Enrico Marchi

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at University of Florence

Background. Wildfires may cause serious injuries to the anatomical structure of trees that can lead to tree death or long-lasting injury recovery, limiting their growth and vitality for several years. Post-fire management involves a wide range of measures aimed at recovering and restoring burnt areas. Usually, the first step is “salvage logging”, i...

Highlights • A fauna exclosure experiment was conducted in a wind-damaged silver fir forest. •Ungulates slow down the timing of plant growth in secondary succession. • Ungulates increase the abundance of endozoochorous and generalist species. •Ungulates alter the tree species composition of the secondary succession. •Intensity and direction of...

Abstract: The development of tools to quickly identify the fate of damaged trees after a stress event such as a wildfire is of great importance. In this context, an innovative approach to assess irreversible physiological damage in trees could help to support the planning of management decisions for disturbed sites to restore biodiversity, protect...

Background Wildfires, primarily human-induced phenomena, given the causally relation with the land use and climate conditions, have seen an increase in intensity and frequency since the beginning of the last century, driven precisely by climatic and socio-economic changes. This shift made suppression an insufficient approach, warranting further inv...

Soil profile disturbance and compaction can have a medium-term detrimental impact on soil physical properties. We investigated the recovery of physical properties of disturbed soils on four abandoned skid trails in a deciduous mountain forest in northern Iran. The trails ranged from immediately after skidding operations (IAS), through 5 years and 1...

Skidding operations affect soil physical properties, which may impact soil sustainability and forest productivity. While the relationship among harvest machine traffic, slope gradients, and increased soil damage has been well-investigated, it is still unclear how soil damage due to repeated passes of different skidder types is interacting with soil...

Al fine di valutare la risposta post-incendio di due specie di mirtillo, sono stati monitorati accrescimento e capacità di fruttificazione di entrambe in tre stagioni successive al passaggio del fuoco. La dominanza del mirtillo nero sul falso mirtillo apre interessanti prospettive nell’uso del fuoco prescritto al fine del ripristino e rinnovo di “m...

Chainsaw operators are exposed to many hazards that can lead to health problems. The two most frequently documented ergonomics threats in the use of chainsaws are noise and vibration exposure. Since the use of battery chainsaws is increasing due to the growing improvements in battery life and power, the study aims to compare the difference in terms...

The use of wheel skidders for timber extraction from tree stump to roadside landing has become more and more widespread. Although the use of wheel skidders has the advantages of high production and reduced extraction costs, it also damages the soil and impedes forest regeneration. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of mach...

Il settore forestale in Italia si trova ad affrontare problematiche legate alla necessità di valorizzare le opportunità ambientali, territoriali e socio-economiche. La ricerca è chiamata a tradurre i progressi tecnologici in applicazioni pratiche. Un ambito in forte sviluppo è quello della geomatica e delle tecnologie dell'informazione e comunicazi...

The recent technological development of batteries has allowed the production of powerful tools that are also used in forestry operations. For this reason, this study aimed to compare the performance of two latest chainsaw models in a conifer clear-cut. The examined chainsaws, the battery-powered Stihl MSA 300 and the petrol-powered MS 261 C-M, have...

In recent years, battery technology has been greatly improved and some types of battery chainsaws are currently comparable with light-type petrol machines, suggesting their possible introduction into forest operations. In this context, the aim of this study was to test and compare the performance, in a Douglas-fir thinning, of two chainsaws similar...

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) play a key role for improving the implementation of sustainable forest management at local, regional, and global level. The ICT potential to easily exploit a wider and more up-to-date set of information on the economic, environmental, and social value of forests is of relevant help for the daily work...

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of the Biological Soil Quality index (QBS-ar index) for monitoring the impact of wildfires on Mediterranean pine forests soils. The QBS-ar is a simplified eco-morphological index, based on edaphic microarthropods. We analyzed the QBS-ar values of pine stands burned one or two times and at diffe...

The use of battery tools is very common in many fields of work. In fact, the electric engine and batteries have several advantages over traditional endothermic engines, including low emissions, in terms of pollutants, vibration and noise. In this context, the chainsaw market started producing electric models powered by batteries. These machines can...

