Structure and treatment in some South Apennines beech forests

Abstract

Shelterwood cuttings have hardly been applied in Apennines beech forests, although regularly prescribed in management plans. When applied, it happened exclusively in public forests, where classic silviculture criteria are usually followed. However, also in those cases shelterwood cuttings have not been applied in accordance with their theoretical principles, but through the application of few, intense cuttings.
On the contrary, selective cutting has been applied in private forests. Despite literature considers this cutting type unsuitable to be applied in beech forests, selective cutting has largely been applied by private owners, with good
results both in terms of profitability and functional efficiency of beech forests.
On the basis of structural analysis realized in South Apennines private and public beech forests, and their cutting types, the present paper underlines how forest management characterized by the application of selective cutting enhances unhomogeneity and structural diversification.