A coppice-with-standards method maintains seed-origin trees at wide spacings for long periods interspersed with coppice crops managed on short rotations. The standards serve as parents for seedlings to renew the coppice growth as sprouting vigor declines, and to produce large-diameter sawtimber. Foresters can use coppice-with-standards systems to grow mixed-species communities, and maintain species that do not reproduce vegetatively. Most landowners use a coppice-with-standards system where markets take both small- and large-diameter products. This system may also enhance recreational uses, maintain a more favorable habitat for some wild creatures, or have some other special value to a landowner. Foresters may also use a system called "compound coppice," in which some old standards are harvested and the remainder are left to grow for additional rotations (Nyland 1996).

See: Advantages and Disadvantages of Coppice-with-Standards

A coppice-with-standards system offers some distinct advantages over simple coppice systems (Nyland 1996):

1. It yields materials of several different sizes, with some large-diameter trees of high value.
2. It provides regular returns from each stand at short intervals.
3. It retains only a relatively low residual value per unit of area, benefitting landowners who require high compound rates of return and who also wish to grow large and high-value trees.
4. The standards grow rapidly, and increase in volume and value at above-average rates.
5. The standards eventually produce viable seeds, allowing landowners to establish a seed-origin stand, or to maintain both vegetative and seed-origin growing stock.
6. The continuous partial cover of tall trees and dense understory of coppice growth protect the soil better than simple coppice systems.
7. The dense coppice between the standards prevents site occupancy by undesirable trees and other woody growth.
8. The standards enhance the appearance of a stand, both immediately after a felling and during the interim between successive entries.
9. Landowners can maintain a more diverse array of species and age classes, and provide habitat for a broader community of wildlife.

A coppice-with-standards also system has some important limitations (Nyland 1996):

1. Its complexity makes the system difficult to apply. It is particularly difficult to maintain an appropriate balance of growing space between the coppice growth and the standards.
2. The dense growth of coppice often obscures crowns of the taller trees, making reserve tree selection difficult during marking.
3. Foresters must develop regular markets for large volumes of small-diameter pieces from the coppice growth, as well as for saw logs.
4. Exposure increases the likelihood of epicormic branching and sunscald on the standards, potentially degrading their main trunks.
5. Shading by the standards may suppress coppice growth beneath reducing its development and yield, particularly in stands with multiple age classes.
6. With compound coppice systems, shading may inhibit most shade-intolerant species in the coppice growth.
7. The large machines and high-production logging systems that offer the greatest cost effectiveness for harvesting fiber crops may injure the standards.
8. Standards freed by heavy cutting may suffer wind and snow damage on exposed sites, and blowdown in areas with shallow soils.
9. When harvested, the standards may not sprout, necessitating replacement by planting or regeneration from seed.
10. Young trees intended as future standards require early release (cleaning) to ensure adequate rates of development.
11. Landowners may need to prune the lower boles of the standards to produce high-quality saw logs.
12. Standards often develop poor form and heavy branching, making them more susceptible to ice and snow loading, breakage, and blowdown.