Coppice conversion of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): natural evolution, periodic thinning, regeneration cutting

Abstract

Beech coppice forests have shaped the mountainous European landscape for centuries. The socio-economical changes occurred over the last 60 years have led to a progressive decline in coppice management, which has resulted in either the abandonment of traditional coppice management, or into active coppice conversion to high forests. Given the long-term process of this process, an ecological, long-term perspective is required to understand the ecological implication of different management practices in these forests. We investigated the influence of conversion management on canopy attributes (leaf litter and seed production, leaf area index). The management options considered were traditional conversion management, based on periodic thinning, and alternative conversion, based on anticipated seed cutting and final harvesting, which were compared against natural evolution (unthinned control). Results showed that the differences between natural evolution and traditional conversion were largest in the years immediately after thinning, and then reduced with full canopy (leaf litter and leaf area index) recovery after 10 years. Conversely, the alternative method with the anticipated seed cutting significantly enhanced canopy heterogeneity and further accelerates the transition to high forest, with dense beech saplings reaching an height over 8 meters eight years post-harvest.