Intensive forestry operations may cause soil compaction, plastic soil disturbances and rutting, which are responsible for undesirable effects on soils, vegetation and water bodies. Despite the numerous studies aimed to identify the main factors affecting soil damages, it still remains unclear whether wood extraction methods and driving direction (u...

At forest sites, phytotoxic tropospheric ozone (O3) can be monitored with continuously operating, active monitors (AM) or passive, cumulative samplers (PM). For the first time, we present evidence that the sustainability of active monitoring is better than that of passive sensors, as the environmental, economic, and social costs are usually lower i...

The growing interest in the positive effects of the forest on the individual and social sphere and in the cultural and social development of local realities has motivated this survey to investigate the preferences of recreational activities carried out in the forest. The study was aimed to understand the effect of the forest on the psychological co...

Even at a well-managed harvesting site, vehicle trafficking occurs on at least 12% of the area and might cause ruts and compaction. The use of drones for inventory and mapping in forestry is still a new method. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for measuring the size and depth of wheel ruts caused by forest machines in harvested are...

Mobile wood chippers represent a mature technology now available in a wide range of sizes and configurations. Different types exist, but the most widespread are disc and drum chippers. The latter have enjoyed wider popularity in recent years because they are best suited to processing logging residue and other low-quality wood. Drum chippers can be...

This paper offers a conceptual analysis of the unaccounted-for cost of owning and operating used machines from an operational, financial and market perspective. It is based on input from experts and a literature review. In the scientific literature, assessing the operating cost of used machines in forest operations is typically based on standard co...

Human interactions with forests span over ages. Forests have served as a source of food, shelter, and wood for various purposes. Though progress in technologies and urbanisation have reduced the dependence of people on food from forests, forests still generate job opportunities and income, as well as provide many other ecosystem services, including...

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...

The heavy machines used in forest operations not only cause reduction of the total amount of soil pores but also drastically modify their size distribution. The effects in these terms of repeated passages of a tracked skidder and a wheeled one of quite similar size were evaluated in a forest of central Italy. In particular, we focused on macro-aggr...

Although compacted soil can be recovered through root development of planted seedlings, the relationship between root morphologies and soil physical properties remain unclear. We investigated the impacts of soil compaction on planted hybrid larch F1 (Larix gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi, hereafter F1) seedlings with/without N loading. We ass...

The current operating model based only on the approach of fire suppression has generated what experts call the "fire-paradox": the control of all wildfires in the seasons with mild weather generates a fuel load which increases the probability of catastrophic wildfires in the years with extreme climate. Even though the fire has been present on earth...

A main disadvantage of heavy machinery in forest operation is soil compaction. Compacted soils may be a barrier to seedling growth, even though the exact mechanisms of action are not clear yet, especially for different soil textures, plant species and ages. Previous meta-analyses did not find significant effects, mostly due to the limited size of t...

The forest road network provides access to the forest area to facilitate the conservation, the management and the value of forest ecosystems. In the case of poor design as well as poor or absent maintenance, the forest road network can cause significant environmental impacts, which can result in erosion and sedimentation, landslides, effects on flo...

It is very important for managers to plan a road network that meets all the requirements for tourism development and management. The aim of this study was to evaluate and modify an existing road network for tourism purposes in the Arasbaran protected area. First, the map layers of effective criteria were prepared in GIS and were standardized by a f...

The environmental sustainability of forestry works and the technological evolution of construction sites impose more training of the all involved professional figures. To support this principle, the authors conduct a data analysis about the accidents in forestry works, starting from the database of the National Insurance Accidents at Work Institute...

Plantation forests are established, and expanding, to satisfy increasing global demand for timber products. Shifting societal values, such as safety, productivity, environmental, quality and social are influencing the plantation forestry sector. This is primarily driven through an ever increasing world population, which in turn influences the way n...

Forest roads play a key-role in fire fighting activities. In fact, all ground-based activities are strictly related to the presence of forest roads as access to fire edge. In spite of this important role, forest roads are often planned and built without considering their use in fire fighting, and this also occurs in literature, where few studies a...

Several studies investigated soil disturbances caused on skid trails by forest logging. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the severity and the distance of disturbances along both sides from the trails. The aims of this study were: i) to investigate the changes in physical and chemical properties of soil along the sides of skidding t...

