FutureForCoppiceS will use “consolidated“ or “traditional” as well as “new” SFM indicators to evaluate the sustainability of different management approaches for coppice forests.

The use of “traditional” indicators is justified by the need of (a) obtaining data comparable with national/international statistics; (b) demonstrating that SFM criteria and indicators can be a convenient frame also at local level (thus promoting their application and transferability).

The use of “new” indicators is justified by the need to corroborate generic information (e.g. diversity of tree species composition) with more specific/robust information (e.g. diversity of herbaceous forest species, lichens, mushrooms, fungi, forest birds), and by the scale of the project (data will be generated at the site-plot level).
Traditional SFM indicators are customary reported by national statistics, but their application at the level of individual forest districts is much less frequent. In this line, their responsiveness in relation to different management approaches, their applicability and transferability, and their performance against more specific, functionally oriented indicators can better be evaluated at the local level.