Serie dinamica del bosco a Rovere: il caso del Parco nazionale Val Grande (VCO)

Viene ricostruita la serie dinamica del bosco a rovere nel Parco Nazionale Val Grande (VCO), quale caso di studio esportabile a tutta l\u2019area prealpina occidentale suboceanica, per analogia di clima e substrato. Sono state cartografate, in ambiente GIS, le aree di pertinenza della serie sulla base delle caratteristiche climatiche e fi siche del territorio. Entro tali aree sono stati effettuati 48 rilievi fi tosociologici che hanno compreso tutti gli stadi serali della vegetazione, per poi procedere con l\u2019analisi delle fi tocenosi individuate e la loro interpretazione in chiave dinamica. Risultato dello studio \ue8 l\u2019individuazione di sei fi - tocenosi, quattro delle quali (pteridieti, calluneti, betuleti, rovereti) fra loro collegate da un legame dinamico, suggerito da analisi fl oristiche quali-quantitative sull\u2019abbondanza delle specie e dall\u2019analisi dei parametri ecologico-stazionali tramite CCA.Ecological succession of sessile oak woods: Val Grande National Park (Italian Western Alps) as a case study. We assessed the ecological succession of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) woods in Val Grande National Park (Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Italian Western Alps), as an example available for all the western prealpine insubric area. With GIS we have deduced the map of the areas of pertinence of Quercus petraea, based on climatic and physical characteristics of the territory. Within these areas we carried out 48 phytosociological relev\ue9s according to Braun-Blanquet method, assessing all stages of the ecological succession. As a main result the Cluster Analysis individuated 6 phytocenoses and 4 of the them (Pteridium aquilinum grasslands, Calluna vulgaris moors, Betula pendula woods, Quercus petraea woods) have a dynamic link suggested by quali-quantitative analysis about species ecology and abundance and by several environmental parameters analyzed by CCA

Il Lambro urbano oggi

Analisi del contesto del fiume Lambro Milanese e delle sue potenzialità ecologiche nell'ambito della ricerca. Il volume raccoglie sotto il titolo ReLambro i risultati dello studio di fattibilità finanziato da Fondazione Cariplo nel 2012 nell’ambito del piano di azione “promuovere la sostenibilità ambientale a livello locale. Realizzare la connessione ecologica”. Il titolo originale del progetto, “Gli spazi aperti e gli ambiti agronaturalistici, il fiume Lambro, l’area metropolitana milanese - esempio di attivazione di rete ecologica”, nel corso del lavoro è stato precisato e orientato a rappresentare il ume come ritrovata infrastruttura ecologica della metropoli milanese. Il progetto è stato coordinato da ERSAF (Ente Regionale per i Servizi all’Agricoltura e alle Foreste di Regione Lombardia), ente capola, e sviluppato nel corso dei due anni successivi dalla partnership costituita dallo stesso ERSAF, dal DASTU (Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani) del Politecnico di Milano, che si è avvalso del supporto di IRS (Istituto di Ricerca Sociale), dal Comune di Milano, dal Parco Locale di Interesse Sovracomunale Media Valle Lambro e da Legambiente Lombardia

Scenarios to reduce forest fragmentation and improve landscape multifunctionality : a study from Northern Italy

Fragmentation has negative effects on ecosystems and can cause loss of habitats, increase of edges and isolation. Forests in northern Italy have strongly declined, because of the development of urban land, infrastructures and crops. In suburban areas forest patches often perform a variety of functions. This study used scenarios integrating both ecological and social principles to improve landscape multifunctionality in a suburban area of Northern Italy, with a special focus on the role of woody patches. We evaluated how improving some functions of woody patches (suitability for forest species, mitigation for road impact and recreation) can help creating a multifunctional landscape. We combined the scenario visualisation through GIS, the maximization of functions based on ecological principles, and the use of fuzzy logic. The scenarios obtained show that improving existing woods can help to maximize multiple functions. The scenario improving recreation is the most suitable to increase biodiversity, and it can also help to mitigate road impact. The scenario approach can help decision-makers during the planning process, because it is user-friendly. Comparing multiple scenarios can allow assessing if managing the landscape for one function may also accomplish other function(s)

Ecological thresholds in herb communities for the management of suburban fragmented forests

Fragmentation is a major cause of biodiversity loss. The relationship between fragmentation and biodiversity might be non-linear, due to the presence of ecological thresholds; however, the application of the threshold concept on the conservation of herb biodiversity has received limited attention. We assessed the relationship between a pool of woodland indicators and features of forest fragments (area, isolation, shape), and we evaluated whether ecological thresholds might provide guidelines for conservation. We performed our study in a human dominated area of northern Italy. In order to obtain a group of floristic indicators, we chose perennial herbs characteristic of the phytosociological syntaxa Fagetalia sylvaticae, Carpinion betuli and Erythronio-Carpinion, with suitable Landolt L and H index, obtained from previous relev\ue9s in reference and high-quality forests. Subsequently, we analyzed the relationship between richness of indicators and patch features recorded in a highly fragmented landscape. Generalized linear models showed that the number of forest indicators was positively related to fragment size and connectivity. Generalized Additive Models showed that the relationship between indicator richness and fragment size was non-linear, with the presence of two thresholds. The number of forest indicators increased until 35\u201340 ha; above this size the richness remained constant. Fragments above this threshold should be the target of conservation. Furthermore, the relationship between area and number of indicators was less steep in patches smaller than 1\u20131.5 ha. Patches between these two thresholds can be optimal targets of management actions, as small size increases can greatly improve their value for biodiversity. The identification of two thresholds in the relationship between patch area and indicators suggests an abrupt response to changing landscape features and provide quantitative targets for conservation