Speaker
Description
Short-rotation coppice is a modern industrial crop, and its profitability depends on the mechanisation of all management operations. Once the crop is mature, trees can be felled with a variety of machines, but shears represent the most effective solution. However, shears can cause some stump damage, raising concerns about stump mortality and re-sprouting vigor, both crucial to coppice regeneration. This study, conducted at five sites in western Slovakia, compared the mortality and resprouting vigor of stumps cut with shears and chainsaws, the latter representing the control treatment. Measurements were taken on 6 compartments across these sites. In each compartment, between 9 and 10 sample plots were established, each consisting of two parallel row segments containing 10 live stumps (20 stumps per plot). One row segment was cut with a shear-type felling head, the other with a chainsaw-type felling head. One year after cutting, we assessed stump diameter, number of live shoots, and diameter and height of the 5 tallest shoots. Data were pooled into a structured database and statistically analysed. The results of the study showed that site fertility had a very strong effect on resprouting vigor; the method of the cutting technique did not affect survival stumps, but shear-type cut stumps produced slightly more shoots, and dominant shoots on shear-cut stumps might grow more slowly due to stronger intra-stump competition, especially in less fertile sites.
| Keywords | Cutting1; Effect2; Mortality3; Stump4 |
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