Production of Chestnut Coppice Biomass in a Framework of Low Mechanization and High Expectations to Combat Climate Change and Other Social Expectations
Author(s)
Date Issued
2024
Type
article
Volume
15
Issue
3
Start Page
1
End Page
17
Journal
Abstract
Climate change has become one of the most critical problems facing modern society.
Sustainable forest management can be an important solution to counter the increasing concentration
of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In particular, management of the chestnut forest could prove
to be an effective strategy to absorb carbon dioxide as this species is characterized by sustained
growth, so it has a high capacity to store carbon, and through the use of wood products, it is possible
to sequester it for a considerable period. Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forests cover an area of
about 800,000 ha in Italy, most of which is managed as coppice. It plays a central role in the Latium
Region where its productive function is very important, as it provides timber of excellent quality.
The purpose of this paper is to verify whether the current management of chestnut is efficient, as
well as whether retractable wood products can contribute to the fight against climate change. The
chestnut coppice located in the municipality of Tolfa (Lazio region, Italy) produces timber for 352
m3/ha and stores about 390,000 kg of CO2. Wood residues and losses during woodworking, together
with emissions for the use of machineries, generate emissions of 368,000 kg of CO2. The chestnut
semi-finished products, with long-term use prospects, retain a net volume of 22,000 kg of CO2.
Although this is good for combating climate change, the amount of CO2 stored is very low, less than
6% of the CO2 stored by functional unit. Chestnut wood has a high versatility of use, so it could
replace several products generated by fossil raw materials. Moreover, the implementation of
precision forestry, the adoption of forest management more oriented to favor larger plants, the
development of local economies and the reduction in the carbon footprint of the wood supply chain through the use of sustainable technologies would increase the capacity for climate changemitigation and increase the added value of its products.
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