High resilience of plant species composition to coppice restoration - a chronosequence from the oak woodland of Gerolfing (Bavaria)

In the oak forest of Gerolfing (near Ingolstadt, Germany), regular coppicing has been reintroduced after approximately 30 years of abandonment to enhance biodiversity and provide fuel to private households. Based on 42 vegetation plots in six strata (5-year harvesting intervals plus an untreated control) a chronosequence representing a full coppice cycle is studied using measurements of vegetation structure, light availability, topsoil chemistry and indicator species analysis. Coppicing triggers a succession in forest structure and radiation regime. Canopy openings are filled with a dense shrub layer of resprouts after 10 years, which subsequently grow into a closed tree canopy, which reaches its maximum density 15-20 yrs after the cut. The succession appears to be loosely paralleled by increased soil phosphorus and potassium after cutting, but this pattern may be confounded by land-use legacies. The reaction of understorey species composition is remarkably weak and noisy, with increased cover of dominant forest species and patches of ruderal species occurring shortly after the cutting, and very few target plant species of conservation interest. Despite imposing a distinct disturbance and succession of vegetation structure, coppicing as currently practiced in Gerolfing alters understorey community composition only inconspicuously and for a short time.