A petition entitled “Italian forests: an invaluable environmental heritage under attack” was recently published on the web. The petition is a perfect example of how environmental communication and public awareness can be manipulated. And, even more seriously, how people claiming to be environmental experts, use the “environment” label to spread their messages and slogans without accurately checking their sources. It is nevertheless of high importance that people are able to express their opinion and ideas freely and this communication between politics, communities and the academic world contribute to our growth as a society. However, any discussions must be underpinned with accurate and precise information. Furthermore, it is the scientific community’s duty to check sources of information and contribute to the spread of accurate environmental communication.
Forests are important for timber production and provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ES), including water provision and regulation, carbon sequestration, erosion control, and recreational services. However, these services, which are crucial for human well-being, are not sufficiently recognised and rarely included into forest planning. The project LIFE+ Making Good Natura aims to develop innovative governance models for agro-forestry sites of the Natura 2000 network based on ES to achieve new possible mechanisms of (self)financing. This paper provides insights into the biophysical and monetary valuation of nine ES, which were quantified for selected Natura 2000 sites in different regions of Italy. Based on our results, Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) are discussed in relation to forest planning and management suggesting a new concept for the forest planning. Management plans should hence integrate different financial flows, not only wood or timber, but also different ES which provide more interesting income.
The economical-social change, the competitiveness and “modernity” of fossil fuels, their prompt diffusion are the concurrent factors that heavily reduced the use of coppice firewood and charcoal since the fifties of the last century. Therefore, a shift took place in the last 60 years from the homogeneous area made of intensively managed, young stands to the more and more differentiated standing crops, as for structural features, growing stocks and growth dynamics, even though all of them originated from a common matrix. Nowadays, the former coppice area includes stands managed under lengthened rotations, outgrown coppices, the coppice conversion into high forest. The 2005 National Forest Inventory reported that 87% of standing crops was included in the age-classes 20-40 and over 40 years, with variable percentages according to tree species, from beech up to thermophilous oaks. Here, the basis of historical judgment on the coppice system, the reasons underlying the outgrown coppice establishment, the current standards of cultivation under even doubled rotations, are critically analyzed. The current demand to reduce the use of fossil fuels by renewable bio-energy sources and to face up the effects of climate change (unpredictability, rainfall reduction, higher air temperature, prolonged droughts, water stress, fire risk) give a new boost to the coppice system. Main goals today are to: (i) optimize the capacity of firewood production to reduce the heavy deficit at the country level; (ii) make the best use of the regeneration ability inherent to the system against the more sensitive regeneration from seed in the changing environment. The positive growth trend, the maintenance of resprouting ability as well as of vital stools density in the outgrown coppice area, address to a sustainable increase of rotations up to the age of 50 years, as already highlighted by a few regional regulations. It would allow the recovery of a current volume increment of 1-1.5 M m3 to internal firewood production. Unsuitable stand locations or bio-ecological conditions as well as stands already under conversion into high forest are obviously excluded. The approach to coppice system maintenance within the variable territorial context, the possible innovation and the definition of flexible silvicultural models are then outlined. The useful updating and harmonization of forest regulations are finally recalled.
Raw data from the Italian National Forest Inventory are on-line and publicly available. The National Forest Service in cooperation with the Forest Monitoring and Management Research Unit of the Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) released the raw data from the National Inventory of Forests and forest Carbon pools - INFC2005 project, the second Italian national forest inventory. Data are available together with metadata information at http://www.inventarioforestale.org/. Users, after registration, can download data from 230.874 living tree stems, 16.472 dead tree stems, 31.083 stumps, from a total of 7.272 field plots (for 1.384 of them additional data on fine woody debris and soil carbon pools are also available).
This is a reply to the paper “Actual or virtual habitats? Commentary to «Manual for monitoring species and habitats of EC interest (Directive 92/43/CEE) in Italy: habitats»”. We used some additional information to clarify keypoints raised in the paper.
