Coppicing help!?

Question

Coppicing of woodland, as said in the books, improve biodiversity and so on. But won't cutting off the trees to the stools makes it the same as deforestation with nutrients taken out of the ecosystem and gradually decreasing the fertility of the soil and may eventually lead to more drastic results like desertification?

And can biodiversity be improved when you are cutting off the shelter for the organisms in the woodland from time to time?

Answer 1

Nutrients are not taken out of the ecosystem unless you remove the trees. As long as the branches are left, cutting the trees provides cover for small rodents which, in turn, attract snakes. This makes up for the loss of perching and nesting areas for birds. The center of a woodland is not all that biodiverse anyway.

Answer 2

Yes, removing the trees does have an impact on the biodiversity.  The question is, Is this a good change?