To study the sprouting ability of chestnut stands a 60 year old coppice stand in southern Switzerland was coppiced by removing all live and dead shoots. Two years and four years after coppicing surveys of the newly produced shoots was carried out in order to analyse growth and mortality of the young stand and to verify the factors influencing the sprouting ability. The mortality of stools was only 4%; the number of produced shoots was, with 48 shoots per stool, high and the growth of the shoots was remarkable. Stand structure, stool density and the dimensions of the old stools neither reduced sprouting ability nor influenced the diameter and height growth, but the stump cut quality has a positive effect. Finally, height measurement of the dominant shoot on a stool provides a good indicator for the evaluation of the vigour of the regeneration in a chestnut coppice.