Low cost poplar inventory in the plain of Piemonte (Italy)

The forest inventory is an important tool to know the current and to estimate the future wood availability for industry. Generally it request high economic and time costs if based on direct sampling on the areas or on classification of aerial photo or satellite images.  The paper shows a methodology based on open source software (QGIS®) and images free available on the web (trough ‘Google EarthTM’ software) to carry out a forest inventory particularly regarding poplar stands surface. This cultivation in Italy is characterized by short rotation, about ten years, and the wood is a row material very important for the industry, particularly for plywood. The results of an experimental survey located in the plain of Piemonte Region (north-west Italy) are presented in order to evaluate the timing of completion and the efficiency of the methodology. Data of land cover, divided by poplars, other forest plantations, and natural forests are showed and compared with old inventories, carried out with traditional methods. The evidence of reduction of costs in term of man involved, time, and materials is counterbalanced by some problems due to different age of the web images; however, this alternative methodology, applied by an experienced operator can ensure a good level of precision for the purposes required, with very low costs

Sistemi silvoarabili mediterranei: nuove esperienze in campo al Centro di Ricerche Agro-ambientali“Enrico Avanzi” di Pisa

L’agroselvicoltura, ovvero la deliberata associazione di colture arboree, erbacee e/o animali nel medesimo appez- zamento, è stata proposta come “nuovo sistema colturale” in grado di coniugare l’aumento di produtività dell’agricoltura in un’otica di maggiore eco-suficienza. Tra i diversi modelli colturali ascrivibili ai sistemi agro- silvopastorali o agrosilvicoli, i sistemi silvoarabili, che prevedono la coltivazione di colture erbacee di pieno cam- po in consociazione con colture arboree, garantiscono una serie di benefici direti: (i) la diversificazione delle col - ture, (ii) la riduzione del rischio di erosione del suolo dall’acqua e dal vento, (iii) l’aumento della percentuale di sostanza organica nel suolo, e (iv) la riduzione del rischio di lisciviazione dei nitrati. D’altro canto, la consociazio - ne di colture erbacee e alberi fuori-foresta determina la riduzione della superficie arabile complessiva e la compe- tizione per le risorse (nutrienti, luce ed acqua) tra alberi e strato erbaceo. Al fine di approfondire le conoscenze su questi particolari sistemi colturali, presso il Centro di Ricerche Agro-ambientali “Enrico Avanzi” dell’Universi - tà di Pisa sono in corso di implementazione due sperimentazioni di pineo campo. La prima prova è un sistema agro-silvo-pastorale che prevede la coltivazione di specie erbacee da granella (cereali autunno-vernini e legumi- nose) e prati-pascolo in rotazione, nel tempo e nello spazio, in consociazione con filari policiclici di pioppi ( Popu- lus spp.) e farnie (Qercus robur L.). I sistemi verranno implementati con due diverse densità di impianto: i) 60 piante per etaro, in cui i filari verranno posti in prossimità dell’afossatura di ogni appezzamento, e ii) 100 piante per etaro, in cui i filari di soli pioppi verranno ripetuti anche lungo la bisetrice del campo. La prova prevede il confronto dei servizi ecosistemici generati dai due sistemi silvoarabili con: i) un sistema arabile privo di alberatu- re, e ii) un sistema di arboricoltura ad alta densità. Nella seconda prova un campo parcellare silvoarabile, compo - sto da: erba mazzolina (Dactylis glomerata L.), erba medica (Medicago sativa L.), panico (Panicum virgatum L.) e sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) in consociazione con filari di pioppo a taglio ravvicinato, short-rotation coppice (SRC), a bassa densità (0.5 m di distanza tra gli alberi e 13.5 metri tra le file), verrà messo a confronto con: (i) una prova parcellare di SRC con impianto 0.5 m × 2.7 m, e (ii) un campo parcellare con le medesime colture erbacee prive di copertura arborea. L’obietivo della prova è valutare il grado di produtività e sostenibilità dei diversi si- stemi con particolare atenzione al ciclo del carbonio e al ciclo dei nutrienti

The GIS database of WOODnat project for the inventory and monitoring of walnut plantations in Italy and Spain

