Use of canopy gap openings to restore coniferous stands in Mediterranean environment

Abstract

In Mediterranean regions, climate change increasingly affect tree species distributions. Conifer forests under continuing disturbance show a more rapid shift to dominance by beech and other temperate broadleaves. Thus, there is an urgent need to conserve coniferous vegetation to avoid local extinction. Gap opening has profound effects on the structure and dynamics of most forests and may represent a sustainable way to restore coniferous ecosystems in Mediterranean habitats. What kind of artificial canopy opening is the most sustainable and effective means for restoring coniferous ecosystem functions? We explored the efficacy of artificial gaps in regeneration and dynamics of coniferous in Mediterranean environment. We examined how regeneration of different tree species is associated with soil environmental conditions and how gaps of different sizes influence the ecology and management of Mediterranean forest. Specifically, we analyzed gap disturbance in silver fir and black pine stands, as they dominate central and southern Italian forests. We demonstrated a specificity between gap size and coniferous species regeneration, indicating that small gaps (about 200 m 2 ) favor silver fir regeneration, while black pine, depending on its subspecies, regenerates both in small and medium gaps (about 500 m 2 ). Further, we found that gap characteristics (age and shape) and suitable substrate availability are the primary factors affecting seedling establishment. Our results provide functional information to design a silvicultural system useful to manage the natural regeneration of Mediterranean forest minimizing the environmental and visual impact.

Sustainability Assessment of Alternative Strip Clear Cutting Operations for Wood Chip Production in Renaturalization Management of Pine Stands

“…Different strategies exist to manage the pine plantations. They are mainly linked to renaturalization of artificial pine stands and consist generally in medium-high intensity thinning followed by a clear-cut after the affirmation of indigenous broadleaves seedlings [13][14][15].…”

Accuracy assessment of different photogrammetric software for processing data from low-cost UAV platforms in forest conditions

“…The study by Sálek et al (2013) indicate that estimation error of the actual forest boundary can be several tens of meters. Taking into account the high precision of the obtained photogrammetric material, it can be assumed that estimation of areas of clearings and gaps in managed forests that are larger than 200 m 2 (Muscolo et al 2017) is entirely sufficient. The obtained results confirm the assertion that application of inexpensive UAV solutions is entirely sufficient as a source of data for forest inventory.…”

Optimizing silviculture in mixed uneven-aged forests to increase the recruitment of browse-sensitive tree species without intervening in ungulate population

“…Second, our optimization does not provide the answer on the optimal spatial distribution and size of the gaps (Muscolo et al 2017). Although in CCF logging and regeneration is distributed continuously over the whole area, the horizontal structure of uneven-aged forests may differ significantly as a result of the silvicultural system applied (Mathews 1999).…”