Soil Microbial Functional Diversity under the Single-Season Influence of Traditional Forest Management in a Sessile Oak Forest of Central Europe

This one-year study focuses on the responses of a soil environment to the implementation of traditional forest management practices in oak-hornbeam stands with the following treatments: cut (C), cut + litter raking (CR), cut + grazing (CG), cut + litter raking + grazing (CRG) and control (Ctrl). The cut was conducted in 2018 through extremely heavy thinning. In autumn of 2017 and 2018, we sampled the soils, focusing on microbial functional diversity (FD) assessments using BIOLOG EcoplateTM. After one season, the FD was the highest in the Ctrl stand and the lowest in the CRG stand. Furthermore, we detected significant seasonal differences in soil reaction, nitrate nitrogen content, phosphatase activity and microbial biomass among the treatments. In particular, the Ctrl stand was defined via FD indices and biochemical and biological soil properties that contrasted mainly with those of the CRG stand defined by the content of mineral nitrogen forms. The soil properties did not differ substantially in the remaining treatments. Of the 31 carbon sources defining FD, 6 were treatment-specific (putrescine, L-arginine, L-serine, L-threonine, D-cellobiose and glycogen), while the remaining carbon sources mainly displayed either uniform high or low activity across the treatments.O

Growth Response of Sessile Oak and European Hornbeam to Traditional Coppice-with-Standards Management

Research Highlights: The influence of litter raking and livestock grazing on the development of juvenile sessile oak and European hornbeam sprouts as well as on sessile oak standards were studied. Such experiments are very rare, especially in central Europe where these activities have been prohibited for several decades. Little is known on how these ancient management activities affect tree growth. Background and Objectives: Traditional management practices in coppice forests such as grazing and litter raking have been abandoned, but have recently been studied as to whether these practices can substantially contribute to an increase in the species diversity of coppices. The important question is, however, how these practices influence the growth of coppice-with-standards. Therefore, this study focused on the effect of grazing, litter raking, and their combination on both sprouts and adult trees in a coppice-with-standards system one year after harvest. Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out in the area of the Training Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny, Czech Republic, in a forest stand dominated by sessile oak and European hornbeam. We analyzed 132 oak polycormons, 132 hornbeam polycormons, and 163 oak standards. Results: The number of sprouts per stump was affected by the stump size and management practice: (A) coppice-with-standards, litter raking, and sheep grazing; (B) coppice-with-standards and sheep grazing; (C) coppice-with-standards and litter raking; and (D) coppice-with-standards), but not by tree species. The number of the sprouts as well as their height increased with the stump size. In contrast, grazing resulted in a smaller height of the sprouts while thinner sprouts were found under a combination of grazing and raking. When comparing the species, the oak sprouts were higher and thicker when compared to the hornbeam sprouts. The increment of standards increased after stand harvest. This, however, was not the result of grazing or raking, but the response to the reduction of tree number and thus of competition between neighboring trees. Conclusions: The results showed that there were rather negative impacts from the implemented traditional management practices on the growth of sprouts. This may lead to the question of whether ecological diversity resulting from the traditional practices may prevail their negative effect on the growth of the coppices.O

Pařezová výmladnost jako základ obnovy a produkce nízkého lesa =:Stump sprouting as a basis for the regeneration and production of coppice /

