Improving identification of coppiced and seeded trees in past woodland management by comparing growth and wood anatomy of living sessile oaks (Quercus petraea)

摘要

Written sources and archaeological evidence suggest that coppicing was a common practice in past woodland management. Depending mainly on the length of rotations, coppices provided wood products of various sizes, and coppice-wood has been identified in fuel-wood remains as well as in timber studies. Assigning the origin of the wood analyzed to coppice is based on observation of "typical growth patterns": an even-age structure and a rapid decrease in ring-width with age are used nowadays. However, the wide variety of coppice practices and the variability observed in living-tree analogs make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions. To contribute to improving coppice-wood identification, the present study analyzed differences in growth and tree-ring anatomy between living sessile oaks from a mixed stand of coppiced and seeded trees.