Afforestation and reforestation, when aligned with site-specific ecological and socioeconomic conditions, can enhance ecosystem functions and services (ESs). In the Mediterranean, European black pine is widely used in such projects. While management strategies to maximize timber yield are well studied, the economic valuation of multiple ESs and their trade-offs remains limited. This study employed a process-based forest growth model, incorporating climate, soil and stand structure, to assess the effects of thinning intensity and frequency on the provision and economic value of ESs, namely carbon sequestration, erosion control and recreational/aesthetic value, in Italian black pine stands. Results show that while intense and frequent thinning boosts growth, optimal economic outcomes were achieved with 25

Forest bathing is gaining attention for its health and well-being benefits, leading to growing interest among academics, policymakers, and practitioners. While most studies have focused on its physiological and psychological effects, less is known about how different stakeholders perceive the characteristics that make forest bathing effective and meaningful. This study explored expert and non-expert perspectives on forest bathing in Italy through the Q-methodology, aiming to identify shared and divergent views on key aspects such as site features, accessibility, and perceived benefits. The results highlighted four distinct viewpoints: a scientific-health-oriented perspective emphasising medical efficacy (mainly experts); a preference for more naturalness and ecological integrity (mainly non-experts); a possible socio-economic opportunity (mainly non-experts); and a preference for a more managed forest environment with supporting structures (mainly experts). Despite differences, consensus emerged on several points, including the cultural and physical relevance of forest bathing and the importance of inclusive accessibility while preserving low-impact environments. The findings highlighted the potential of Q-methodology to capture the plurality of stakeholder voices, offering a basis for more inclusive planning and policy development in the context of nature-based well-being initiatives.

The paper presents a modified version of Path Formulation for an Area Restriction Model (ARM). The operational research tool automatically constructs suitable buffers among forest unit boundaries to optimise harvesting scheduling in case of management constraints (i.e. maximum adjacent harvested area, green-up age, minimum level of net present value - NPV - to be obtained in different periods etc.). The objective function of the Buffered Area Restriction Model (BARM) is the maximisation of NPV. Economic analysis is developed through an opensource Geographic Information System Decision Support, r.green.biomassfor. The model is tested in a hypothetical forest with scenarios from 30 to 150 forest units. Outputs demonstrate improved optimisation with respect to basic formulation of ARM as well as other models presented in literature. Results show that - in the case study - NPV can reach an improvement of almost 25 % (30 % in a Toy scenario) compared to the base ARM formulation. Highly acceptable errors and resolution times are provided by BARM also in the perspectives of both scientific integration and practical applications. Strengths, weaknesses and potential future improvements of the model are presented.

Over the last decade, the scientific community has increasingly focused on forest-based practices for human well-being (FBPW), a term that includes all forest activities (e.g., forest bathing, forest therapy, social outdoor initiatives) important for improving people’s health and emotional status. This paper aims to develop a quantitative literature review on FBPW based on big data analysis (text mining on Scopus title and abstract) and PRISMA evaluation. The two techniques facilitate investigations across different geographic areas (major areas and geographical regions) and allow a focus on various topics. The results of text mining highlight the prominence of publications on FBPW for the improvement of human health in East Asia (e.g., Japan and South Korea). Furthermore, some specific themes developed by the literature for each geographical area emerge: urban green areas, cities, and parks in Africa; sustainable forest management and planning in the Americas; empirical studies on physiological and psychological effects of FBPW in Asia; and forest management and FBPW in Europe. PRISMA indicates a gap in studies focused on the reciprocal influences of forest variables and well-being responses. An investigation of the main physiological indicators applied in the scientific literature for the theme is also developed. The main strengths and weaknesses of the method are discussed, with suggestions for potential future lines of research.

