Innovative Management and Multifunctional Utilization of Traditional Coppice Forests

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 3602

Special Issue Editors

Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Transylvania University of Brasov, 500123 Brasov, Romania
Interests: silviculture; forest ecology; forest management
Division for Silviculture, Croatian Forest Research Institute, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Interests: silviculture; forest genetics; forest management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coppice is the oldest form of the systematic and sustainable management and utilization of forests, contributing to rural livelihoods, the bioeconomy, environment and cultural heritage. It has declined since the industrial revolution, and many coppices have been abandoned or converted to high forest or other land uses. As acknowledged worldwide, there has recently been a resurgence of interest in coppicing in terms of production, either as fuel wood or manufactured products, as well as for ecological and cultural services. Coppice has been rediscovered because of its adaptive ecology, its stability and multiple benefits, most notably its protection function, contribution to biodiversity and as a source of renewable bioenergy. Coppicing could also be one option to increase the resilience of forests in the context of climate change. Furthermore, traditional coppice management should also be seen in the context of forest-dependent people. It is often combined with special ownership and user rights regimes (e.g., commons), which may be of interest for small forest owner governance (www.iufro.org/science/divisions/division-1/10000/10300/10301/).

Unfortunately, coppice is hardly recognized in political documents and is neglected in many national forest policies. Consequently, there is not that much reliable data on coppice, as the system has received little attention lately, and knowledge on coppice is diminishing in both science and practice, leading to a lost opportunity for rural development (Coppice Forests in Europe 2018).

In this context, the Special Issue aims to fill this gap by bringing together international experts and stakeholders in order to exchange knowledge on coppice forestry. Innovative management and utilization concepts or techniques for multifunctional coppice management are among the main topics to tackle in this Special Issue, aiming to include:

  • Novel findings in coppice silvicultural management;
  • Novel findings in coppice conversion towards high forest;
  • Novel harvesting techniques in coppice management;
  • Novel and valuable end-uses of coppice wood;
  • Novel findings in economics of coppice management.

Dr. Valeriu-Norocel Nicolescu
Dr. Sanja Perić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • coppice
  • broadleaved tree species
  • ecological requirements
  • economics of coppice
  • wood harvesting
  • wood end-uses

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3218 KiB  
Article
Improvement Cuttings in the Conversion of Pyrenean Oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) Coppice
by João P. F. Carvalho
Forests 2023, 14(3), 575; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030575 - 14 Mar 2023
Viewed by 915
Abstract
An appropriate management and valuation of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) forests are essential in order to ensure their multiple functions and uses. Many coppice forests of Pyrenean oak have been converted into high forests mostly due to changing demands. This work [...] Read more.
An appropriate management and valuation of Pyrenean oak (Quercus pyrenaica Willd.) forests are essential in order to ensure their multiple functions and uses. Many coppice forests of Pyrenean oak have been converted into high forests mostly due to changing demands. This work presents a 20-year study conducted with Pyrenean oak coppices, providing results from an experimental trial where silvicultural improvement interventions for coppice conversion were applied. In addition to control, selective thinning and 3-strip thinning with 2 × 2 m, 3 × 3 m, and 3 × 6 m (the latter also included selective thinning) were examined. The study analyzed tree growth, vertical stratification dynamics, and epicormic branching. It was found that the silvicultural interventions promoted tree development differently according to social crown class. The results have shown a significantly different response in tree diameter growth and live crown length, while height growth has been less accentuated. The study also examined the temporal effect of the interventions on diameter growth. Changes in tree crown position and structural characteristics varied among the cutting interventions. Regarding epicormic branching, the results have revealed that the number of shoots does not differ significantly among the treatments but shows differences in length. Management issues regarding Pyrenean oak coppice conversion have also been addressed. Full article
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12 pages, 4317 KiB  
Article
Coppice Management for Young Sycamore Maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)
by Bogdan M. Strimbu and Valeriu-Norocel Nicolescu
Forests 2023, 14(2), 297; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020297 - 03 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1977
Abstract
Sycamore is a valuable tree not only economically but also ecological and culturally. Even though it has a vigorous regeneration system from its stump, its coppice management has triggered limited formal investigations. Therefore, the present study focused on finding the most suitable coppice [...] Read more.
Sycamore is a valuable tree not only economically but also ecological and culturally. Even though it has a vigorous regeneration system from its stump, its coppice management has triggered limited formal investigations. Therefore, the present study focused on finding the most suitable coppice strategy for achieving ground coverage and biomass, as well as developing growth and yield models for sycamore maples. Using a series of eight measurements spanning twenty-one years, starting from age six, we found that single-shoot coppices provided superior yields for height than seed-managed trees up to age twelve and up to age twenty for DBH. The coppice trees outperformed the seed trees up to age 10. The yield of DBH and the height for single-shoots and seed-managed trees were described by parsimonious formulations, namely the Schumacher model for DBH and the square root for height. The relationship of DBH–height exhibited a clear linear form, pointing toward the main limitation of the study, namely the confinement to ages less than 20 years. Nevertheless, all the models exhibited a bias <10−7 and an R2 around 80%, except for the height and DBH change throughout time, which was around 67%. Full article
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