Growth response to thinning in Quercus pyrenaica Willd. coppice stands in Spanish central mountain

This paper presents the growth response of coppice forest of Quercus pyrenaica Willd. to thinnings of different intensities. Four treatments were tested light, moderate and heavy thinning with respectively 25, 35 and 50% of basal area removed, and no thinning (control). The results obtained show significant differences between treatments for diameter and biomass of the mean tree and for current diameter increment, for the three inventories carried out (1994, 1998, 2002). The largest values for the mean tree were observed with the heaviest thinning treatment. No differences were found between treatments for stand yield (total basal area and biomass). Stand structure appears more regular in thinned plots, reducing the risk of forest fires and increasing the landscape and recreation values and the possibility of silvopastoral use.