In Italia la superficie dei rimboschimenti ammonta a circa mezzo milione di ettari, la maggior parte dei quali a prevalenza di conifere. Negli ultimi decenni sono emerse problematiche riguardanti la potenziale instabilità di questi soprassuoli, spesso causata da una gestione selvicolturale mancante o insufficiente e discontinua. Questa comunicazione sintetizza i risultati di uno studio sulle modalità di gestione selvicolturale per la valorizzazione dei rimboschimenti di pino nero e pino laricio e delle piantagioni di douglasia in Italia. Utilizzando i dati dell’inventario forestale nazionale e i dati di parcelle sperimentali sono stati simulati con il modello 3D-CMCC-FEM vari regimi di diradamento per determinare il grado di intensità e l’intervallo di ripetizione degli interventi. Questi risultati sono stati utilizzati per stimare la fornitura di alcune utilità ecosistemiche e quantificarne il valore economico. È stato inoltre elaborato un indice per quantificare la densità di coltivazione dei rimboschimenti al fine di ottimizzare la produttività in termini di massa legnosa. Alla luce dei risultati ottenuti, in questa comunicazione sono infine riportate alcune indicazioni operative per la gestione selvicolturale dei rimboschimenti delle specie considerate.

The paper presents a parametric approach to quantify the economic value of hedges in urban green spaces. The model integrates indexes that allow for an aesthetic estimate of green infrastructure. Both field and desk phases are developed to depict and sample hedgerows in a case study in Italy (Cascine Park, Florence). Street view and Google Maps applications are used in the preliminary steps to spatialize hedges. An equation, incorporating nine variables including financial, dendrometric, and correction factors, is developed to appraise economic value. The results highlight the relevance of species, plant height, and the number of hedge rows for the unitary and total value of green infrastructures. Phytosanitary condition, the presence of gaps in linear traits, and the degree of tree canopy coverage also influence the economic performances of hedges. The technique facilitates application for both researchers and practitioners, potentially allowing for damage estimates and calibrated management of urban green in different locations.

This study aims to quantify the economic value of environmental externalities by proposing an approach tailored to areas designated for “civic uses”. These areas fall within the broader category of “collective goods” on which the legislator places particular emphasis, especially in regard to their protection and enhancement. The technique applied in this study is the total economic value (TEV), quantified through a spatialization and modeling of socioeconomic and environmental variables on Geographic Information Systems. The methodology was used for a specific case study area, the forests of Land Association “Bosco dei Bardi” in the Tuscany region of central Italy. This area exhibits the same characteristics and fulfills the same functions as those designated for civic uses. The results demonstrate the importance of providing public decision-makers with appropriate tools to protect and enhance these areas. The results also underscore the economic significance of forest ecosystem services compared to average regional values. The study finally confirms that Land Associations present a promising avenue for revitalizing abandoned territories, consistent with civic use objectives.

In November 2013 and in March 2015 the Vallombrosa Forest was affected by high intensity windstorms, with gusts of over 160 km h-1. Windstorms caused significant damages to the forest stands, involving in particular silver fir woods (Abies alba Mill.), the most widespread forest typology over the entire surface of the forest. These meteorological events led to the removal of several hectares of tree cover, causing inevitable ecological, economic and social consequences; however, they also opened new hidden landscapes and created new habitats potentially useful for species linked to open environments. Within these premises, the study was aimed to estimate the monetary value of the new landscape created by windstorms in some forest units of the Vallombrosa Forest. The method is based on survey implemented by Contingent Valuation technique and willingness to pay (WTP) for the maintenance of the opening created in the forest. The majority of interviewed resulted willing to pay for the new landscape and mainly with amounts between 1 and 150 euros year-1. Assuming different potential annual users and capitalization rates, the landscape value of the study areas was estimated between 419,902 and 37,314,877 euros. The study (with suggested improvements) can be considered a methodological basis, aiming to support the decision making processes about the planning of the study areas in the perspective of integrated management of forest ecosystem services.

