Effect of Age Structure and Management Type on Epigeic Arthropods in Commercial Oak Forests

he aim of this work was to assess the effect of stand age and type of forest management on the species richness and abundance of spiders, ground beetles, centipedes, millipedes and woodlice. The arthropods were sampled in four treatments – clearings, young, middle-aged and old forest stands. The effect of management was evaluated for clearings and old forest stands. Clearings and older stands hosted the highest species richness for most of the studied groups of arthropods. On the contrary, the lowest species richness was found mainly in young stands. Our results emphasized the high importance of uneven-aged silviculture. Most species were found in clearings without mechanical soil preparation. Therefore, mechanical soil preparation is not suitable for the studied groups of arthropods. Responses to the management of the old stands varied for different arthropod groups. It is necessary to limit the large-area milling of clearings and maintain continuity of both commercial and non-interventional old forest stands. © 2020. All Rights Reserved.