Abstract: The present study was conducted within the frame of the Sino-German project “Rehabilitation of degraded land ecosystems in the mountainous area of the Southern Shaanxi Province, China”. The study deals with the assessment of the potential of oak coppices as well as the evaluation of the socioeconomic conditions in the Shangnan County. The ultimate objective of the study is to provide recommendations on the sustainable management of forest resources, which does not only aim to improve the environmental situation but also to satisfy the demands of the local rural residents. The study was based on 30 samples of oak coppices stands, which were randomly selected within an area of a size of 20 km × 20 km. In each selected stand, the mature stand and understory regeneration were investigated in depth. For the socio-economic survey, 175 households from 11 villages were randomly selected. Results revealed that the stocking capacity of the cork oak coppices reaches 120 m   3/ha in average at the older age classes (≥25 years) even after frequent timber harvest. High potential for productivity was indicated by the availability of sufficient vigorous individuals at different age classes. In addition, the understory regeneration was sufficient in density (19,000±133 individual/ha) and consisted of diverse valuable native species (17 species within a survey area of 400 m   2). The results of the assessment of the oak coppices provided possibilities for some practices that can be recommended towards sustainable management of such stands. On the other hand, results of the socioeconomic study showed a high degree of acceptance among the local inhabitants (79% of the total households) to change traditional land use, providing an enhancement of their economic situation.

Key words: Quercus variabilis, coppice, understory regeneration, southern Shaanxi Province