A grapple-saw is a low-cost implement, consisting of a hydraulic chainsaw mounted on the frame of a standard log grapple. Grapple-saws are generally installed on forwarders, loaders or modified excavators and are used for crosscutting whole trees or delimbed stems, often as part of a more complex work task such as pre-bunching, loading or stacking....

In many activities, chainsaw users are exposed to the risk of injuries and several other hazard factors that may cause health problems. In fact, environmental and working conditions when using chainsaws result in workers’ exposure to hazards such as noise, vibration, exhaust gases, and wood dust. Repeated or continuous exposure to these unfavourabl...

One of many possible climate change effects in temperate areas is the increase of frequency and severity of windstorms; thus, fast and cost efficient new methods are needed to evaluate wind-induced damages in forests. We present a method for assessing windstorm damages in forest landscapes based on a two-stage sampling strategy using single-date, p...

A well-planned forest road network is essential for meeting the goal of sustainable forest management. Forest roads play a key role in commercial purposes, fire prevention, and recreational activities. The aim of this work was to apply precision forestry in the analysis of the forest network of two forest ownerships in Tuscany. A proposal was formu...

With the aim of acquiring better comprehension of the ecological and productive aspects of the management of pine forests, we monitored logging damage and evaluated the effects of thinning on stand growth 20 years after the treatment in a Pinus laricio Poiret stand in central Italy. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the injury le...

Logging operations using heavy machinery effect changes in soil characteristics due to compaction; such conditions can negatively influence seedling development. In stands managed on the basis of close-to-nature silviculture or continuous cover forestry, successful establishment of natural regeneration after logging is important to ensure the prope...

Modeling and assessing the factors that drive forest fire ignitions is critical for fire prevention and sustainable ecosystem management. In southern Europe, the anthropogenic component of wildland fire ignitions is especially relevant. In the Alps, however, the role of fire as a component of disturbance regimes in forest and grassland ecosystems i...

Several studies have been carried out to investigate soil compaction and rutting after logging vehicle traffic, based on time consuming and punctual field measurements. The objective of this study was to measure soil disturbances with two methods: (i) a new, image-based models derived by a structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry approach; and (i...

Compaction and rutting on forest soils are consequences of harvesting operations. The traditional methods used to investigate these consequences are time consuming and unable to represent the entire longitudinal profile for a forest trail. New methods based on photogrammetry have been developed. The overall objective was to compare photogrammetry a...

Modelling and assessing the factors that drive forest fire ignitions is critical for fire prevention and sustainable ecosystem management. In southern Europe, the anthropogenic component of wildland fire ignitions is especially relevant. In the Alps, however, the role of fire as a component of disturbance regimes in forest and grassland ecosystems...

One of the major factors influencing forest fuel combustion are terpenoids, a fraction of flammable Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) produced and stored by most Mediterranean species. The qualitative and quantitative effect of terpenoids on flammability has been only partially explained. In this study several major terpenoid-storing Medi...

Core Ideas Forest operations may cause severe soil disturbances. Soil impacts are usually assessed by time consuming methods. Our study investigated the use of a portable laser scanner to assess forest soil disturbance. Forest operations can cause compaction and rutting, resulting in soil degradation processes. Soil damage is usually assessed thro...

Forest harvesting operations may have a significant impact on soil physical properties by reducing its porosity and organic functions. Soil variations, in particular bulk density and total porosity, caused by external perturbations as soil becomes compacted due to machinery passes, can lead to changes in biogeochemical cycles that have consequences...

The authors describe a study conducted under controlled conditions, with the goal of determining the eventual benefits of replacing the conventional clamped carriage with an unclamped motorized dropline carriage. The rigging was a classic three-cable configuration common to European yarder operations, with a single span standing skyline. The mainli...

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...

In 1999, the European Union proclaimed hardwood dust carcinogenic based on the classification of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) issued in 1995. The operational exposure limit (OEL) for inhalable wood dust has been set to 5 mg m⁻³ by EU directives, though in different countries the OEL ranges from 1 to 5 mg m⁻³. The objective...

