ throughout Europe, ranging from leaving trees on site to storing them in sophisticated wet storage facilities. Salvage logging is considered important in forests susceptible to bark beetle outbreaks, while no salvage logging is recommended in forests protecting against natural hazards. Remaining research gaps include questions of balancing between the positive and negative effects of salvage logging and integrating climate change considerations more explicitly in post-windthrow management.