First results on the structure and seed production of beech stands at the timberline in the Monti della Laga (Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park)

Mancini, Niccolò Marco; Mancini, Gismondo Maria; Travaglini, Davide; Nocentini, Susanna; Giannini, Raffaello

doi:10.4129/ifm.2016.1.02

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 35 publications

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“…At its apex (5.5 million sheep in year 1604: Venanzoni et al 1993), the newtwork of seasonal transhumance "highways" had a cumulative length of more than km. Some Apennine forests still show the legacy of their past use as wooded pastures, e.g., simplified vertical structure (Mancini et al 2016).…”

Section: Human History and Impacts On Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes in the Italian Apennines

Vacchiano

Garbarino

Lingua

et al. 2017

Forest Ecology and Management

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11Forests of the Apennines are characterised by high canopy cover and high tree species diversity (being at 12 the interface between two major climatic zones of Europe), and provide important ecosystem functions 13 to millions of people. They exemplify cutting-edge themes such as forest ecology in warmer climates, 14 consequences of heavy land use, and resilience at the trailing edge of the distribution of many European 15 forest species (Silver fir, Norway spruce, Beech, Black pine, Birch). 16We introduce the setting under the geological and climatological point of view and review the literature 17 on the interactions between these long-term drivers and the specific, structural, and genetic diversity of 18 these forest communities (e.g., effects of glacial refugia or tectonic/volcanic activity), followed by a 19brief outline of what little is known about natural disturbance regimes and their range of variability. 20Anthropogenic disturbances (fire, grazing) and land use changes (abandonment of cropland and pasture) 21 have been by far the main drivers of forest dynamics at least for the last two millennia, determining for 22 examples overageing of coppices, treeline advances, forest encroachment on former agricultural land. 23We suggest considerations about the interplay between these land use changes and disturbance drivers 24 (e.g. fuel continuity), summarise comparisons between managed and unmanaged forests (e.g., increase 25 in tree size, deadwood, biodiversity indicators), and elaborate on current proposals for climate-adapted 26

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Section: Human History and Impacts On Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes in the Italian Apennines

Vacchiano

Garbarino

Lingua

et al. 2017

Forest Ecology and Management

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Climatic and anthropogenic factors explain the variability of Fagus sylvatica treeline elevation in fifteen mountain groups across the Apennines

et al. 2020

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Background: Fagus sylvatica forms the treeline across the Apennines mountain range, with an average elevation of 1589 m a.s.l. Previous studies evidenced that the current position of the treeline in the Apennines is heavily depressed as a result of a complex interaction between climatic factors and the past human pressure. In this study we correlated treeline elevation in the fifteen major mountain groups in the Apennines with selected climatic, geomorphological, and human disturbance variables in order to investigate in detail the site-specific features affecting the current treeline distribution. Results: Treeline elevation was lowest in the North Italy (Apuan Alps), while the highest treeline was found in Central Italy (Simbruini). An absolute maximum treeline elevation of F. sylvatica exceeding 2000 m a.s.l. was found on 13 mountain peaks in Central and Southern Italy. Noteworthy, treeline elevation was largely lower on warmer south-facing slopes compared to northern slopes, with values several hundred meters lower in the Gran Sasso and Velino-Sirente. Although the causes of this pattern are still unknown, we argue that treeline elevation on southfacing slopes may be limited by the combination of climatic constraints (i.e. summer drought) and human disturbance. Evidence of a pervasive anthropogenic effect depressing treeline elevation was found in the North (Apuan Alps) Central (Gran Sasso, Velino-Sirente, Sibillini) and Southern part of Apennines (Pollino). By contrast, treeline elevation of the Laga, Simbruini, and Orsomarso mountain groups appears less affected by past anthropogenic disturbance. Finally, we recorded in the several mountain groups (i.e. Majella, Marsicani and Pollino) the coexistence of very depressed treelines just a few kilometers away from much higher treelines, among the highest ever recorded for F. sylvatica. Conclusions: Finally, we argue that F. sylvatica treeline across the Apennines is locally shaped both by the interaction of low temperatures experienced by the species in its earliest life stages in snow-free open spaces with summer soil water depletion and human disturbance.

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First results on the structure and seed production of beech stands at the timberline in the Monti della Laga (Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park)

Cited by 2 publications

References 35 publications

Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes in the Italian Apennines

Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes in the Italian Apennines

Climatic and anthropogenic factors explain the variability of Fagus sylvatica treeline elevation in fifteen mountain groups across the Apennines

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