The circular bioeconomy is aimed at achieving sustainable development through high efficiency utilization and resource recycling, and through combining environmental, economic and social objectives. Although the implementation of circular bioeconomy principles is based on a bottom-up approach, the participatory process has often been neglected. To overcome this problem, the present study investigated a case-study with a three-step participatory process. The process aimed to evaluate a forest-wood supply chain with consideration of the circular bioeconomy principles. A set of indicators was identified and assessed by a pool of experts. Then the members of a forest-wood supply chain were consulted to implement the identified actions. Finally, a focus group was organized with key stakeholders to discuss critical issues and strategies for enhancing the forest-wood supply chain locally. The results show that the proposed set of indicators is a useful tool to evaluate the performance of the forest-wood supply chain considering the circular bioeconomy principles. The results of the participatory process and related indicators’ assessment identified the main weaknesses of the forest-wood supply chain. The main strategies to develop the local forest-wood supply chain toward the circular bioeconomy principles were also defined with a participatory approach.

This study focuses on the development, implementation and application of a spatial-based decision support tool-named r.forcircular-aimed at quantifying both the level of the circular bioeconomy and the financial performance in the forest-based sector. The methodology merges a set of indicators based on the 4R framework (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover) of circular economy in a multicriteria approach. Outputs are computed for different scenarios and are calibrated based on variations in the selling price of raw materials and on higher mechanisation of production process phases (felling, processing, extraction and chipping of wood residues). The increase in wood assortment value leads to an improvement in the sustainability of the forest-wood supply chain in circular bioeconomy and financial terms. The application of a higher level of mechanisation seems to have conflicting results compared to those of other scenarios. The r.forcircular model was tested in an Italian case study (in the Municipality Union of Valdarno and Valdisieve in the Tuscany region, Italy) with the aim of understanding its applicability and replicability in other contexts. The results of the test showed that, in the study area, superior outcomes were observed for high forests than for coppices due to the low value of wood products obtainable from coppices.

In this study, we combined virtual reality and electroencephalogram (EEG) methods in a lab setting to evaluate the restorative effects of forests on the mental state. In doing so, we compared forests in different vegetative seasons, varying types of forest stands, and forest densities. Twenty participants were exposed to videos of forests with different tree species compositions and cover densities across two seasons. At the same time, participants were monitored with an EEG device that recorded brain waves associated with the emotional mental state to understand varying levels of restoration associated with the different forest species. The EEG analysis was coupled with a self-rated measure of restoration, collected using the Restoration Outcome Scale and visual indexes of greenness. The results indicated that restorative effects were higher in summer season with high-density cover of forests composed of black pine. It was also found that restoration was affected by the degree of greenness, as suggested by its correlation with brain waves. These results, integrated with future suggestions for improvement, can be useful for forest management and territorial marketing to design dedicated forested areas for the purposes of restoration and the enhancement of mood state.

Human civilization depends on energy sources, mainly fossil fuels. An increase in the prices of fossil fuels and their exhaustibility limit economic growth. Carbon dioxide emission causes global environmental problems. Global crises (including COVID-19) have sharpened food and energy supply problems. The decentralized energy supply systems as well as the expedition of the application of renewable energy may solve these challenges. The economic shift to renewable power generation intensifies the competition between food crop production and green energy for land. This paper applied an open-source spatial-based model to quantify the solar power generation (the ground-mounted photovoltaic panels) for the southern regions of Poland (the Opole region) and Ukraine (the Mykolaiv region). The model used technical, economic, and legal constraints. This study compared economic indicators of the solar power generation and the crop production projects for rain-fed land. The net present value (NPV) and the profitability index (PI) were used for the economic evaluation. Additionally, the coefficients of variation were determined to assess investment risks. The use of r.green.solar model to find the spatial distribution of the reduction of carbon dioxide emission was the novelty of this study. The analysis revealed that the PV projects have higher NPV, but lower PI compared to the crop production. The PV projects have lower coefficients of variation. This fact testifies that these projects are less risky.

