Coppicing increases bat activity in temperate broadleaved woodland, with guild-specific responses

Bates, R., Hooker, J., Montauban, C. and Cherrill, A. (2026) Coppicing increases bat activity in temperate broadleaved woodland, with guild-specific responses. Forest Ecology and Management, 623. ISSN 03781127

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Abstract

Woodland management alters habitat structure, with important consequences for wildlife communities. Coppicing is a traditional woodland management practice increasingly implemented with the aim of enhancing biodiversity, yet its effects on many taxa, including bats (order Chiroptera), remain poorly understood. We used a replicated before–after control–impact (BACI) design to assess the short-term effects of coppicing on bat activity in temperate broadleaved woodland in England. Passive acoustic surveys were conducted across 15 woodlands, comparing the number of recorded bat passes before (2021) and after (2022) coppicing in both treatment and control coupes to represent bat activity. Coppicing increased overall bat activity, but responses differed among echolocation guilds, which group species according to call characteristics and their ability to navigate habitats of differing structural complexity. Short-range echolocators, those associated with cluttered woodland, showed an increase in activity only in sites with an existing history of coppice management, whereas mid-range echolocators, those associated with edge habitats, increased activity regardless of prior management history. In contrast, long-range echolocators, those associated with open habitats, showed no detectable response to coppicing. These results demonstrate that coppicing influences bat activity, but responses depend on echolocation guild and prior woodland management. Coppicing therefore does not produce uniform responses across bat communities, highlighting the importance of considering management history when using coppicing as a tool to increase biodiversity. Further work is needed to assess longer-term and species-specific responses to coppicing, particularly for woodland specialists such as Barbastella barbastellus.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Coppice, Acoustic monitoring, Echolocation guilds, Biodiversity, Chiroptera, Bat conservation
Divisions:	Research Centres > Centre for Crop and Environmental Science > Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Group
Depositing User:	Mrs Rachael Giles
Date Deposited:	09 Nov 2026 15:04
Last Modified:	09 Nov 2026 15:04
URI:	https://hau.repository.guildhe.ac.uk/id/eprint/18441

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