Silvicultural interventions and valorisation of coppices in Umbria

LIFE: Summacop

SUMMACOP - Sustainable and multi-purpose management of coppices


LIFE99 ENV/IT/000003

Object

Silvicultural interventions suitable for the sustainable and multifunctional management of coppices.

PROJECT REFERENT
Grohmann Francesco

WEBSITE

Objective

Integrate traditional systems of coppice treatment with techniques that make it possible to invest in the forest in terms of differentiation and, consequently, in terms of reducing ecological and economic risks.

Good Practice Description

The good practice consists of a series of silvicultural interventions that can be summarised in the following types:

  •  coppicing with matricination by groups, on surfaces of different extension according to the viability, the geo-morphological conditions, the vegetation and structural characteristics of the stand;
  • cut for the transition to high forest, in coppices with a particularly advanced evolutionary stage where selection phenomena are already underway among the stumps; o with a predominantly tourist-recreational function;
  •  coppicing on small surfaces, to reduce the visual impact of use, allow interventions at shorter time intervals within the same plot;
  •  suspension of interventions in the presence of areas with current or potential erosive phenomena, or in the presence of extremely degraded populations;
  •  selective thinning on direct competitors of broad-leaved trees with valuable production potential.

Territorial Context

The project promoted by the Umbria region concerned in particular forest stands in the hilly and mountainous areas of Monte Peglia, Monte Subasio and Alto Chiasco.

Replicability conditions

The silvicultural interventions suggested for coppices can technically be applied anywhere, previously verifying that they are allowed by the regulations in force.

Dissemination material

From the GoProFor database, in the final part of the sheet, it is possible to download material relating to the project and in particular the manual entitled “Sustainable and multifunctional management of coppice woods: the SUMMACOP project.  Experiences, activities and results".