The encyclical letter Laudato si’ of the Holy Father Francis on care for our common home, our planet, is considered. The approach to complex socioecological systems is stressed. In this same perspective, the tenth congress of the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, to be held in Firenze (Italy) next September 15th to 18th, aims to highlight the role of forests and forestry in supporting the life on the planet. Forestry can be one of the most dynamic sectors of the “green economy”. The ethical norm of respect for the intrinsic value of the ecosystem is just brought about by concern, closeness and familiarity between man and forest and, on the contrary, it may be hampered by aprioristic resource immobilization.
Abstract: Long-term monitoring of the Italian forests. The long-term monitoring is an essential tool for the study of the state of health of European forest ecosystems over time, especially in relation to the adaptation strategies adopted in response to changes in climate. In 2008, at the European level, there was a need to review the various existing monitoring networks in the various States in order to plan an integration and a more rational use of the information from each detected. The Project for the integration of monitoring networks was carried out using the instrument of the European LIFE+ funding. The fundamental objective of the project was the renovation and expansion of the main European Networks Monitoring of Forests, improving its representativeness, effectiveness and harmonization between them. In addition, in the period 2009/2010 was carried out the extensive and intensive monitoring of forest ecosystems in Europe. The project, approved and co-financed by the European Commission, has been coordinated at the international level by Johann Heinrich von Thunen-Institute, Germany, and saw the participation of 24 EU member states and 38 partners.
Futmon-mobile: a mobile-GIS and web-database platform to assist phyto-patological survey of the Futmon project. The ICP-Forest ConEcoFor project has involved for more than a decade several Italian Forest Service teams in the phyto-patological monitoring of forests. The high number of survey plots, the multitude of data to be acquired and the yearly repetition of the ConEcoFor survey brought to the decision to manage the complete monitoring data-flow thorough a computer-based information system. The aim of this sub-task of the FutMon LIFE+07 project has been to optimize the survey management, the data-flow execution and the data control and analysis through the development of specific software applications. This work describes the Futmon-Mobile GIS software developed to assist the field survey of phyto-patological forest data and the Futmon-WebDB web-database developed to acquire the data from the field crews, to aggregate all the plots data and to perform the pre-processing for data submission to the european ICP-Forest database. This paper refers also on the experiences and evaluations about the introduction of the developed software in the survey protocol and some perspectives related to its possible evolution.
Salutiamo con piacere l’uscita del testo di zoologia forestale recentemente edito per i tipi dell’Ateneo Padovano: Battisti A, De Battisti R, Faccoli M, Masutti L, Paolucci P, Stergulc F, 2013. Lineamenti di zoologia forestale. Padova University Press, Padova, pp. 442 . Esso riempie un vuoto editoriale e didattico sulle tematiche affrontate, rendendo disponibile una trattazione organica, rigorosa, e a un prezzo assolutamente contenuto.
Abstract: Antonio Moroni, 89, Emeritus Professor in the University of Parma, died on August 18th. He had a major role in shaping the last 60 years of Italian research in Environmental Science and was very active in establishing the conceptual basis for Environmental Management in Italy. A Catholic priest, he had a natural gift for communicating a positive approach to life.
Le Edizioni Il Maestrale ha pubblicato il libro di Giuseppe Delogu “Dalla parte del fuoco. Ovvero il paradosso di Bambi” che tratta di diversi aspetti del problema partendo dall’ancora e attuale equivoco della differenza tra fuoco e incendio.
Wildfires at the wildland/urban interface (WUI) areas have recently taken on alarming dimensions, and most of the catastrophic wildfires in recent years are of this type (Greece 2003 and 2007, Italy, 2007; Australia, 2009; Spain 2003, 2007, 2012). Contrastingly to forest stands, where fuel has to be managed also taking into consideration stand conservation and improvement purposes, in WUI fuel management has the imperative goal of the protection of property and people. The present paper deals with the implementation of a methodology for assessing fire hazard in a WUI area in Sardinia, and assess the most appropriate prevention silvicultural practices to be applied to mitigate the hazard (i.e., the probability of fire occurrence and the difficulty to extinguish it, based on the current vegetation characteristics). We applied a method aimed at defining a “danger value” for each fuel model found in the study area, and derived the silvicultural practices to be applied for the reduction of fuel and the associated risk. The effects of silvicultural prevention were assessed for each fuel model in the study area in terms of flame length and fire intensity for the pre-, during and post phases.
