摘要：Coppice management of forests in Tuscany, and particularly in the province of Florence, has had a chequered history, which has set the stage for the present problems of forestry policy. The period between 1955 and 1975 saw a marked reduction in use of firewood in the home and its virtual elimination from the industrial context, leading to progressive abandonment of coppice management. This resulted in disruption of the silvicultural practices and forest management techniques that had previously ensured efficient production forests (albeit with some limitations) that were also environmentally sustainable. Beech coppices in mountainous areas formerly managed by thin-out underwent disorderly aging, while the original coppice layout of turkey oak, italian oak and heliophilous broad-leaved trees characteristic of hilly areas was gradually destroyed. Since 1975, wood-cutting has once again become an increasingly frequent practice, mainly in beech and deciduous oak forests, to the point that this phenomenon has been defined as a veritable revival of coppice management. This change is due partly to a rise in firewood prices but also to the greater yield obtainable from processing activities, although the observed increase is to be attributed not so much to technological progress (only a few enterprises have adequate equipment), as to the mass accumulated during the period of non-harvesting.
