Early impact of alternative thinning approaches on structure diversity and complexity at stand level in two beech forests in Italy

Stand structure, tree density as well as tree spatial pattern define natural dynamics and competition process. They are therefore parameters used to define any silvicultural management type. This work aims to report first data resulting from a silvicultural experiment in beech forests. The objective of the trial is testing the structure manipulation in terms of diversity and the reduction of inter-tree competition of different thinning approaches. Alternative thinning methods have been applied in two independent experimental sites located in the pre-Alps and Southern Apennines, in Italy. Specific goals were to: (i) verify the impact early after thinning implementation on forest structure through a set of diversity and competition metrics resulting from a literature review; (ii) the sensitivity of tested indexes to effectively detect thinning manipulation. Main result show the low sensitivity of stand structure indexes and the ability of competition metrics to detect thinning outcome

Early impact of alternative thinning approaches on structure diversity and complexity at stand level in two beech forests in Italy

Stand structure, tree density as well as tree spatial pattern define natural dynamics and competition process. They are therefore parameters used to define any silvicultural management type. This work aims to report first data resulting from a silvicultural experiment in beech forests. The objective of the trial is testing the structure manipulation in terms of diversity and the reduction of inter-tree competition of different thinning approaches. Alternative thinning methods have been applied in two independent experimental sites located in the pre-Alps and Southern Apennines, in Italy. Specific goals were to: (i) verify the impact early after thinning implementation on forest structure through a set of diversity and competition metrics resulting from a literature review; (ii) the sensitivity of tested indexes to effectively detect thinning manipulation. Main result show the low sensitivity of stand structure indexes and the ability of competition metrics to detect thinning outcome

Enhancing chestnut coppices: silvicultural management and socio-economic context.

 Castanea sativa is one of the most important species for timber production in Italy but, both management system, ownership type and wood chain structure, aren’t able to  enhance enough the market value of wood assortments. Although the high demand of quality timber, the internal production is heavily  reduced, mainly as far as timber quality is concerned and because of the lack of suitable timber sizes. In this context, experimental trials  have been approached to identify and verify which silvicultural methods are best suited to reach high yields depending to the investments  needed and the local socio-economical condition. Two technical approaches were evaluated: stand silviculture and single-tree oriented silviculture. As for the socio-economical aspects, a few demographic indexes have been examined and the first-phase processing enterprises  acting in the concerned area were analyzed. The goals of this paper are to evaluate the biological response to the applied silviculture, to  analyze the problems arisen and to estimate the applicability of the proposed methods in relation to the different socio-economic contexts. The research has been carried out in Tuscany in two important forest areas - Monte Amiata and Colline Metallifere - in young chestnut  coppices characterized by an homogeneous stand density and a good site index. The two examined districts showed some similarities  but they have mainly highlighted important differences about the social structure and concerns and enterprises characteristics. The area of Monte Amiata is typified by a higher residents density then the Colline Metallifere but only 1/3 of the population is employed in the agro-forest sector. In addition, in the Monte Amiata district most concerns are sized less than 2 hectares and chestnut is the main forest  species. On the contrary, in the Colline Metallifere the agro-forest sector (57% of workers) is one of the main sources of income for the  local communities and medium-sized concerns are noteworthy present. Chestnut stands have here a marginal role, oaks are dominant  and the prevailing assortment is firewood. From a silvicultural viewpoint, both the studied areas showed a quite good potentiality, suitabl

Indicators of sustainable forest management: application and assessment

Report of the international project Life ManForCBD

Application of Innovative Silvicultural Treatments in Pine Forests

Pine forests—as natural stands and artificial plantations—are one of the most extended and common forest types in the world [...

Beyond the Modernization Theory: Socio-Demographic Changes, Economic Structure and Forest Transition in a Multi-Dimensional Time-Series Analysis for Italy A. Ferrara et al. 184

Abstract In the light of the modernization theory, the present paper proposes an empirical assessment of the population-economy-environment nexus in Italy by investigating the historical trends (1862-2009) in 58 variables describing five themes (environment, demography, education, trade, agriculture). Socioeconomic variables representing changes in population structure and demographic dynamics compared with indicators of forest expansion allowed verifying the temporal coherence between demographic and forest transitions at the country scale. The study develops an exploratory data analysis framework based on principal component analysis, hierarchical and non-hierarchical clustering and identifies four homogeneous time intervals (1862-1899, 1900-1930, 1931-1970, 1971-2009) in socioeconomic and environmental attributes. Different trends (positive linear, negative linear and non-linear) in the studied variables were identified through hierarchical clustering

Indici strutturali e di competizione per la caratterizzazione di popolamenti cedui di castagno

Structural and competition indexes to characterise chestnut coppice stands. Structure, tree density and variation of tree specific composition are parameters useful to describe both natural dynamics and competition processes. In the field forestry, synthetic indices descriptive of both specific - structural diversity and competition are used, especially for high forests. In the present paper, the relations between silvicultural treatment and some synthetic indices descriptive of thinned chestnuts coppice stands differently aged are analysed. The main goals of the paper are: i) to verify the application of some in coppice stands, to evaluate their adaptation to differentiate and quantify the structural complexity, stand dynamics and competition processes as a function of past silvicultural history; ii) to ascertain the utility of the indices for the planning of future thinnings. The study was carried out in three experimental plots of the “Altopiano delle Pizzorne, (Lu)”. The stands analysed are differently aged (43 and 64 years) and as for silvicultural background which affected both the present structure and the ongoing competitive process. The detailed of stands structure analysis was carried out within experimental areas (1200m2), besides manserational parameters, data necessary to determine the competition indices were acquired. Data analysis led to determine synthetic indices of distributive, structural and specific diversity. The analysed stands show a one-storied, monospecifici structure with a tree distribution from regular to random and reduced level of individual competition. The chosen indices describe the effect of the applied treatment and show that the analysed stands are not characterized by the clustered distribution typical of coppices. The active silvicultural treatment determines the simplification of the stand structure. Furthermore, the selected indices, synthetic and easy to calculate, represent a useful operational instrument in silvicultural planning.</span

Young Generations’ Perception of the Role of Deadwood in Forests: Comparison between Italy and Türkiye

The recreational value of a forest is related to the degree of naturalness that can be measured by considering qualitative and quantitative characteristics of deadwood and habitat trees. Forest user groups’ knowledge and opinions towards forest naturalness can support decision-makers in defining strategies. Among user groups, the literature shows a knowledge gap regarding the new generations’ perceptions and opinions related to biodiversity conservation. The aim of this study is to investigate young generations’ perception and preferences towards deadwood in forests. A questionnaire was developed and administrated online—in Italy and Türkiye—to a sample of university students under 25 years old. A total of 407 questionnaires (187 in Italy and 220 in Türkiye) were collected and processed. The results show that students from both countries have a high level of knowledge of deadwood and its role in forests. Most respondents perceive standing dead trees in forests to be aesthetically negative, while large lying deadwood is perceived as aesthetically positive. The attention of young generations towards issues related to biodiversity conservation is confirmed by the significance given in both countries to the management strategy that closely aligns with natural processes of mortality in undisturbed forests, where deadwood is allowed to remain without removal