Giovanni Santopuoli

Dynamics of the silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) natural regeneration in a mixed forest in the Central Apennine

Abstract The dynamics of the silver fir represent an important topic for researchers across Europe. Following its decline, which occurred in Europe after the last glaciation, the remaining relict areas became a very important laboratory for studying its conservation. The Central Apennine chain, particularly in Molise, represents one unique case where silver fir, Turkey oak and beech can be found within the same forest. This study focused on the forest structure of the Bosco Monteluponi where the closeness with Collemeluccio Man and Biosphere reserve has affected the diffusion of conifer within the forest. Consequently, the forest structure has shifted from even aged to uneven aged. The resulting complex forest structure offers new challenges for forest practitioners in the identification of silvicultural treatments, which identify and maintain the balance among the three species within the same forest. Particular importance was given to the silver fir natural regeneration in order to assess the forest suitability for conifer expansion. Results demonstrated that Monteluponi is strongly suitable for the in situ conservation of silver fir and offers a great opportunity for its diffusion.

Mapping forest ecosystem functions for landscape planning in a mountain Natura2000 site, Central Italy

In last decades, numerous efforts have been carried out by the scientific community to assess the multifunctional role of forests in supporting the forest decision-making processes. Recently developed in Italy, the Forest Landscape Management Planning seems to be the most suitable tool to maintain the sustainability balance between forests and local populations. This research identifies and maps different forest ecosystem functions in a mountain Natura2000 Network site by performing a spatial estimation of forest inventory parameters, and implementing a multi-criteria and multi-level approach. Final results on mapping of forest functions show acceptable values of classification accuracy.

Implementing Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management in a Decentralized Setting: Italy as a Case Study

Abstract The study explored the sub-national implementation of the Pan-European Criteria and Indicators (C&I) for Sustainable Forest Management in Italy, based on the statistical analysis of answers to a questionnaire provided by representatives of the Italian sub-national forest administrations. The questionnaire explored the implementation of C&I in five applications and through the analytical lenses of ‘suitability of C&I to sub-national contexts’ and ‘adaptability of administrations to C&I’. The analysis of suitability and adaptability made it possible to identify and compare challenges in, and successful experiences with, the implementation of C&I, which were then used to formulate recommendations aimed at encouraging implementation and promoting academic and policy debate. The study reveals that C&I were implemented to a moderate extent. This level of implementation was determined most of all by the suitability of C&I to the Italian sub-national contexts, and less by the adaptability of administrations. Recommendations to foster implementation of and dialogue on C&I include the need for Italian sub-national administrations to transpose the Pan-European C&I into sub-national sets tailored to local circumstances by, for example, modifying existing C&I or integrating these into new customized indicator sets.

Behind forest cover changes: is natural regrowth supporting landscape restoration? Findings from Central Italy

Abstract In recent years, depopulation and abandonment of traditional practices in the mountainous areas have affected the land use and land cover inducing the modification of the landscape mosaic. These processes have consequently facilitated the forest expansion, sometimes altering the floristic composition of the original vegetation in forests and other wooded lands. Forest expansion processes modified the structure, the stand density and the regeneration capacity of forests, thus altering the ecosystems’ functionality and resilience. These processes can be considered as a form of landscape degradation, which represents an emerging and common issue in the Mediterranean mountainous ecosystems. This study presents an overview of the main landscape dynamics occurring in the last two decades in the “Collemeluccio-Montedimezzo Alto Molise” Man and Biosphere Reserve, located in Central Italy. The results here obtained deeply describe the main effects induced by forest cover changes, such as those related to the crown coverage dynamics-biodiversity linkages, offering a valuable contribution to improve the management and planning in these situations widely replicable to similar contexts.