Old holm oak coppices . . . new sylvopastoral practices

Abstract

In the south of France, holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) woodlands, particularly coppices, are currently used by livestock farmers. For this vegetation, a grazing allowance is available, based on the relationship between various layers. As far as livestock is concerned, such woodlands can be utilized for many purposes, e.g. stock feeding during critical periods and to provide flexibility to the pasture grazing sequence. Furthermore, the related grazing intake patterns determine the level of holm oak utilization. Practices integrating both wood and livestock production provide a new perspective to the management of these woodlands in that the presence of livestock promotes specific operations which can lead to more diversified forestry. The renewal of both wood and pastoral resources depends on: (i) the initial level of integration of these two activities and (ii) subsequent technical operations. In the present paper a midterm management scenario is developed which describes the likely development of woodlands with multiple use and periodic thinning.

Growth of local food systems: a review of potential food safety implications.

“…Specific management of the plant animal interaction at field level is more than simple technical adjustments and also implies changes of the whole LFS [94]. At the field level, a variety of management practices is required to handle resource diversity and cope with pervasive uncertainty [95]. Conversely, species diversity in grasslands has significant insurance values for risk-averse decision makers [96].…”