Biomass and nutrient content of extensively and intensively managed coppice stands

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Abstract
Studies on biomass production and nutrient accumulation in forest stands started 10 years ago in the authors' research group. Several reports presented results from individual stands. The aim of the present paper is to sum up the results obtained from 19 coppice stands, both extensively and intensively managed. Statistically significant relationships between biomass production and nutrient content of coppices were found, from which tables were developed for converting biomass production data of a coppice stand into nutrient contents. These tables will be useful to forest managers for determining the nutrient losses associated with harvesting according to its intensity, i.e. stem harvesting versus whole tree harvesting, and more generally according to the silvicultural scenarios. Significant relationships between soil characteristics and biomass production or nutrient content of the stands were also observed. These were used to calculate simple statistical models for predicting how production and nutrient immobilization vary with soil fertility parameters. This was done separately for extensively and intensively managed stands. The results presented here are sufficiently simple and accurate to be incorporated as they are into forest management models. It is nevertheless necessary to continue data collection to establish truly predictive models. This is particularly true for intensively managed stands for which the present information is incomplete.

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