Within the activity of the H2020 ‘WOODnat’ project (“Second generation of planted hardwood forests in the European Union”) the growth parameters, yield and sanitary conditions of the most important walnut (Juglans spp.) plantations, established in Italy in the 1990s and in Spain starting from 1996, were recorded. One of the objectives of the project was to evaluate tree growth and stem quality to derive insight on the main environmental factors affecting the production of this valuable specie. An inventory of walnut plantations in the area of interest was necessary due to the relevance of this tree species in the EU timber market. In this paper the final dataset is presented and available with DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3769940. The database is finalized to narrow the knowledge gap between growers and processing industry with the aim to relaunching the market for this valuable species. Data were collected in the spring 2017 and winter 2017-2018 on 27 stands established in Northern Italy (Piemonte and Lombardia), on 51 stands in Central Italy (Toscana and Marche) and on 17 stands in Spain for a total of 95 plantations. In each plantation, general information was collected such as the planting layout, spacing, age, environment conditions as well as tree-level dendrometric data and phytosanitary information. The sampled stands have been georeferenced in WGS84 reference system (EPSG 4326). These data can be exploited to assess potential wood volume obtainable and quality of raw material, and to identify the weaknesses and errors, strengths and opportunities of the experiences conducted to plan future plantings with greater awareness

Characterisation of refined marc distillates with alternative oak products using different analytical approaches

The use of oak barrel alternatives, including oak chips, oak staves and oak powder, is quite common in the production of spirits obtained from the distillation of vegetal fermented products such as grape pomace. This work explored the use of unconventional wood formats such as peeled and sliced wood. The use of poplar wood was also evaluated to verify its technological uses to produce aged spirits. To this aim, GC-MS analyses were carried out to obtain an aromatic characterisation of experimental distillates treated with these products. Moreover, the same spirits were studied for classification purposes using NMR, NIR and e-nose. A significant change in the original composition of grape pomace distillate due to sorption phenomena was observed; the intensity of this effect was greater for poplar wood. The release of aroma compounds from wood depended both on the toasting level and wood assortment. Higher levels of xylovolatiles, namely, whisky lactone, were measured in samples aged using sliced woods. Both the NIR and NMR analyses highlighted similarities among samples refined with oak tablets, differentiating them from the other wood types. Finally, E-nose seemed to be a promising alternative to spectroscopic methods both for the simplicity of sample preparation and method portability

The status and role of genetic diversity of trees for the conservation and management of riparian ecosystems: a European experts' perspective

Riparian vegetation supports high biodiversity providing many services and is, therefore, an important landscape element. Riparian ecosystems are subject to numerous pressures leading to population decline and genetic erosion of riparian plants. This may have cascading effects at various ecosystem levels, including decreasing ecosystem services, so identifying the current status of genetic diversity of riparian tree species is vital to improve the effectiveness of restoration efforts. We aimed to elicit expert views on the status and importance of genetic diversity of tree species, and conservation needs across European riparian ecosystems. Sharing of such information among researchers, managers and policymakers has the potential to enhance ecological restoration and management of riparian ecosystems. We identified experts in riparian genetic resources conservation and management across Europe. These included stakeholders with different perspectives, ranging from researchers to practitioners. We designed a set of questionnaires where our identified experts were asked to answer questions related to the status and conservation of genetic diversity of riparian tree species in their respective countries. Specifically, we asked about societal awareness, legislative tools, good practices and conservation or restoration projects accounting for intraspecific genetic diversity and differentiation of tree species in riparian ecosystems. Questionnaire responses were analysed and discussed in light of the scientific literature to define needs and priorities related to the management and conservation of genetic diversity of riparian tree species. The experts recognized that a combination of in situ and ex situ measures and/or integrative conservation of riparian ecosystems is the most appropriate option for conserving the genetic diversity of riparian tree species. Simultaneous application of conservation measures at the level of priority species, identified by experts, and protection of riparian areas are required. Synthesis and applications. This study revealed the importance of recognizing the ecological processes that shape the genetic diversity of riparian tree species in hydrographic networks (dendritic spatial configuration, specific patterns of gene flow among riparian populations, fragmentation of river by dams) but also the need to overcome socio-economic barriers, such as lack of policy priority, deficiency in funding and weak legislation framewor

