Anna Barbati

Tuscia University | Tuscia · Department of Innovation of Biological Systems, Food and Forestry DIBAF

The European Union Rural Development Program (RDP) is a major driver of landscape change over time in Europe. In a context of climate and land use changes and consequent fire risk exacerbation, understanding the possible contribution of RDP measures to wildfire risk mitigation could help planning subsidies allocation criteria in a more efficient wa...

Pyrosilviculture and understory fuel management to reduce forest stand and landscape flammability represent loss-making interventions from an economic point of view. Consequently, prevention is carried out above all on public property and with public funds (e.g. Rural Development Programs), while the interest of the private individual for preventio...

Forest condition, biodiversity, and ecosystem services are strongly interlinked. The biodiversity levels depend to a large extent on the integrity, health, and vitality of forests at the same time as losses of forest biodiversity lead to decreased forest productivity and sustainability. Under this conceptual framework, this study presents a methodo...

The importance of mixed forests is increasingly recognized on a scientific level, due to their greater productivity and efficiency in resource use, compared to pure stands. However, a reliable quantification of the actual spatial extent of mixed stands on a fine spatial scale is still lacking. Indeed, classification and mapping of mixed populations...

L’importanza dei boschi misti è sempre più riconosciuta a livello scientifico per la loro maggiore multifunzionalità rispetto ai popolamenti puri. Tuttavia, la mappatura dei popolamenti misti a scala di dettaglio rappresenta, al momento, una operazione non semplice con procedure semi-automatiche. Questa nota ha come obiettivo la presentazione di un...

Tree species mixing of oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl./Quercus robur L.) and pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) has been shown to have positive effects on ecosystem service provision. From a management perspective, however, it is still uncertain which thinning regime provides the highest possible productivity of mixed oak–pine forests in the long term....

La prevención de incendios forestales tiene como ejes principales reducir tanto el riesgo de ignición como la capacidad de propagación de los incendios. En ambos objetivos, la gestión del combustible forestal es fundamental. Tradicionalmente, las actividades agropecuarias y forestales han contribuido de forma indirecta a esa gestión a escala de pai...

Surface biomass characterization plays a key role in wildfire management. It allows classifying vegetation fuels flammability for fire risk analysis, to define silvicultural prescriptions for fire hazard reduction, to plan prescribed burning , or to model fire behavior and its effects, such as greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions. To facilitate f...

According to the “Habitat” Directive 92/43/EEC, the conservation status of natural habitats depends on the occurrence of populations of their typical species. For some forest habitats, typical species do not occur as canopy dominant trees but are found in the understory. This is the case with the priority habitat ’‘Apennine beech forests with Taxus...

Three quarters of the European population live in urban areas, which is expected to increase to over 80% by 2050. The well-being of urban citizens appears to be closely linked to the correlation between the growth of urban areas and to the availability of green spaces. The conservation and the enhancement of the Green Infrastructure (GI) can be con...

The present study presents a multidimensional analysis of land-use efficiency in terms of per-capita built-up area over 417 metropolitan regions from 27 European countries. The study period encompasses two urban phases including economic expansion (2000–2007) and crisis (2008–2015). Multiple geographical gradients were identified as relevant predic...

Italian stone pine is a landmark of Mediterranean coastal areas. Today, pinewoods represent environmental amenity areas at risk, being under siege from intensive urbanisation. We present an emblematic case study in Rome’s coastal strip where urban encroachment around pinewoods is somewhat overlooked by urban planning, which may be threatening for t...

The State of Mediterranean Forests 2018 analyzes the circum-Mediterranean region, a territory encompassing thirty-one countries and a wide range of political, economic, social and environmental contexts. The region has an extremely rich natural and cultural heritage. Here, human and economic development is largely dependent on at times scarce natur...

Mediterranean forests in Europe, North Africa and the Near East are under pressure due to the combined effects of anthropogenic exploitation (fuel wood collection, overgrazing, agricultural conversion, etc.)and stress and disturbances related to climate change (drought, wildfires, pest and diseases) (seeChapter5). At the same time, Mediterranean fo...

