Thinnings from above in late-successional and mature beech forests

LIFE: Man.For. C.BD.

Man.For.C.BD. - Managing Forests For Multiple Purposes: carbon, biodiversity, socio-economic wellbeing


LIFE09 ENV/IT/000078

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Object

Thinning from above in late-successional and mature beech woods

PROJECT REFERENT
Matteucci Giorgio

WEBSITE

Objective

The good practice aims at increasing the structural complexity of the forest, which is important for the conservation of biodiversity, as well as at preparing the stand for a successful forest regeneration phase.

Good Practice Description

Mixed thinnings were carried out, both from below and from above, with a prevalence of this second type. The thinning from above was based on the selection of the candidate plants, of which the canopy has been freed from competitors. The candidate plants were chosen both for technological and production reasons, and for the presence of microhabitats. At the same time as the intervention, trunks were also logs on the ground to increase the amount of dead wood.

Territorial Context

Cansiglio Forest (BL), on public property, in even-aged beech forests traditionally managed through successive uniform cuttings.

Replicability conditions

The good practice is applicable in all high forests or transitional beech stands where the need is to increase both the structural complexity and the biodiversity of the stands.

Dissemination material

In the final part of the LIFE GoProFor database sheet it is possible to download material relating to the project, including a manual describing all the good practices implemented.