In 2008, a young coppice was established and studied in the south-eastern part of the Czech Republic. The main studied species Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl agg. and Carpinus betulus L. are typical species of Central European coppices. The aim of the dissertation thesis was to study the topic of re-sprouting, the process when the new regeneration of sprouts is created. Re-sprouting occurred after thinning carried out at the turn of the years 2014/2015. The number of live and dead new sprouts was recorded, and their heights were measured. Subsequently, the effects of the stump basal area before and after thinning, the thinning intensity, leaf area index and light conditions (gap fraction, openness, direct, indirect and total site factor) were studied on the newly established generation of sprouts. Another aim of the dissertation thesis was to find out the effect of thinning on the growth of the coppice in the current changing climate conditions. For three growing seasons (2015 –2017) after the thinning, the growth (diameter and height increments) and soil water content were observed. To study the effect of climatic conditions, a throughfall reduction was simulated by using drainage channels. Similar system of drainage channels was used in Spain, France and other countries. To address the topic of soil degradation, the impact of throughfall reduction and thinning on soil CO2 efflux was investigated. Comparison between subplots with and without thinning, subplots with and without throughfall reduction and coppice with false high forest (control area to the research area of coppice forest) were carried out. As far as the re-sprouting is concerned, the stump basal area before thinning and the thinning intensity statistically significantly influenced the number and height of the new sprouts. Among all factors of light condition, only the indirect site factor was statistically significant. Therefore, the thinning affected soil moisture and the amount of light in the coppice. In the first year after the thinning, the diameter increments of sessile oak and European hornbeam were positively influenced by thinning. In the following two growing seasons, thinning did not significantly influence the diameter increment. However, the height increment of both trees during the whole study period has not been positively affected by thinning. On the other hand, thinning significantly affected the soil moisture. During the three-year study period, soil moisture was higher on thinned plots. This finding is in coincidence with research experiments carried out in southern Europe. The second studied factor, which was the throughfall reduction, did not influence neither the diameter increment, nor the height increment and nor the soil moisture in both species for the entire period. Thinning did not affect soil CO2 efflux rates, whereas the throughfall reduction did. Coppice reached almost the same soil CO2 efflux rates as the false high forest. In conclusion, thinning in coppice leads to an increase of available soil water. The water availability will be very actual issue at lower altitudes – here the tree species are sensitive to high air temperatures and drought stress. It should be noted that the younger developmental stages of the forest stands show increased sensitivity to water deficit due to drought. Thanks to sprouting ability, coppicing can therefore be appropriate management in some deciduous stands at lower altitudes under changing climate conditions

Traditional coppice managements at the landscape level along with recreational use

Our current goals in forestry involve safeguarding the land and environment, optimizing the forest's ability to absorb CO2, maintaining the health and integrity of forest ecosystems, and preserving biodiversity and landscape variety. Ensuring the long-term productivity, socio-economic viability, and environmental functions of European forests and woodlands, including coppice woodlands, is crucial. Addressing these challenges can be effectively achieved by utilizing a combination of various management methods. The main focus of this study is on traditional forms of management such as coppicing, grazing, and litter raking. To facilitate this research, designated plots were established within the Training Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny. These plots, where sheep grazing and litter raking have been implemented since 2018, are exceptional and provide exemplary illustrations of diverse coppice management practices in Central European coppices.Published Versio

Growth Response of Sessile Oak and European Hornbeam to Traditional Coppice-with-Standards Management

Research Highlights: The influence of litter raking and livestock grazing on the development of juvenile sessile oak and European hornbeam sprouts as well as on sessile oak standards were studied. Such experiments are very rare, especially in central Europe where these activities have been prohibited for several decades. Little is known on how these ancient management activities affect tree growth. Background and Objectives: Traditional management practices in coppice forests such as grazing and litter raking have been abandoned, but have recently been studied as to whether these practices can substantially contribute to an increase in the species diversity of coppices. The important question is, however, how these practices influence the growth of coppice-with-standards. Therefore, this study focused on the effect of grazing, litter raking, and their combination on both sprouts and adult trees in a coppice-with-standards system one year after harvest. Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out in the area of the Training Forest Enterprise Masaryk Forest Křtiny, Czech Republic, in a forest stand dominated by sessile oak and European hornbeam. We analyzed 132 oak polycormons, 132 hornbeam polycormons, and 163 oak standards. Results: The number of sprouts per stump was affected by the stump size and management practice: (A) coppice-with-standards, litter raking, and sheep grazing; (B) coppice-with-standards and sheep grazing; (C) coppice-with-standards and litter raking; and (D) coppice-with-standards), but not by tree species. The number of the sprouts as well as their height increased with the stump size. In contrast, grazing resulted in a smaller height of the sprouts while thinner sprouts were found under a combination of grazing and raking. When comparing the species, the oak sprouts were higher and thicker when compared to the hornbeam sprouts. The increment of standards increased after stand harvest. This, however, was not the result of grazing or raking, but the response to the reduction of tree number and thus of competition between neighboring trees. Conclusions: The results showed that there were rather negative impacts from the implemented traditional management practices on the growth of sprouts. This may lead to the question of whether ecological diversity resulting from the traditional practices may prevail their negative effect on the growth of the coppices