Forest canopy gaps are important to ecosystem dynamics. Depending on tree species, small canopy openings may be associated with intra-crown porosity and with space among crowns. Yet, literature on the relationships between very fine-scaled patterns of canopy openings and biodiversity features is limited. This research explores the possibility of: (...

Forest canopy gaps are important for the ecosystem dynamics. Depending on tree species, small canopy openings might be also associated to intra-crown porosity and to space between crowns. Yet, little is known on the relationships between the fine-scaled pattern of canopy openings and biodiversity features. This research explored the possibility of...

Human-started fires represent the vast majority of wildfires in Mediterranean countries. The current expansion of human settlements into fire-prone territories has led to the creation of landscapes where anthropogenic developments merge with wildland areas. In this context, understanding the role of distance from built-up areas in shaping coarse-sc...

Key message The outcome of the present study leads to the application of a spatially explicit rule-based expert system (RBES) algorithm aimed at automatically classifying forest areas according to the European Forest Types (EFT) system of nomenclature at pan-European scale level. With the RBES, the EFT system of nomenclature can be now easily imple...

Research into mixed-forests has increased substantially in the last decades but the extent to which the new knowledge generated meets practitioners’ concerns and is adequately transmitted to them is unknown. Here we provide the current state of knowledge and future research directions with regards to 10 questions about mixed-forest functioning and...

This study introduces a bio-economic approach to evaluate the influence of local socioeconomic contexts on complex processes of landscape transformation (urbanization, withdrawal of farming with woodland creation and loss in crop mosaics) in a sustainable development perspective. Land-use and socioeconomic indicators (including shares of agricultur...

La presenza e l’abbondanza dei microhabitat sono indici di biodiversità dato che numerosi organismi e microrganismi sono legati a queste nicchie ecologiche1. Il riconoscimento dei microhabitat permette di individuare alberi, con particolare valore ecologico (alberi habitat), supportando i selvicoltori nella scelta delle piante da lasciare a dote du...

Urban expansion increases the need for, and pressure on, green areas. Reforestation projects in the rural–urban fringe represent an opportunity for enhancing the environmental quality of peri-urban spaces and a means to contribute to cities carbon neutrality policies. Yet, relatively little information exists regarding the long term (10–25 years) s...

This technical note aims to exemplify the potential of annual time series of wildfire geodatasets to quantify fire occurrence and recurrence amongst different woodland types at large scale, under an international forestry perspective. The study covers a time series of areas affected by wildfire between 2007 and 2014 in Italy. A GIS operation of geo...

Precision forestry is a new direction for better forest management. Precision forestry employs information technology and analytical tools to support economic, environmental and sustainable decision; the use of geospatial information tools enables highly repeatable measurements, actions and processes to manage and harvest forest stands, simultaneou...

This article evaluates the impact of urban expansion on landscape composition and structure of a landscape icon, the Roman Campagna, central Italy, during the last 30 years. Landscape attributes were assessed between 1974, when the distinguishing features of Roman Campagna are still widespread, and 2008, following decades of urban decentralization...

Queste Linee guida sono il risultato delle attività svolte nell’ambito del Progetto di ricerca “MOGFUS -Nuove metodologie operative per la gestione sostenibile delle fustaie a prevalenza di pino nero e delle fustaie e dei cedui “invecchiati” di cerro della Toscana”, finanziato dalla Regione Toscana a seguito del bando di ricerca: Interventi selvico...

Since adequate information on the distribution of biodiversity is hardly achievable, biodiversity indicators are necessary to support the management of ecosystems. These surrogates assume that either some habitat features, or the biodiversity patterns observed in a well-known taxon, can be used as a proxy of the diversity of one or more target taxa...

This study investigates the relationship between soil sealing and landscape conservation in four Mediterranean regions (Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome) characterized by different patterns of urban expansion. Per-capita sealed land, a landscape conservation index and selected territorial variables were considered into a multivariate exploratory fra...

D25 In the last decades, Mediterranean landscapes have been transformed by anthropogenic processes, such as changes in land use and climate. In particular, forest transition in mountain areas, and urban sprawl in lowlands could strongly undermine the ability of ecosystems to provide benefits over time. Under these changing conditions, forest ecosys...

