Abstract Between 1937 and 1983 a total of 391 400 ha of woodland, representing 51% of the 768 900 ha in the Zambia Copperbelt, had been deforested for industrial and household woodfuel. This has occurred in spite of a forest reservation programme that increased the area in forest reserves from 31 707 ha in 1942 to 252 715 ha in 1965. Between 1965 and 1980 the reserved forests were reduced to 246 930 ha and since then the area has remained static. The rapidly growing demand for charcoal by the increasing urban population, and the growing problem of acid dust and rain pollution from copper smelters, pose serious threats to forest conservation in this industrial region of Zambia. Current forest conservation is restricted to the establishment of exotic forest plantations and recently deforested areas are left to regenerate naturally. Forest destruction and conservation in the Copperbelt area were studied and the structure of old-growth and coppice woodland stands at 9 and 14 sites, respectively, investigated during 1982–1984. The Copperbelt vegetation is dominated by Brachystegia-Julbernardia woodland. Mean species diversity of 24·40·1 ha −1 in coppice stands was higher than that of 18·9 found in old-growth stands. Stem density in coppice was 3·3 times that observed in old-growth woodlands. The majority of species (over 50%) in both old-growth and coppice were represented by less than 11 stems per sampling plot. Mean basal area at breast height in coppice aged 19–23 years was 14·33 m 2 , which was 95% of the mean basal area of 15·15 m 2 found in old-growth woodlands.