2.3 FORESTRY 43 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. Why are forests important for life on Earth? Does forest management mean cutting down trees? ONLINE RESOURCES The surprising world of lichens 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. Forestry 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 silviculture, which studies the growth, composition, health and quality of the trees, and guarantees the conservation and balance of the forest ecosystem. In Italy, the most widely used forms of woodland management are: High forests (about one third): woodlands where forests are renewed. These are mostly coniferous (which do not emit suckers), beech or sweet chestnut, and are visually ash: frassino beech: faggio black locust: robinia coppicing forest: bosco ceduo hazel: nocciolo high forest: fustaia lime: tiglio maple: acero niche: nicchia ecologica oak: quercia scrub: macchia, boscaglia seedling: giovane piantina shoot: getto stem: stelo stump: ceppo sucker: pollone sweet chestnut: castagno timber: legname 88 Ecology and forEstry distinguished from coppices in that each plant has got a single stem. These forests are renewed either naturally, when the seedlings grow after spontaneous dissemination, or arti cially, with new planting. They are similar to natural woodlands and offer a wide range of microhabitats, thus providing niches for many organisms and allowing great biodiversity; Coppicing forests (two-thirds): mainly deciduous or evergreen oaks and mixed forests of hazel, maple, black locust, sweet chestnut, lime and ash, both on hills and in the Mediterranean scrub. Coppicing consists of cutting the trees to ground level. New suckers originate from the stump, growing vigorously and ensuring a sustainable supply of timber for future generations, without the need to replant. The shoots 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.