Potenzialità del telerilevamento laser scanner aereo per la classificazione delle coperture forestali in funzione della forma di governo

In questo studio è stata valutata la potenzialità del telerilevamento laser scanner aereo (ALS) per classificare le forme di governo forestale in un bosco misto di latifoglie. La metodologia applicata prevede l’utilizzo del modello digitale delle chiome (CHM) ottenuto da dati ALS e l’impiego di procedure automatizzate per la segmentazione object-oriented delle immagini telerilevate. La classificazione delle forme di governo si basa sulle metriche estratte dal CHM. I risultati ottenuti indicano che la media delle altezze e il coefficiente di variazione delle altezze estratti dal CHM sono utili per distinguere i boschi governati a ceduo da quelli governati a fustaiaIn this study aerial laser scanning (ALS) data has been tested to classify coppice stands and high forest stands in a mixed broadleaved forest. The method is based on a canopy height model (CHM) obtained from ALS data. Forest stands have been delineated using a object-oriented approach. The polygons have been classified into coppices and high forests based on the metrics derived from CHM. Our results indicate that the mean of the heights and the coefficient of variation of the heights extracted from CHM are useful to discriminate coppices from high forests.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.asita.i

Towards a sampling strategy for the assessment of forest condition at European level: combining country estimates

A correct characterization of the status and trend of forest condition is essential to support reporting processes at national and international level. An international forest condition monitoring has been implemented in Europe since 1987 under the auspices of the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests). The monitoring is based on harmonized methodologies, with individual countries being responsible for its implementation. Due to inconsis- tencies and problems in sampling design, however, the ICP Forests network is not able to produce reliable quantitative estimates of forest condition at European and sometimes at country level. This paper proposes (1) a set of requirements for status and change assessment and (2) a harmonized sampling strategy able to provide unbiased and consistent estimators of forest condition parameters and of their changes at both country and European level. Under the assumption that a common definition of forest holds among European countries, monitoring objectives, parameters of concern and accuracy indexes are stated. On the basis of fixed-area plot sampling performed independently in each country, an unbiased and consistent estimator of forest defoliation indexes is obtained at both country and European level, together with conservative estimators of their sampling variance and power in the detection of changes. The strategy adopts a probabilistic sampling scheme based on fixed-area plots selected by means of systematic or stratified schemes. Operative guidelines for its application are provided.L'articolo è diponibile sul sito dell'editore www.springerlink.co

Classifying silvicultural systems (coppices vs. high forests) in Mediterranean oak forests by Airborne Laser Scanning data

Forest classification by silvicultural systems (coppices vs. high forests) is important for forest resource assessment as such systems relate to a wide variety of ecosystem services. In this paper the potential of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data for Mediterranean oak forests classification of coppices with standards vs. high forests was investigated in three study areas in Italy. We addressed the following issues: can coppices and high forests be distinguished using a raster Canopy Height Model (CHM)? Which are the most efficient CHM-derived metrics? Does the scale of analysis influence the classification potential of CHM metrics? Our results show that CHM in grid format (1-m2 pixel) provides support information to classify silvicultural systems

Livingscape multi-sensory experience in urban historical places: subjective assessment from the local people and quality of the urban environment

The environmental quality of open spaces has more and more become an essential part of urban culture. The multi-sensory nature of livingscape (urban blight, soundscape, light-scape, thermal-scape, subjective user responses) assessments is acknowledged by a case study whereby the response to the sound is also based upon other sensory and behavioral elements, rather than the sound per se. Subjective environmental perceptions and objective measures (addressing acoustical, lighting and thermal parameters) data were collected in St. Salvario, an historical district in Turin, during summer 2010 and winter 2011. From an historical analysis thirteen key-spaces were selected on site which characterize past and present soundscape of the district subdivided in nodes, paths and borders. In this work only a part of the overall study is presented. Thirteen factors were singled out from the factorial analysis on environmental data collected in situ based on 33 measurement parameters. Significant correlation (p-values<0.01) among the thirteen factors and the subjective items related to environmental perception and pleasantness related to day/night-time and summer/winter period were carried out. I plots related to day/night-time and summer/winter period lightize the key-spaces behaviors for the different environmental factors and the pleasantness answers emerging from the questionnaires. Research aim to identify how the two approaches, quantitative and qualitative, and the types of knowledge produced by each, can be effectively used side by side and integrated effectively into policy and practice

Livingscape approach to improve urban historical places

This work presents a study on "urban quality" as an important support to urban planning and management which was carried out through the livingscape approach (urban blight, soundscape, light-scape, thermal-scape, questionnaires) within the historic district „San Salvario‟ in Turin. To account for the multidimensional character of the urban quality in towns, an integrated analysis of three aspects was addressed, involving: 1) psychometric tools to measure the perception of environmental quality; 2) different aspects related to the urban blight (both in architectural and environmental terms); 3) objective investigation of environmental quality through the measurement of acoustic, visual, thermal and IAQ physical parameters. In particular, the paper focuses on the correlations among environmental perception subjective data and urban blight factors. Subjective and objective data were collected in-the-field during summer 2010 and winter 2011 every 30 m along 13 key-spaces of the district. The urban blight‟s survey was filled by some experts, while the environmental perception was delineated through the analysis of 496 questionnaires (240 in summer and 256 in winter), submitted to the users of the area during the measurements. An overview of the procedure and of some results which were found is presented

Air Pollution Removal by Green Infrastructures and Urban Forests in the City of Florence

Abstract We investigated the potential performance of air pollution removal by the green infrastructures and urban forests in the city of Florence, central Italy, with a focus on the two most detrimental pollutants for human health: particulate (PM 10 ) and ozone (O 3 ). The spatial distribution of green infrastructures was mapped using remote sensing data. A spatial modeling approach using vegetation indices, Leaf Area Index, and local pollution concentration data was applied to estimate PM 10 and O 3 removal. The results are discussed to highlight the role and potential of green infrastructures and urban forests in improving air quality in Southern European cities