Italian stone pine is a landmark of Mediterranean coastal areas. Today, pinewoods represent environmental amenity areas at risk, being under siege from intensive urbanisation. We present an emblematic case study in Rome’s coastal strip where urban encroachment around pinewoods is somewhat overlooked by urban planning, which may be threatening for t...

This study presents an automatic methodology based on airborne laser scanner (ALS) data, which allows the mapping of forests, using quantitative criteria typical of forest definitions, i.e. minimum threshold for the height of trees, canopy cover, forest area size, and width. Interactions between forest and other land uses are explored by the method...

Forests are rich in biodiversity and valuable for recreation, water regulation and soil protection. As well as for providing timber and other non-wood forest products, forests are important for mitigating climate change and for the renewable energy sector. Forest ecosystems are exposed to a range of environmental, economic and social pressures that...

The European Atlas of Forest Tree Species is the first comprehensive publication of such a unique and essential environmental resource, that is, our trees. Leading scientists and forestry professionals have contributed in the many stages of the production of this atlas, through the collection of ground data on the location of tree species, elaborat...

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decis...

The use of statistical sampling coupled with periodic re-measurements in permanent sample units provides the basis for accurate measuring changes in forest extent and conditions, and constructing reliable models to estimate trends. This chapter explores this topic in order to understand how to integrate land use and forest inventory approaches so t...

Land take due to the rapid growth of urban areas is an issue of global concern. It calls for sound monitoring methodologies to quantify the phenomenon, with a view to verify the effectiveness of urban growth management strategies. To this end, we propose an integrated statistical approach, coupling point sampling and mapping techniques, to estimate...

This study reviews carbon stocks and carbon dynamics in different types of forest land in Italy: ordinary managed forests, forest plantations, old growth forests, and trees outside forests. Forest management, combined with global environmental changes, increases the capacity of carbon uptake of ordinary managed forests. Forest plantations, particul...

The present study assesses the level of sensitivity to desertification of forest types in Italy between 2000 and 2010 on a fine resolution scale using the Environmental Sensitive Area (ESA) scheme. The proposed methodology identifies and ranks the level of sensitivity of fourteen forest types and quantifies the changes in their level of sensitivity...

This review presents a multidisciplinary framework for integrating the ecological, regulatory, procedural and technical aspects of forest management for fires prevention under Mediterranean environments. The aims are to: i) provide a foreground of wildfire scenario; ii) illustrate the theoretical background of forest fuel management; iii) describe...

The aim of this report is to illustrate by means of a series of case studies the implementation of mapping and assessment of forest ecosystem services in different contexts and geographical levels. Methodological aspects, data issues, approaches, limitations, gaps and further steps for improvement are analysed for providing good practices and decis...

Aim of study: We aim at (i) developing a reference definition of mixed forests in order to harmonize comparative research in mixed forests and (ii) review the research perspectives in mixed forests. Area of study: The definition is developed in Europe but can be tested worldwide. Material and Methods: Review of existent definitions of mixed forests...

Fuel flammability is defined as the relative ease with which a fuel will ignite and burn with a flame. Different forest types have different intrinsic “baseline” flammabilities, depending on the susceptibility to burn of the main tree species that build up the forest cover. In this perspective, we apply a forest-type based approach to classify and...

La capacità di assorbimento e stoccaggio del carbonio nella biomassa e nei suoli forestali è significativa e può essere influenzata in modo sostanziale dalle pratiche di gestione forestale, oltre che dai disturbi biotici e abiotici. Questo lavoro, partendo da un inquadramento dei processi di mobilizzazione del carbonio nei serbatoi forestali e rela...

n Europe, forests cover around 40 % of the land area (190 million ha), making Europe one of the most forest-rich regions in the world. Forests are important habitats for many species of wildlife. Yet, forestry can also have negative impacts on biodiversity as unsustainable forest operations can lead to forest degradation and loss of biodiversity. I...

