Chestnut Management Practice as Tool for Natural and Cultural Landscaping

Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is one of the most economically multipurpose species of the Mediterranean region, important not only for the production of fruit and timber, but also for its contribution to landscape and environment and its socio-economic and cultural value as eco-cultural niche. For these reasons, chestnut management is today discussed since certain practices could affect soil properties and also be associated with losses of biological and cultural diversity, included provision of socio-cultural and environmental services. The objective of this work is to evaluate management options in chestnut coppices and of how much they could represent a choice from both plant ecophysiology and cultural point of views. Soil and plant ecophysiology measurements were performed in Tuscan Apennine areas before and after two cutting methods. Data showed that pollarded tree physiology was similar to pruning tree one's when it was wet but it was statistically different in the summer seasons affecting also soil water retention characteristics. These results demonstrated the importance of these measures in describing and indicating tree functional status. Moreover, the silvicultural practices modified not only the ecosystem attributes and the canopy cover characteristics but they also transformed the forest perception, an important factor to consider if expecting to engage local people in making a contribution for active landscaping.