Abstract: Current state and temporal evolution of the chemical composition of atmospheric depositions in forest areas of the CONECOFOR network. Since 1997, atmospheric deposition was sampled and analyzed in the permanent plots of the Italian network for the evaluation of forest health (CONECOFOR), under the coordination of the Italian Forest Service. This paper presents the results of the activity carried out in 2009, when the EU-funded LIFE+ “FutMon” project allowed to extend the sampling network to 22 sites. Long-term trends will also be evaluated for the sampling sites with the longest time series. The sampling of open field bulk deposition was performed in a clearance close to the CONECOFOR permanent plots, while throughfall deposition and stemflow (in beech stand, only) were sampled in the plot. Deposition samples were collected weekly and sent to the laboratories, where they were analyzed for pH, conductivity, major ions, and total carbon and nitrogen. Most measured variables showed a strong geographical gradient. For example, nitrogen deposition was relatively high in the Po plain (where the emissions of nitrogen oxides and ammonia are the highest) and surrounding hills, reaching 10-20 kgN ha-1 y-1 in the open field and 13-25 kgN ha-1 y-1 in the throughfall. Sulphate deposition also showed a marked geographical gradient. Deposition of marine aerosol also had an important impact on the chemical composition of atmospheric deposition in Italy, together with the episodic deposition of Saharan dust, which showed a marked gradient, with highest values in the southernmost plots. Trend analysis was carried out on 10 sites running since the beginning of the program. A general negative trend in sulphate concentration was detected, paralleled in most plots by a positive trend in deposition pH, in good agreement with the strong reduction in the emission of sulphur dioxide recorded in the last decades. Nitrogen concentration also showed a significant decrease in some plots. The total deposition of nitrogen exceeded critical loads in seven permanent plots.
The conditions of forests in Italy. Results from the extensive surveys of Level I (1997-2010). Monitoring of tree crown defoliation is carried out in Italy since the ’80, and in 1996 a comprehensive program of quality assurance has been implemented. Currently the monitoring network includes about 260 permanent plots and 7000 sample trees. The most representative tree species are: Fagus sylvatica (European beech), Quercus pubescens (downy oak), Quercus cerris (Turkey oak), Quercus ilex (holm oah), Castanea sativa (chestnut), Ostrya carpinifolia (hop hornbeam), Picea abies (spruce), Larix decidua (larch), Pinus nigra (black pine) e Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine). These species represent the 80% of the whole sample, but only European beech is evenly distributed in Italy. The most important trends at national level concern the critical sanitary conditions of Castanea sativa and Quercus pubescens, as well as the high defoliation levels of Pinus sylvestris. The importance of this program in the context of climate change studies is discussed.
Interventions aimed at promoting Quercus ilex spread in the Island of Pianosa (Tuscan Archipelago National Park) have been carried out within LIFE Nature Project “Tuscan Islands: new actions for sea birds and habitats”. In Pinus halepensis stands from afforestation, 810 acorns have been sown in 9 areas under the pine canopy with different presence of Mediterranean scrub. Germination and seedlings survival, five years after sowing, have been very satisfactory only in areas with a dense shrub layer.
