Combatting climate change within the EU Green Deal in contemporary Forestry Administrative systems: a case study of Umbria Region
Author(s)
Date Issued
2024
Type
article
Volume
15
Start Page
1
End Page
14
Journal
Abstract
The integration of digital technologies into forest management is crucial for the European Union’s Green Deal, the Forestry Strategy 2030, and Italy’s national forestry strategy, aiming to enhance governance and efficiency. However, sustainable forest management’s administrative aspects are often overlooked, despite the potential for digital tools to significantly improve environmental per formance. Through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for a case study in the Umbria region, the research quantifies CO2 emissions associated with over-threshold forestry administrative procedures under both current and future digitalisation scenarios. Data were collected from legislative documents, interviews with forestry professionals, and emissions calculated according to ISO standards. The
f
indings reveal a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions through digitalisation, from 75.07 kgCO2
to 38.14 kgCO2, with the implementation of the LIFE FOLIAGE project’s digital platform. This under
scores digitalisation’s role in climate change mitigation, highlighting the significant, albeit modest
per procedure, of the cumulative national impact. The main findings support further digitalisation
in forest management as a method of increasing resource efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions, thus contributing to the Green Deal’s and Italy’s forest sustainability goals.