New report reveals the environmental impacts and biodiversity benefits to coppice with standards woodland management and where more evidence is needed. CSFL article author and lead researcher: Rachel Orchard, CSFL digital media officer and PhD researcher, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh PhD researcher, Rachel Orchard, carried out a CSFL research project commissioned by and in collaboration with Dr Peter Phillips of Crìoch Woodland Services to understand the environmental impacts of coppice with standards woodland management. Carrying out the research part-time from January to March 2026, Rachel gathered data through a rapid evidence literature review and five follow-up interviews with coppice practitioners. The findings have a practical use by informing the management and monitoring approach of oak woodland sites in the west of Scotland on Montrose Estates. Read on to hear the highlights of this research journey or to head straight to the full report, please follow the link: Environmental impacts of coppice-with- standards silvicultural management Image of the mature oak compartment at Montrose Estates where the CWS conversion pilot will take place. Photo by Peter Phillips. Traditional approach as a new idea When exploring the possibilities of how to manage the oak compartments on Montrose estate to enhance biodiversity, carbon stocks and production in a way that makes financial sense, Peter was inspired by the extensive practice of sweet chestnut coppice with oak standards in the Limousin region of France. This sparked two questions: Why was this form of silviculture not more common in Scotland? Would it make sense to bring this form of management into an existing stand of oak? Approaching CSFL with an applied research idea, Peter wanted to understand if the academic literature on the environmental impacts of coppice with standards supported the idea of returning to a traditional form of management by converting the oak stands to coppice with standards. Coppice with standards is a traditional woodland management system that produces both underwood (coppice) and timber (standards) by allowing a limited number of standard trees to grow to maturity (e.g. 100+ years) above a lower layer of coppice, which is cut regularly at short intervals (e.g. 10 years) and allowed to regrow. Anecdotally, it is understood that woodland biodiversity may be improved with this type of management due to the range of habitat niches it provides. To establish whether scientific evidence and practitioners’ observations support this argument, the following research questions were investigated: What are the environmental benefits of coppice with standards management (e.g. biodiversity, carbon, water, soils)? How do these vary (if at all) to conventional coppice management and other forms of silviculture? Are there any particular management interventions that could optimise these benefits (e.g. species choice, stocking density of standards vs coppice trees) Re-connecting with coppice Rachel agreed to carry out the research because of her personal interest and prior experience of coppicing in England: Volunteering with copice management first sparked my interest in woodland management due to the mix of social tradition and ecological enjoyment of working outdoors. Through this research project it was great to re-connect with coppicing through research that actively informs woodland management After an in-person meeting at Montrose Estate with Peter to see the 2.5ha compartment of oak where the conversion to coppice with standards pilot is planned and get a sense for the project expectations, the research was desk-based. Reviewing 30 academic papers provided interesting findings on different components of the environment, with more focus on biodiversity of plants, bugs and butterflies than on silviculture, soils or carbon. As there was a lack of research focussing on the UK and none set in Scotland, five follow-up interviews gathered the observations of those with practical experience in owning or managing areas of coppice with standards in England and Scotland. Reforesting Scotland’s community hub provided a welcoming space for accessing the coppicing network north of the border to recruit interested participants and learn from the current case studies. Inputs and impacts: what to expect from coppice with standards The results of the literature review on environmental impacts were condensed into a ‘theory of change’ graphic to set out the inputs and activities required to transform an oak stand into coppice with standards. This was presented to interview participants for feedback and ground-truthing based on their personal experience. Their invaluable insights supported the academic findings that more biodiversity could be expected, particularly with the range of plant communities in the understory being more varied if kept under active management. The social and economic considerations of coppice management came through strongly in the interviews, highlighting how interwoven social, economic and ecological outcomes are in traditional management of woodlands. For example, the perspectives on whether the relative absence of coppice management in Scotland compared to England is linked to the local economy not demanding coppice products in the past. Final theory of change to synthesis literature review findings for informing the oak stand compartment at Montrose Estates where the CWS conversion pilot will take place. The report ends with suggestions for further research that will build on the existing academic knowledge alongside applied suggestions for the Montrose estate woodland from practitioners. Additional reading, reports and resources for those interested in learning more about coppice as a traditional management practice are listed at the end of the reference list. This research also lays the foundation for MSc dissertation projects to develop a monitoring framework as the coppice with standards conversion at Montrose Estate develops over time. Reflecting on the work, Peter shared: This piece of work from Rachel has been fantastic and just what we were after. It gives us a really solid foundation for making management decisions, but more importantly a framework for further research and development for monitoring tools to track and evidence the potential benefits as we move to coppice with standards silviculture Keen to learn more? Read the full report by following the link: Environmental impacts of coppice-with- standards silvicultural management If you’re a land management practitioner with a research idea, please reach out to the CSFL directors or Programme development manager, Dr Iain McNicol to discuss the options for collaborative research. This article was published on Tuesday 21 July 2026