Prospettive e potenzialità della digitalizzazione del settore forestale in Italia

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a key role for improving the implementation of sustainable forest management at local, regional, and global level. The ICT potential to easily exploit a wider and more up-to-date set of information on the economic, environmental, and so- cial value of forests is of relevant help for the daily work of technicians, land owners, and companies in boosting the efficiency and effectiveness of forest management. The concept of “Precision Forestry” (PF) was developed from the early 2000s, as a branch of precision farming or precision agriculture. PF includes the use of ICT, remote and proximal sensing technologies, and other devices to coordinate and control several processes on a spatial scale (“Precision”) for monitoring, planning, and managing forest resources (“Forestry”). The aim of this monography is to collect and describe some of the most important PF experiences applied or potential- ly useful for the Italian forestry sector. It may represent a reference guide for the stakeholders, such as forest owners, professional technicians, public administrators, and policy makers. The book includes eleven chapters reviewing the main tech- nological tools available in the Italian context and the most recent advances of ICT in forestry, also focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of their practical implementation. The opportunities and challenges of implementing PF meth- ods, practices and technologies are also discussed. In the first two chapters the precision forestry concept and its historical development are introduced. In the third chap- ter some basic elements of ICT, GIS, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), remote/proximal sensing, and related technologies which are essential for a better compre- hension of PF applications are recalled. In chapter 4 recent advances in large scale forest inventories with a focus on mapping and on the spatial estimation of forest variables integrating field surveys and multisource re- motely sensed data are described. Current advancements in the acquisition of field information including Terrestrial La- ser Scanning (TLS), new digital dendrometers, tree-talkers, terrestrial cameras, and APP for portable devices such as smartphones or tablets for dendrometric tree measures and new citizen science applications to support quantitative and qualitative spatial estimation of forest variables over large areas (i.e., forest health, fuel types) are also presented. The chapter ends up with the description of some experiences in the implementation of Forest Information Systems in Italy to provide a simple open-access to such new generation of spatial forest information. In chapter 5 PF tools, instruments, and technologies to sup- port sustainable forest management are illustrated. APPs developed to acquire field plots data to simulate manage- ment operations, the application of photogrammetric tech- nologies from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and TLS data for monitoring with high-spatial scale forest monitoring and for acquiring indicators at single tree level are presented. A de- tailed description of new user-friendly tools for forest roadplanning, design and construction, as well as forest opera- tion planning is also included. Precision forest tree farming (with particular reference to poplar cultivation), useful to promote and increase the prof- itability and sustainability of forest plantations within the Italian context is described in chapter 6. The innovation and enhancement within the supply chain of wood plantations (from planting to harvesting, including monitoring and identification of stress) by soil proximal sensing techniques, Early Warning Systems, and specific software are highlight- ed. Considering the even higher market demands, promoted by the large-scale planting programs for climate changes mit- igation and the demands for propagation material for en- vironmental recovery, innovative techniques and methods supported by ICT in the forest nursery sector are described in chapter 7. In chapter 8 available technologies related to precision har- vesting are analyzed and described taking into consideration the wood chain efficiency, by means of improved commu- nications between the owner/buyer and operators as well as among machineries used in forest operations, health and safety of forest operators, environmental impacts mitigation and recovery, and operators training. Advanced communi- cation systems and sensors for the exchange of data and information between machines, machine-equipments and/or machine-operators, teleoperations and automation are also described. Chapters 9 and 10 are related to wood products traceabil- ity, timber quality assessment as well as the technologies for the optimization of wood transformation processes. The concepts of wood product traceability and tracing, togeth- er with latest digital technologies for the identification and tracking of the logs (i.e., fingerprinting and RFID), are de- tailly reported. Chapter 11 is finally dedicated to the relationship between the EU policy framework and the digitalization process in both agricultural and forestry sectors. The book summarizes, under a proactive and homogeneous framework, PF methods, tools and technologies in relation with the digital transition of the Italian forestry sectors. The authors hope this book will be useful for improving the implementation of sustainable forest management practic- es at all levels in Italy, providing a comprehensive review useful for policy makers, technicians, forestry owners and students