Short Rotation Coppice on Farmland: A Transitional Ecosystem Between Forests and Agroecosystems

Abstract

Researchers increasingly encounter the term ecosystem when discussing short rotation coppice (SRC) on agricultural land. It is used even though the basic literature has never precisely defined this ecosystem and determined its classification as a forest or agroecosystem. The study was based on official catalogues of biotopes and plant communities in Central and Eastern Europe (Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary), as well as on our 15-year research in Slovakia. We evaluated (i) the structure and functions of forests, agroecosystems, and SRCs, and (ii) their ecosystem services (ES) and ecosystem disservices (EDS). Individual characteristics and processes were assessed and compared using principal component analysis. It was found that 50% of the evaluated structural and functional properties of SRCs are similar to forests and 40% to agroecosystems (10% are significantly transitional). In the case of ES and EDS, the similarity of SRC was 10% to forests and 20% to agroecosystems, with a strongly transitional state found in 70% of cases. SRC has a tree layer (canopy) with the characteristics of forest stands, and the herb layer is mainly formed by species from agroecosystems, whose development is, however, limited and they grow near their pessimum (lower light intensity, etc.). SRC can be considered a new, transitional type of ecosystem that cannot be clearly assigned to existing categories. This finding is relevant not only for ecology but also for economics and has practical implications for ecosystem classification, land-use legislation, and conflict resolution between farmers and foresters.