Environmental assessment of two different logging methods in coppice

Wood is a renewable resource and it actively contributes to enhance energy production under a sustainable perspective. There are different ways for managing forests dedicated to wood production and the sustainable approach is fundamental in order to preserve the resource. In this context, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an useful tool for estimating the environmental impacts related to renewable resources. Traditional coppice is a common approach for forest management in several areas, including southern Europe and, specifically, in Italy, Spain and the Balkans. Different types of forest operations are considered for wood extraction from coppices, where the main product is firewood used in domestic heating. The aim of this work was to compare the two main common systems for firewood production (Short Wood System and Whole Tree Harvesting), in a representative environment in central Italy, by means of LCA. Seven different impact categories were evaluated in a cradle-to-gate perspective taking into account all the operations carried out from the trees felling to the firewood storage at factory. Results showed that the extraction phase was the most important in terms of environmental burdens in firewood production and the use of heavy and highpower machines negatively influenced the emissions compared with manual operations. Finally, considering the general low-inputs involved in wood production in coppice, the transport of workers by car to the work site resulted on consistent contributions into environmental burdens. An additional analysis on soil emissions attributable to the extraction phase were made regarding Climate Change impact category, using bibliographic information. Results showed an increment of 3% and 10% of CO2eq for Whole Tree Harvesting and Short Wood System respectively.