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Soil Disturbance and Recovery after Coppicing a Mediterranean Oak Stand: The Effects of Silviculture and Technology

Author

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  • Rachele Venanzi

    (Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
    Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy)

  • Rodolfo Picchio

    (Department of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Tuscia, 01100 Viterbo, Italy)

  • Raffaele Spinelli

    (CNR Institute of Bioeconomy, Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino FI, Italy)

  • Stefano Grigolato

    (Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy)

Abstract

Traditional coppice management system is one of the most debated topics in the Mediterranean area, as it is a forest management system that accounts for over 23 million hectares. Coppicing is considered the oldest form of sustainable forest management. Its past and current widespread popularity is mainly due to its capacity to positively contribute to the rural economy and ecosystem services. This research aimed at assessing the effect of coppicing on soil characteristics, understanding a possible treatment return time, and evaluating the implementation of proper sustainable forest operations (SFOs) in order to have a better understanding of the disturbance caused by silvicultural treatment and forest operations with two different harvesting techniques. The results demonstrated that physical, chemical, and biological soil features were partially disturbed by the coppicing. Both silvicultural treatment and forest operations influenced soil disturbance. The least impactful technique was extraction by winch, while forwarding resulted in heavier alterations of soil characteristics. It took about five years for the soil to recover its original pre-harvest conditions when the disturbance was caused by the silvicultural treatment alone (non-trafficked areas) and about eight to nine years when the disturbance was the cumulated effect of silvicultural treatment and logging activity (trafficked areas).

Suggested Citation

  • Rachele Venanzi & Rodolfo Picchio & Raffaele Spinelli & Stefano Grigolato, 2020. "Soil Disturbance and Recovery after Coppicing a Mediterranean Oak Stand: The Effects of Silviculture and Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4074-:d:358819
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Spinelli, Raffaele & Magagnotti, Natascia, 2011. "The effects of introducing modern technology on the financial, labour and energy performance of forest operations in the Italian Alps," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(7), pages 520-524, September.
    2. Imamura, Kohei & Managi, Shunsuke & Saito, Shoichi & Nakashizuka, Tohru, 2017. "Abandoned forest ecosystem: Implications for Japan's Oak Wilt disease," Journal of Forest Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(PA), pages 56-61.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Kigwang Baek & Eunjai Lee & Hyungtae Choi & Minjae Cho & Yunsung Choi & Sangkyun Han, 2022. "Impact on Soil Physical Properties Related to a High Mechanization Level in the Row Thinning of a Korean Pine Stand," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-12, February.
    2. Rachele Venanzi & Francesco Latterini & Walter Stefanoni & Damiano Tocci & Rodolfo Picchio, 2022. "Variations of Soil Physico-Chemical and Biological Features after Logging Using Two Different Ground-Based Extraction Methods in a Beech High Forest—A Case Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-14, March.
    3. Michael Starke & Cédric Derron & Felix Heubaum & Martin Ziesak, 2020. "Rut Depth Evaluation of a Triple-Bogie System for Forwarders—Field Trials with TLS Data Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Rodolfo Picchio & Francesco Latterini & Piotr S. Mederski & Damiano Tocci & Rachele Venanzi & Walter Stefanoni & Luigi Pari, 2020. "Applications of GIS-Based Software to Improve the Sustainability of a Forwarding Operation in Central Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-15, July.

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