Sustainable Management of Forests for Atmospheric CO2 Depletion

Abstract

The topic of forest sector carbon balance in connection with climate changes currently has both great scientific and political importance for ecological sustainability on a global scalc. The concentration of C02 in the atmosphcre has increased by 1-2 ppm per year in the last few decades. The present paper examines the actual and potential rolc of forest management to deplete atmospheric CO2 concentration, with specific reference to the Italian situation as a case study. Italian carbon emission derived from fossil fuels amounts to 432 Mtlyear, of which 65% comes from burning oil.

The Greenhouse Gas Balance of Italy

“…At present the official data concerning non-forest Italian vegetation do not match perfectly: in fact, according to the most recent (2005) National Forestry Inventory (http://www.sian.it/inventarioforestale/jsp/home.jsp) shrublands cover 990,916 ha and woodlands 46,678 ha, while following the official data provided by the National Forestry Inventory carried out in 1985, Corona et al (1997) estimate that altogether Italian shrubby, rupicolous, and riparian plant communities occupy 2,164,500 ha and have a carbon stock of 26.4 (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35) Mt. The same authors also report 256 Mt as the average value of carbon stock in Italian forests (high forests + coppices) and tree plantations.…”

Carbon mitigation potential of different forest ecosystems under climate change and various managements in italy

“…In Italy, key issues to promote forest carbon storage are the recovery of the ecological efficiency of forests, which in many cases have been overexploited for thousands of years, and the prevention of wildfires that dramatically offset GHG gains in forest areas (Chiriaco et al 2013). In this perspective, forest management policies should aim at: (1) the restoration of forest stands degraded by past intensive logging; at least 1.3 Tg/yr of annual increase in carbon sequestration might be achieved through this measure (Corona et al 1997); (2) promoting a gradual increase of forest growing stock and, possibly, the adoption of longer rotation cycles in old/healthy forests that are at low risk from pests or environmental disturbances (Fares et al 2015), including fires; (3) the conversion of coppice forest into high forest stands, where technically and economically viable; this action would bring positive effects on above-and belowground biomass accumulation (Ciancio et al 2006); (4) reducing vulnerability to forest damage by wildfires by implementing proper forest fuel management techniques in forest lands covered by highly flammable forest types ).…”

Boschi, alberi forestali, esternalità e servizi ecosistemici

“…TABACCHI et al (2010) stimano, in Italia, una superficie boscata pari a 10,5 milioni di ettari (Tab. 3), su cui insistono circa 12 miliardi di alberi (cioè oltre 200 alberi e quasi 1500 metri quadrati di bosco per abitante) per un volume di 1,2 miliardi di metri cubi di volume legnoso e una biomassa arborea epigea di oltre 870 milioni di tonnellate: un serbatoio naturale che immagazzina circa 435 milioni di tonnellate di carbonio, con un incremento medio annuo netto di oltre 7 milioni di tonnellate, che potrebbe ulteriormente accrescersi di ulteriori 1,3 milioni di tonnellate all'anno a seguito del recupero delle situazioni di degrado (CORONA et al, 1997).…”