Structure and growth of a small group selection forest of Calabrian Pine in southern Italy: an hypothesis for continuous cover forestry based on traditional silviculture

The paper describes the recruitment pattern, structure and yield of Calabrian pine (Pinus nigra Arn. ssp. laricio Poiret var. Calabrica Delamare) stands on the Sila Plateau (Calabrian Region, Italy) that have been managed for over a century with a particular form of selection cutting. Management of these pine stands follows an unwritten plan which is based on a selection cut that is repeated approximately every 20 years on the same section of the forest. This type of management has preserved the typical forest landscape by maintaining a continuous forest cover. Age, dbh, height, diameter increment and spatial distribution of the trees were measured in a stand where the owner had marked trees for cutting according to traditional criteria. Results show that stand structure consists of very small clusters (60–100 m2) of trees in four distinct age classes which are the result of the natural regeneration occurring in the gaps opened by the periodic removal of the biggest trees in the stand. The volume of harvested trees is slightly less than the volume increment for the average cutting cycle. The authors conclude that the description of truly traditional silvicultural systems, which have developed in different environments and with different techniques and often in contrast with established silvicultural methods, can make an important contribution to the search for ecologically, economically and socially sustainable ways of managing forests.