Data from: Managing canopy cover to preserve forest microclimate and diverse macroarthropod communities in times of drought

Forest canopies play a vital role in buffering macroclimatic conditions,
creating stable microclimates that support species unable to survive under
the surrounding climate. However, disturbances driven by climate change
alongside management interventions can disrupt canopy cover, altering
forest microclimates and, consequently, forest-related biodiversity. To
investigate these dynamics, we monitored forest floor temperature, soil
moisture, and macroarthropod communities along a canopy cover gradient in
the National Park Brabantse Wouden, Belgium. Forest structure was
inventoried in 2022 following the protocol of the Flemish Forest
Inventory. The data was complemented by additional measurements in 2023
such as average litter depth, canopy cover estimations with a densiometer,
vegetation surveys, and dead wood surveys using the line-intersect method.
Forest microclimate (forest floor temperature and soil moisture) was
recorded using TMS4-loggers throughout the 2022–2023 growing seasons at a
15-minute time scale and, subsequently, cleaned and aggregated at the
daily scale (daily maximum forest floor temperature and soil volumetric
water content). Macroarthropod activity-density and species richness were
sampled using pitfall traps during the 2022 summer. The pitfall traps were
emptied biweekly between June and October 2022, after which species were
manually identified and counted. Generalized linear mixed models and
piecewise structural equation modelling were used to assess the influence
of forest structure. For a more detailed methodology, we refer to the
related paper. Paper synthesis: To sustain a stable and well-buffered
microclimate, we recommend maintaining canopies as closed as possible.
Even small openings reduce the forest’s ability to buffer temperature,
with canopy covers below 50% leading to temperature amplification. Closed
canopies should be combined with isolated canopy gaps to promote habitat
heterogeneity. Additionally, deadwood amounts should increase to provide
shelter during droughts. This balanced management approach fosters stable
forest microclimates and diverse habitats, supporting long- and short-term
macroarthropod biodiversity in temperate broadleaf forests.

# Data from: Managing canopy cover to preserve forest microclimate and
diverse macroarthropod communities in times of drought Dataset DOI:
[10.5061/dryad.tmpg4f5b0](10.5061/dryad.tmpg4f5b0) ## Description of the
data and file structure This dataset contains information on microclimate,
macroclimate, macroarthropods (woodlice and ground beetles), and local
site characteristics as part of a study in Meerdaal Forest, Belgium,
investigating the effect of forest structure, resulting from varying
management intensities, on microclimate and macroarthropod communities.
Data were collected between 2022 and 2023 across 36 plots, of which 25
were dominated by *Quercus robur* and 11 by *Fagus sylvatica*. .CSV files
have a semicolon delimiter and comma as decimal ### Files and variables
#### File: Plot-characteristics.csv
**Description:** Characteristics of each individual plot
regarding forest structure and vegetation ##### Variables * PlotID: each
plot has a unique ID to link all measurements together * lon: longitude
(WGS84) * lat: latitude (WGS84) * TreeSpecies: dominant tree species of
the plot, either ‘Oak’ (*Quercus robur*) or ‘Beech’ (*Fagus sylvatica*) *
CanopyCover: percentage of the canopy that is closed as measured by a
densiometer (%) * BasalArea: the total cross-sectional area of all tree
stems measured at breast height (m²/ha) * DeadWood: the volume of dead
wood present within the plot, measured through a line intersect method
(m³/ha) * LitterDepth: the average litter depth from multiple measurements
within the plot (m) * VegetationCoverage: the estimated coverage of the
forest floor vegetation (%) * VegetationRichness: the total number of
species found in the vegetation survey #### File:
Micro-and-Macroclimate-data.csv **Description:** Macro- and
microclimate data at the daily time scale. Macroclimate data was measured
by an automated weather station in Beauvechain, Belgium, and obtained
through the Belgian Royal Meteorological Institute. ##### Variables *
PlotID: each plot has a unique ID to link all measurements together *
Date: ehe date of the measurement (YYYY-MM-DD) * Tmacro: daily maximum air
temperature (°C, macroclimate) as measured by the Beauvechain automated
weather station * Precip: daily precipitation (mm) as measured by the
Beauvechain automated weather station * WindSpeed: daily average wind
speed (m/s) as measured by the Beauvechain automated weather station *
Tmicro: daily maximum forest floor temperature (°C, microclimate) * VWC:
daily average soil volumetric water content #### File:
Macroarthropod-data.csv **Description:** Data regarding the
activity-density of woodlice and ground beetles for each pitfall trap and
each collection date. Note that destroyed traps received a count value
"NA". ##### Variables * PlotID: each plot has a unique ID to
link all measurements together * TrapID: each plot has two traps, one left
and one right of the microclimate sensor * Date: the collection date of
the pitfall trap * Period: the number of the collection period *
SpeciesGroup: indicates whether the species is a woodlice or a ground
beetle * Species: scientific name of the species * Count: the number of
individuals caught