Le operazioni forestali possono portare a conseguenze negative in termini di compattazione e formazione di solchi, i quali possono a loro volta creare processi di degrado del suolo come l’erosione, le colate di fango e le frane. L’entità del danno dipende dal tipo di mezzo forestale, dal numero di passaggi, dalle caratteristiche del suolo e dalla p...

The authors describe a study conducted under controlled conditions, with the goal of analysing the dynamic tension in the skyline of a yarder resulting from hauling known loads. The rigging was a classic three-cable configuration common to European yarder operations; with a single-span standing skyline and the mainline and haulback used to move the...

During the night between the 4th and the 5th of March 2015, Tuscany Region was struck by a dominating northeastern windstorm that caused enormous damages in a large part of the territory in urban and forest areas. Within a monitoring plan carried out by LAMMA Consortium, in collaboration with the Italian Academy of Forest Sciences, the Italian Nati...

Il vento è uno dei maggiori fattori di disturbo per le foreste europee e i cambiamenti climatici hanno provo-cato un aumento di eventi estremi negli ultimi anni. La regione Toscana tra il 4 e il 5 marzo 2015 è stata colpita da una tempesta di vento che ha provocato notevoli danni ai soprassuoli forestali. L'obiettivo di questo lavoro è di sviluppar...

In recent decades, the use of heavy machinery in forest management has significantly increased, causing the compaction of forest soils and potentially affecting seedling survival and establishment. We thus investigated the effects of soil compaction on soil physical parameters, microarthropod biodiversity, soil respiration, as well as growth and ph...

In a sustainable perspective, where wood harvesting and use perfectly respond to environmental needs, social sustainability and related health and safety of forest workers cannot be disregarded. The aim of this study was the analysis of the accidents records in public companies in the Province of Trento, in Northern Italy, regarding forest operatio...

The objective of this study was to investigate the inhalation exposure of forest operators to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and total xylenes) contained in the exhaust fumes released from chainsaws and to suggest possible countermeasures. The study was carried out in four silvicultural treatments (...

Coppicing is a very traditional method of forest management and is still widespread in many regionsworldwide. Until the middle of the 20th century, coppice forests were very common in most parts ofEurope and several issues related to coppicing are still considered relevant and important. In Italy thecoppice management has still a good economic and...

Mechanization and skid trails network play a key role in the fast extraction of timber from areas affected by windthrown, especially for timber quality and worker health and safety. Nevertheless, heavy vehicle trafficking may have a strong impact on soil, due to soil compaction and rutting. Different methods have been applied for determining the ef...

La tecnica del fuoco prescritto all’interno delle attività di prevenzione degli incendi boschivi si sta diffondendo in diverse aree del nostro Paese. Quest’innovazione rappresenta tuttavia una sfida, sia tecnica che culturale, perché mette in discussione il modo in cui si è considerato e affrontato il problema incendi fino ad oggi. L’articolo porta...

Wood is a renewable resource and it actively contributes to enhance energy production under a sustainable perspective. However, harvesting, transport and use of wood imply several consequences and impacts on environment. There are different ways for managing forests dedicated to wood production and a sustainable approach is fundamental to preserve...

A well-developed road network allows all forest activities, including wood harvesting, firefighting and recreational activities. However, forest road construction and maintenance involve economic and environmental costs. For these reasons, forest road network planning is a fundamental phase of forest management, maximising the benefits and reducing...

Forests play a key role as the source of an essential renewable material and/or fuel: wood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental impacts related to high-quality pellet production for domestic heating following the LCA (life cycle assessment) methodology and considering a cradle-to-gate perspective in the Tuscany region. This is r...

One of the most important issues in ground based wood extraction in forestry is to minimize the soil damage caused by heavy forestry machines. Generally, harvesting effects include changes in vegetation nutrient availability, soil microclimate/structure and litter quantity/ quality. Several studies were carried out on the impacts of heavy machines...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the response of the soil microarthropod community to wildfire in forest ecosystems. The edaphic microarthropod communities of pine stands burned in 2001, in 2009, both in 2001 and in 2009, in 2012 were compared to an area never burned. Sampling was conducted in the spring and autumn of 2011 and 2012 in t...