In the last decades, the circular bioeconomy concept has gained research and political interest, in line with the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In this context, the forest-based sector plays a key role ensuring the sustainable and balanced environmental, economic, and social development using bio-based resources. The present study is aimed at implementing the Italian National Sustainable Development Strategy 2017/2030 (NSDS) in the forest-based sector. Specifically, our study aims to define a set of practical, simple, and easy to apply indicators to assess the performance of the forest-wood chain following the principles of circular bioeconomy. Adopting a bottom-up approach the study was structured in three steps: (1) literature review on circular bioeconomy related to forest-based science by applying social network analysis to bibliometric science; (2) identification of a set of indicators suitable to assess the forest-based sector; (3) decision makers' involvement at regional level (Tuscany, Central Italy) through a questionnaire survey and evaluation of the indicators' suitability to assess the performance of the forest-wood chain. The results of literature review show some clusters in the circular bioeconomy literature related to key topics such as climate change mitigation, environmental impacts, biotechnology, and sustainability. Through the literature review, a set of 14 indicators was developed and classified considering the three pillars of sustainability (environmental, economic, and social) and the 4R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover) of circular economy. 30 decision makers evaluated and prioritized the indicators evidencing the most important to assess circular bioeconomy. Our study of the monitoring of the performance of the forest-based sector provide insights for researchers, managers, and policy makers to network together for advancing the sustainability transition to a circular bioeconomy in accordance with the principles of a low-carbon society.

This paper presents a spatial-based decision support system (DSS) to assist public and private forest managers in the analysis of potential feasibility in payments for forest ecosystem services (PES) for the prevention of soil erosion.The model quantifies the maximum willingness to pay (WTP) of managers of a reservoir to prevent soil loss.The minimum willingness to accept (WTA) of forest owners for the activation of a private market is also computed.The comparison of WTP and WTA identifies the forest area where PES are ideally feasible with additional potential for compensation to enable the schemes.The DSS highlights forest idiosyncrasies as well as local socio-economic and geomorphological characteristics influencing PES suitability at a geographic level.The potential applications and future improvements of the model are also discussed.

This study presents a decision support system for the financial analysis of an acorn chain used in food production. The application of these fruits, in fact, shows potential in human nutrition and valorization of rural and marginal areas. A multi-step production process is hypothesised with a different potential organizational structure of each phase and products to be sold. The net present value, pay-back period, safety margins, and internal rate of return are computed for the implemented scenario. The research was grounded on Italian-based data but can be easily transferred to other case studies. The results highlight potential economic suitability of the chain, although subject to a minimal value of prices and productivity. Future improvements and further integration of this study, such as the analysis of fluctuation’s risk of annual production or the need to investigate sensorial properties of acorns, are suggested and discussed.

Worldwide, tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) is a potential threat to wood production, but our understanding of O 3 economic impacts on forests is still limited. To overcome this issue, we developed an approach for integrating O 3 risk modelling and economic estimates, by using the Italian forests as a case study. Results suggested a significant impact of O 3 expressed in terms of stomatal flux with an hourly threshold of uptake (Y = 1 nmol O 3 m −2 leaf area s −1 to represent the detoxification capacity of trees), i.e. POD1. In 2005, the annual POD1 averaged over Italy was 20.4 mmol m −2 and the consequent potential damage ranged from 790.90 M€ to 2.85 B€ of capital value (i.e. 255–869 € ha −1 , on average) depending on the interest rate. The annual damage ranged from 31.6 to 57.1 M€ (i.e. 10–17 € ha −1 per year, on average). There was also a 1.1% reduction in the profitable forest areas, i.e. with a positive Forest Expectation Value (FEV), with significant declines of the annual national wood production of firewood (− 7.5%), timber pole (− 7.4%), roundwood (− 5.0%) and paper mill (− 4.8%). Results were significantly different in the different Italian regions. We recommend our combined approach for further studies under different economic and phytoclimatic conditions.