Extensive monitoring of Italian forests: integration of the National Forest Inventory with the European Network of Level I. Forest monitoring is important for enhancing our knowledge on such ecosystems and their changes in order to enable actions helpful for their protection. At the European level, several monitoring programmes are carried out at present to pursue a better knowledge of specific characteristics of forests. Among those, national forest inventories are carried out to give a picture of their status (forest area, forest types, timber volume, growth and others), whereas health status of forests has been monitored over twenty years thanks to a specific programme, the ICP Forests. Under LIFE+ programme 2007, the FutMon project funded country-level studies aiming at evaluating the possibility to merge national forest inventory and Level I sample plots in a unique set of plots for forest monitoring and survey protocol. The underlying idea is that a common set of plots would enhance efficiency either in terms of costs or in terms of scientific results. However, an important issue is to preserve the validity of the twenty-years-long existing data series. For this reason in Italy, in 2009 and 2010, an experiment was carried out by measuring a common set of variables both in the Level I plots and in a subset of the inventory plots, in order to evaluate differences and similarities of surveying variables in the two different plot samples. More specifically, the integration between the two programmes would imply a change in the crown-condition sample-trees selection criteria and the shift of the Level I network to the inventory one. On the basis of the results, from 2012 the National Forest Inventory protocol for sample-trees selection has already been adopted on the Level I plots, whereas the feasibility of shifting the Level I plots from the ICP network to the National Forest Inventory one is still under evaluation.
Nella collana “Scienza e innovazione per i sistemi forestali ed ambientali” della Editrice Aracne e stato recentemente pubblicato il volume “La tecnica del fuoco prescritto” a cura di G. Bovio e D. Ascoli dell’Universita di Torino.
Abstract: An up-to-date and comprehensive textbook of general arboriculture recently published in Italy by Sansavini S, Costa G, Gucci R, Inglese P, Ramina A, Xiloyannis C (eds) is presented. It includes contributions from 44 Authors covering all the main subjects related to the modern arboriculture. The book represents a new reference text for students, professionals and technicians interested in tree sciences.
Foliar nutrients in Italian forests: results from the 1995-2009 monitoring network sites CONECOFOR. In 1995, the Italian Forest Service (CFS) established the National Network for Forest Ecosystem Monitoring (CONECOFOR) with the aim to study the ecological interactions among structural and functional components of forest stands. In the 31 permanent plots of the CONECOFOR Network, surveys are carried out including vegetation, trees crown condition, chemistry of leaves and soils, tree growth, atmospheric deposition, climate, microclimate, ozone and biodiversity. These surveys are carried out by CFS in collaboration with several scientific institutions. In such context, IBAF/CNR is specifically involved in the investigation of foliage chemical content. The foliar nutritional status was analyzed in 25 sites, taking as a reference the values published by the ICP-Forests and those published in the literature. The study involved 7 forest species (Quercus cerris, Q. petraea, Q. robur, Q. ilex, Fagus sylvatica, Carpinus betulus and Picea abies) investigating the concentrations of the major macronutrients as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S) and calcium (Ca) and the N/P ratio. In beech, N, S and K were found in quite high concentrations, though without showing imbalances due to concentration excesses. Ca and Mg are present in very high concentrations, highlighting the possibility of imbalances, especially in relation to the other nutrients. For these two nutrients, spruce shows substantially balanced conditions as also for N/P ratio. For deciduous Oaks nutrients arewithin the parameters of normality, with the exception of Ca. This has been observed in 4 out of the 6 studied sites, with potential indication of nutritional imbalances related to Calcium. Nutrient concentrations in Holm oak are within the average of published data, except for Ca and Mg of site TOS-1, the former being slightly low, the latter being unusually high, in relation to the peculiar soil Mg content of the above site. Considering the coefficient of variation (CV), the variability of the different elements, taking in account all species, presents the following ranking: K ≈ P > Ca> Mg ≈ N / P > S> N. On those sites presenting the longer time-series (12 out of the 25 studied sites), a more detailed analysis has been performed in order to verify the existence of trends along the monitoring period for each nutrient. Calcium, Mg and N/P show a steady decrease during the considered time span. Such trend is less marked for Ca than for Mg and N/P. Phosphorus and K show an increasing trend while no common trends have been highlighted for N and S. Overall, the study provides relevant data on status and dynamics of nutrients in Italian forest ecosystems.
The present paper proposes the closing lecture of the IX SISEF Congress, held at the Free University of Bolzano (Italy) on 16-19 September 2013.