Background: Logging damage to residual trees during selection cutting may lead to serious economic losses in terms of both timber quality and diameter growth reduction. In this study, we investigated the effect of logging operations on residual tree damage and the consequence of injuries on diameter growth in an uneven-aged mixed forest dominated b...

Uno dei maggiori problemi nel settore forestale è quello di limitare i disturbi al suolo dovuti al passaggio dei mezzi pesanti durante le operazioni di esbosco. Il suolo è un fattore determinante della produttività forestale in quanto, grazie alla sua fertilità, fornisce nutrimento alla crescita del bosco. Le operazioni di esbosco possono però orig...

Wood production is one of the main forest ecosystem services, it is related to the economic and social utility of forest resources in supporting national economies and forest-dependent people. A sustainable management of forest wood production is first of all related to the possibility of securing wood availability for present and future generation...

The sustainability of a small-scale self-consumption wood-energy chain for heat generation in central Italy was analyzed from a technical, economic and energetic point of view. A micro-chain was developed within the CRA-ING farm at Monterotondo (Rome, Italy): The purpose of this system was to produce biomass for supplying a heating plant within the...

Le operazioni forestali possono provocare stress al terreno a causa del passaggio di mezzi necessari all’esbosco, come i trattori con gabbie, molto diffusi nei cedui. L’articolo, utile a comprendere meglio quanto incide questo stress e come è possibile mitigarne l’impatto, porta i risultati di uno studio sulla densità apparente e la resistenza al t...

Forest soils can suffer from various threats, some of which are human induced. Although mechanized harvesting allows for high productivity, it may also seriously damage forest soils. In recent decades, the use of powerful and heavy machinery in forest management has increased exponentially. The extent, degree, and duration of direct and indirect ef...

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...

Environmental impact of forest operations and possible countermeasures One of the major challenges in forest management is to comply with forest operation ecology, which is a modus operandi aimed at: developing and deploying environmentally sound forest operation technologies; efficiently using resources; and minimizing the production of wastes and...

Diversi studi hanno valutato l'impatto causato dai veicoli sul suolo forestale evidenziando che durante il passaggio dei mezzi meccanici si manifesta uno stress a livello del suolo per effetto delle forze verticali e orizzontali di taglio esercitate sullo stesso. Lo stress al livello del terreno comprende anche lo slittamento dei pneumatici, che in...

Mechanized ground-based logging methods are widely used today, in flat or slightly sloping terrains, since they generally provide a safe work environment and high labor productivity. The heavy loads of vehicles imply considerable vertical and horizontal stress to soil, which often undergoes compaction and, as a consequence, other forms of degradati...

The use of slash-and-burn in farming and grazing practices is still one of the factors driving landscape ecology and dynamics in the greater part of Amazonia. The slash-and-burn events start, traditionally, during the late austral dry winter, at the very first beginning of rainy season (August to October). This pattern changed dramatically in the l...

The use of slash-and-burn in farming and grazing practices is still one of the factors driving landscape ecology and dynamics in the greater part of Amazonia. The slash-and-burn events start, traditionally, during the late austral dry winter, at the very first beginning of rainy season (August to October). This pattern changed dramatically in the l...

Thinning is a crucial operation in forest management, which has important effects also on understory, fauna and soil. We assessed the impact of semi-mechanized logging systems on standing trees, soil physical characteristics, and forest regeneration in a pine plantation of Central Italy. Four methods were investigated: winching uphill by forestry-f...

In Southern European countries wildfires are the most natural threat to forests and wooded areas. Over the last decade, public and scientific debates on forest fire management have increased. Helicopters and airtankers are extremely effective fire suppression means, but they are also very expensive. Studies on the improved performance of suppressio...

In Southern European countries wildfires are the most natural threat to forests and wooded areas. Over the last decade, public and scientific debates on forest fire management have increased. Helicopters and airtankers are extremely effective fire suppression means, but they are also very expensive. Studies on the improved performance of suppressio...

This paper reports the results of the first fire hazard reduction experiment in Italy which integrates thinning and prescribed burning. The study was conducted in Aleppo pine stands in a high fir-risk area in the Calabrian Region. Two stands with a different stem density were selected. The experiment design included: i) prescribed burning followed...