2.3 FORESTRY FOREST MANAGEMENT Forests cover a third of the Earth's surface and are classed according to latitude as: tropical temperate boreal. An eco-friendly management of woodlands usually involves doing the same things nature does, but in a more planned and organised way. 1 MORE An eco-friendly forest management means developing a sustainable model of woodlands in order to improve their environmental functions, ecological stability and fire prevention; at the same time, it should encourage reforestation and develop an efficient forest plan management. 1 Forestry is the art and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner. One of its disciplines is , which studies the growth, composition, health and quality of the trees, and guarantees the conservation and balance of the forest ecosystem. Forestry 1 silviculture In Italy, the most widely used forms of woodland management are: 2 (about one third): woodlands where forests are renewed. These are mostly coniferous (which do not emit ), or , and are visually distinguished from coppices in that each plant has got a single . These forests are renewed either naturally, when the grow after spontaneous dissemination, or artificially, with new planting. They are similar to natural woodlands and offer a wide range of microhabitats, thus providing for many organisms and allowing great biodiversity. High forests suckers beech sweet chestnut stem seedlings niches (two-thirds): mainly deciduous or evergreen and mixed forests of , , , sweet chestnut, and , both on hills and in the Mediterranean Coppicing consists of cutting the trees to ground level. New suckers originate from the , growing vigorously and ensuring a sustainable supply of for future generations, without the need to replant. The are harvested at regular intervals, once they have reached the desired trunk diameter. This means that they are left to grow for a number of years and are then cut again; at the same time, sick or malformed trees are removed. Coppicing forests oaks hazel maple black locust lime ash scrub. stump timber shoots DO Why are forests important for life on Earth? 1 Does forest management mean cutting down trees? 2 ONLINE RESOURCES The surprising world of lichens