Variation in canopy openness among main structural types of woody vegetation in a traditionally managed landscape

Abstract

The decrease in canopy openness after the abandonment of traditional coppicing in the twentieth century has been previously identified as the main reason behind changes in species composition and diversity in lowland woodlands in Europe. However, little is known about the role of other traditional practices in shaping woody vegetation and canopy cover in the past. In a traditionally managed landscape of the Banat region, western Romania, where long-established activities, such as human-induced burning, coppicing and grazing of woody vegetation are still being practised, we studied woody vegetation structure and canopy openness in 70 plots. Using a set of structural traits, we classified woody vegetation into four groups: active coppices, scrubs, abandoned coppices and high forests. Surprisingly, the lowest canopy openness was found in active coppices, probably due to high canopy recovery rate and selection coppice system. Scrubs, in which grazing and browsing were the most common activities in the past, were the most open type of woody vegetation. Our results emphasize the role of other traditional management practices in addition to coppicing in keeping canopy openness relatively high and spatially heterogeneous.