The growing interest in the positive effects of the forest on the individual and social sphere and in the cultural and social development of local realities has motivated this survey to investigate the preferences of recreational activities carried out in the forest. The study was aimed to understand the effect of the forest on the psychological conditions of its users, and to evaluate the value attributed to the ecosystem services of the forest by the users themselves. The survey focused on the perception of the forest of the students of the degree courses in Forestry and Environmental Sciences of the University of Florence. The survey population was constituted by 283 students, 219 enrolled in the three-year degree course and 64 in the master’s course; 36% of the population, 102 students, answered a questionnaire specially created for this study. The main frequentation of the forest for free leisure activities has defined psychological well-being through the sensation of “serenity”, as the one most perceived, and sensations of “energy”, “euphoria”, “quiet”, “relief” and “lucidity”. A high value was attributed to the ecosystem services of the forest, such as “local climate regulation” and “air quality regulation”, by demonstrating the weight of the background of university studies. The survey is proposed as a pilot study for the analysis of psychological well-being and the recreational services of the forest useful to numerous professionals connected to it.

This article presents a quantitative review of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) at the regional scale in Europe. A text mining approach was applied to titles, abstracts, and keywords extracted from articles in the Scopus database. Different investigations, such as concept mapping and specificity analyses of textual corpus, were performed. Our search yielded a massive number of NWFP-related papers. Specifically, research was distributed in different countries, being more prevalent in the Mediterranean and Scandinavian contexts. Several NWFPs were analyzed, with mushrooms, resin, cork, and other forest fruit being the most common ones. Local socioeconomic improvement was one of the major aspects investigated in scientific literature. The proposed methodology applies specific scripts that can be updated, and the output of the present research can be compared with that of the future works. For instance, interest trends of products and methods can be investigated, and gap analyses performed. Finally, the potential implications of this review for researchers and stakeholders are discussed.

A solution to cope with chaotic urban settlements and frenetic everyday life is refuging in nature as a way to reduce stress. In general—in recent years—it has been scientifically demonstrated how natural areas are an important environment for psycho-physiological health. As a consequence, it is important to plan dedicated spaces for stress recovery in order to increase the well-being of people. With respect to forests, there is a growing interest in understanding the marketing and tourist potential of forest-therapy activities and policies. This paper develops a decision support system (DSS) for decision makers, based on geographic information system to define the suitability of forest areas to improve psychological and physiological human well-being. Innovative technologies such as electroencephalography (EEG) and virtual reality (VR) are applied to test human status. The DSS combines four sets of indicators in a multi-attribute decision analysis and identifies the areas with the largest stress-recovery potential. Two multi-attribute model—one in summer and one in winter—are elaborated to obtain a dynamic evaluation of suitability. Results show significant differences among forest type, forest management, altitude range, and season in terms of stand suitability. EEG and VR seem to be promising technologies in this research area. Strengths and weaknesses of the approach, as well as potential future improvement and implications for territorial marketing, are suggested.

In this paper the scientific literature on the association between forests, stress relief and relaxation is reviewed with the purpose to understand common patterns of research, the main techniques used for analysis, findings relevant to forest-therapy-oriented management, and knowledge gaps. The database of studies was collected with a keyword search on the Web, which returned a set of 32 studies that were included in the analysis. The main findings and patterns were identified with a text mining analysis of the abstract to search for keyword patterns across studies. The analysis indicates that most studies compared rest and relaxation performances across urban and forest environments and used a combination of self-reported measure of stress or rest collected with validate scales, e.g., the Profile of Mood of States (POMS) and the Restoration Outcome Scale (ROS), and a minority-only set of these two groups of indicators. Results of this review indicate that primary studies identified a positive association between forest exposure and mental well-being, in particular when compared to urban environments, thus suggesting that forest are effective in lowering stress levels. This study found that, to date, the characteristics of forests and characteristics of the visit are little investigated in the literature. For this reason, more research with a focus on forest variables such as tree species composition, tree density and other variables affecting forest landscape should be further investigated to inform forest management. Similarly, the characteristics of the visits (e.g., length of visit and frequency) should be further explored to provide robust forest therapy guidelines.