Buone pratiche per coniugare uso e sostenibilità delle Foreste dell'Appennino Forests of the Apennines: Good practices to conjugate Use and Sustainability www.fagus-life-project.eu

The LIFE+ FAGUS project. Forests of the Apennines: Good practices to conjugate Use and Sustainability. Aim of this work is to describe the targets, approach and planned interventions of the LIFE+ (11/NAT//T/135) "FAGUS" project. We discuss the positive effects for biodiversity conservation of silvicultural practices aimed at increasing structural h...

Since 2003 the MCPFE-Forest Europe process has adopted a set of Pan-European Indicators that has become a policy instrument to monitor, evaluate and report progress towards sustainable forest management (SFM). Two new experimental tools have been introduced in the framework of the «State of Forests and Sustainable Forest Management in Europe 2011»:...

The paper presents the main methodological aspects and the most important results achieved in the implementation of the “Map of natural and semi-natural environments” and of the “Forest types map” in Lazio region at a scale of 1:10.000. The project was carried out for the Agenzia dei Parchi and for the Area Foreste of Regione Lazio through a collab...

in the last decade ecosystem services (eS) have been proposed as a method for quantifying the multifunctional role of forest ecosystems. Their spatial distribution on large areas is frequently limited by the lack of information, because field data collection with traditional methods requires much effort in terms of time and cost. in this contributi...

Aim of study: We aim at (i) developing a reference definition of mixed forests in order to harmonize comparative research in mixed forests and (ii) briefly review the research perspectives in mixed forests. Area of study: The definition is developed in Europe but can be tested worldwide. Material and methods: Review of existent definitions of mixed...

Understanding patterns of natural forest expansion in rural regions under the influence of urbanization processes is crucial for integrated spatial planning across the urban-to-rural gradient. As a matter of fact, forest expansion is the only natural process that may counteract the consumption of the ecosystem capital and ecosystems services of rur...

This paper presents an application of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data in conjunction with an IRSLISS-III image for mapping forest fuel types. For two study areas of 165 km2 and 487 km2 in Sicily (Italy),16,761 plots of size 30-m × 30-m were distributed using a tessellation-based stratified sampling scheme.ALS metrics and spectral signatures from...

A general trend of scrub encroachment and natural forest expansion (old-field succession) has been occurring in the past fifty years in Mediterranean mountain areas. While this phenomenon enhances a series of ecological processes and environmental services, it may represent a threat for biodiversity conservation when occurring on high nature value...

Il progetto ITALID "Impiego d'immagini LiDAR per lo studio dei soprassuoli forestali italiani" vede la collaborazione di orga -nismi nazionali pubblici e privati deputati alla ricerca e alla gestione del patrimonio forestale riuniti nell'ambito del neocosti -tuito EFI PC Mounfor (Trento), con l'obiettivo di verificare la possibilità di utilizzo di...

Il progetto ITALID "Impiego d'immagini LiDAR per lo studio dei soprassuoli forestali italiani" vede la collaborazione di orga -nismi nazionali pubblici e privati deputati alla ricerca e alla gestione del patrimonio forestale riuniti nell'ambito del neocosti -tuito EFI PC Mounfor (Trento), con l'obiettivo di verificare la possibilità di utilizzo di...

Wildfires are the most common disturbances in Mediterranean forest ecosystems that cause significant emissions of greenhouse gases as a result of biomass burning. Despite this, there is reasonably high uncertainty regarding the actual fraction of burnt biomass and the related CO2 and non-CO2 gas emissions released during forest fires. The aim of th...

Repeated burning in a short return period (< 3–5 years) may significantly contribute to land degradation in Mediterranean countries. We apply logistic regression analysis to model spatial relationships between reburning and site (topographic) and landscape-level factors (land use pattern); forest areas burned twice at least between 2006 and 2009 in...

Strategic planning of forest resources in Europe requires reliable information on the status and trend of forest condition. National Forest Inventories (NFIs) and Forest Condition Monitoring (FCM) networks are primary sources of data for large area assessments of forest resources. This contribution seeks to outline a statistical perspective for the...

The conifer reforestations established during the last century in many mountainous areas of Central and Southern Italy allowed the restoration of thousands of hectares of degraded bare lands. During the last sixty years many social and environmental functions were added to such forests and now they require a multifunctional management approach. A 1...

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 is...