The DSpace digital repository system captures, stores, indexes, preserves, and distributes digital research material. http://http://dspace.unitus.it:80 2013-05-24T04:54:27Z 2013-05-24T04:54:27Z Corona, Piermaria Lombardi, Fabio Chirici, Gherardo Marchetti, Marco Tognetti, Roberto Lasserre, Bruno Barbati, Anna Ferrari, Barbara Di Paolo, Silvia Giuliarelli, Diego Iovino, Francesco Nicolaci, Antonino Bianchi, Livio Maltoni, Alberto Travaglini, Davide http://hdl.handle.net/2067/1902 2011-04-12T00:30:21Z 2009-12-31T23:00:00Z

Title: Deadwood in forest stands close to old-growthness under Mediterranean conditions in the Italian Peninsula Authors: Corona, Piermaria; Lombardi, Fabio; Chirici, Gherardo; Marchetti, Marco; Tognetti, Roberto; Lasserre, Bruno; Barbati, Anna; Ferrari, Barbara; Di Paolo, Silvia; Giuliarelli, Diego; Iovino, Francesco; Nicolaci, Antonino; Bianchi, Livio; Maltoni, Alberto; Travaglini, Davide Abstract: Considering that indicators of old-growth features can vary across the European ecoregions, this paper provides some results to identify the distinctive traits of old-growth forests in the Mediterranean ecoregion. Deadwood occurrence as indicator of naturalness is investigated in some remote forest areas that have developed in absence of anthropogenic disturbance over the past few decades. Eleven study sites across the Italian peninsula were elected and records of deadwood were carried out in 1-ha size plots. Deadwood volume, deadwood types and decay stages were inventoried in the selected sites. The amounts of deadwood indicate a large variability among the investigated forest stands: the total volume ranged between 2 and 143 m3ha-1, with an average of 60 m3ha-1. Lying deadwood is the most abundant component of deadwood in the investigated forests, due to the natural mortality occurring in the stands in relation to the processes established in the last decades. On the contrary, stumps are the less represented type of deadwood in almost all the study areas. All the decay classes are present in each study site. The amount of deadwood in Southern Europe, even if lower than that reported for North and Central European countries, could have a different meaning due to the faster decay occurring in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. For this reason, old-growth features and the characteristics of each indicator should be framed and referred to well-defined climatic and biogeographic contexts. Distinctively, under the conditions here investigated, three main deadwood features prove to characterize forest stands close to old-growthness: a ratio of dead to living wood not lower than 10%; lying deadwood much more abundant than the standing one; large range of deadwood size and decay classes across all the deadwood components.

2009-12-31T23:00:00Z Marchetti, Marco Sallustio, Lorenzo Ottaviano, Marco Barbati, Anna Corona, Piermaria Tognetti, Roberto Zavattero, Laura Capotorti, Giulia http://hdl.handle.net/2067/2338 2013-02-08T00:05:23Z 2011-12-31T23:00:00Z

Title: Carbon sequestration by forests in the National Parks of Italy Authors: Marchetti, Marco; Sallustio, Lorenzo; Ottaviano, Marco; Barbati, Anna; Corona, Piermaria; Tognetti, Roberto; Zavattero, Laura; Capotorti, Giulia Abstract: Recent attempts to mitigate global change have brought forestry-based carbon (C) sequestration into sharp focus due to its potential to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. However, the consequences of actual forest management practices on C storage capacity are still controversial to a certain extent. Under such a perspective, a distinctive relevant issue concerns the management of forest ecosystems within areas specifically designated for nature conservation. From the analysis of biomass data from forests in the National Parks of Italy, we found that the average forest C stock and sink per unit area is relatively higher within National Parks (81.21 and 2.18 tons ha71, respectively) than on the overall national territory (76.11 and 1.12 tons ha71 year71, respectively). The analysis confirms the influence of ecological conditions and management approach on C sequestration capacity. Although the results of the proposed assessment approach have to be considered as rough estimates, the trial proves interesting, given the relative lack of specific information, at least on a large scale, about C stocks and sinks within forest areas designated for nature conservation, and the direct comparison with those forest areas not designated to such an end. The C storage capacity can be enhanced by increasing the productivity of forests, minimizing the disturbance to stand structure and composition. Extending conservation strategies adopted in National Parks to other forest areas of the national territory would allow the restoration of C sequestration potential, where unsustainable management practices have degraded relatively large stocks of biomass. Description: L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.tandfonline.com

2011-12-31T23:00:00Z