Changes in vegetation diversity under different silvicultural managements in a Quercus cerris forest.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand how different coppicing treatments influence the number and species composition of a forest. The study was performed in a Quercus cerris stand in Fontalcinaldo (Massa Marittima municipality, South Tuscany). The area was managed in four different ways: clearcutting, coppicing with 50 standards/ha, coppicing with 140 standards/ha and coppicing with grouped standards. Samplings were made according to two different scales: 300 m2 and 0.25 m2 plots. Results show that annual and non forest species are advantaged by forest logging. Silvicultural management which opens canopy gaps supports these kind of species. Forest species benefit the shaded and wet environment as in the 140 standards/ha release. Grouped standard release favours both forest and non forest species. Clear-cutting increases the number of species, but has a heavier negative impact on the forest habitat, affecting more than the other treatments the species composition. Compositional heterogeneity was low and already five years later it was almost the same for each type of coppicing, it suggesting that the recovery of the situation before cutting was rather fast. Silvicultural alternatives to clear-cutting and even-aged management favour structurally diverse environments to create microhabitats that ensure the persistence of canopy-dependent and disturbance-sensitive plant species.