italian forestry and forest research at the italian ... · soil organic carbon stock. ... long term...

Rome, Italy 2010

Italian forestry and forest research at the Italian Agricultural Research Council (CRA)

Giuseppe Scarascia‐Mugnozza

CRA – Agronomy, Forestry &Land Use

Department

4th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, 24-26 May 2010

Who we areThe Agricultural Research Council (CRA) is a National Research

Organization which operates under the supervision of the

Ministry of Agriculture, with general scientific competence

within the fields of agriculture, agroindustry, food, fishery and

forestry. The distribution of the CRA offices (49 structures as Research

Centres and Units) throughout national territory allows it to

widely extend its expertise and proficiency, and to closely

operate in conjunction with central administrations, local and

regional institutions, companies and various trade, industrial

and legal associations.

Departments Organization1.Plant

Biology and Production2.Anima

l Biology and Production3.Tra

nsformation of Agro‐Industrial Products4.Agronomy,

Forestry and Land Use

National Council for Agricoltural Research Network


Agronomy, Forestry and Land Use Dept. (DAF)

The

Department

deals

with

the

sustainable

management

and

adaptation

to

global

change

of

agro‐forestry ecosystems, particularly those of the Mediterranean environmentResearch Topics:

Forest monitoring, planning and managment with Geomatics, modelling

and statistical

techniques; National Forest Inventory (CRA‐MPF)

Soil conservation/degradation, genesis and classification, agroecosystems and forest

ecosystems protection (CRA‐ABP)

Sustainable managment of Forest environment, best application of silvicultural techniques,

genetic variability of forest trees; drought, fire and desertification impacts on forest

ecosistems in mediterranean environment(CRA‐SEL; CRA‐SAM‐SFA)

Soil‐plant relationships and modelling, soil fertility and plant phisiology, soil microbiology

and organic farming, soil and agro‐ecosystem global quality and health (CRA‐RPS)

Mechanization and energy use in agricultural production (CRA‐ING)Climate changes and agricultural production, agro‐climatology, climate modelling (CRA‐CMA)Agricoltural systems modelling, irrigation and high redditivity

crops in hot arid environment

(CRA‐SCA‐SSC‐CAR)


Soil information inside the DAF Research activity

soil maps and quality associated dataset is a

basic primary information for applied research

through:

Predictive behaviour

models (soil‐plant system)Development of indicatorsGeographic scenario’s


Soil Spatial information and quality

Agro‐forestry Research activity needs to have:1.Maximum quality in collecting and analysing

soil data (good and upgraded

standard methodologies and many replicates for single measure)2.Monitoring soil features and qualities in time

3.Reliable methods to extend the soil information derived from 1 and 2 activities4.CRA research centers/units combine their own data‐bases on soils with the

Regional networks


DAF Research activity supporting National Agro-forestry Policies

CRA‐DAF SUPPORTING “BASIC”

ACTIVITY INSIDE MIPAAF RURAL NETWORK

NATIONAL SOIL DATABASEHYDROLOGICAL, FERTILITY AND BIOLOGICAL SOIL DATABASE

SOIL NATIONAL FORESTAL INVENTORYSOIL BIODIVERSITY NATIONAL CHARACTERIZATION

APPLICATION REQUESTED TO CRA:NEW METHODOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURAL NITRATE VULNERABILITY

SOIL ORGANIC CARBON STOCKCROP WATER REQUIREMENTS IN IRRIGATED AREAS THROUGH PREDICTIVE

MODELSDESERTIFICATION NATIONAL ATLASCAP CROSS COMPLIANCE CHECK


National soil databases

Italian Inventory of Forests and Carbon-INFC

Step 2 30,000 points

Step 1 10 Mil points

Step 3: 7,000 points (step 3+ 1,700 points on soil C)

• Landscape modification with the introduction/diffusion of new species since Roman time (Pinus pinea, Cupressus sempervirens, Castanea sativa)

• In Siena (Montagnola senese) there are oak coppice forests that are still managed since XIII century (sustainable management!), as reconstructed from middle-age management plans

Italian forestry rich of history/1

Some facts about Italian forestry

Italian forests are rich of biodiversity• large latitudinal and environmental gradient (from 35°N, in

Sicily, to 47°N, in SudTyrol)• more than 25,000 plant species in the Mediterranean (6,000

species in NC Europe)• 100 forest tree species in the Mediterranean (30 tree species in

NC Europe)• Italy has represented a glacial refugium for many important

European species (Fagus, Quercus, Picea, Abies)• coevolution of plant and animal species with human activities


• The expansion of the Republic of Venice was based on alpine forests, for houses construction, war ships and soil conservation

• Venice had already in 1450 a detailed forest inventory of its State forests

• The Arsenal of Venice needed 60,000 m3 of wood per year (oaks for ships, spruce as masts and beech as rows)

Forest conservation through natural assisted regeneration was crucial for soil and water regulation and the protection of the Venetian Lagoon


Forestry book printed in Venice in 1620

Italy is also rich of “poor” forests….but things are changing

• 10 Mha of forests• About 50% are coppice stands• Conversion from coppice to high stand covers

about 500,000 ha mainly beech and oaks• Forests are expanding in Italy because of

abandoning farmland (+1% annually)• Volume stock has increased by 50% in the last 50

years • Conservative forestry (only 30% of forest annual

increment is being harvested) and close-to-nature silviculture

Importance of environmental services provided by forest ecosystems: 2 Billion € value of C-

sequestration by forests in Italy(but also agriculture and soil protection crucial in

Kyoto2)

Time-series analysis of temperature and rainfall from more than 120 met stations in Italy, since 1800 to present

Brunetti, Maugeri, Monti & Nanni, IJC 2006.

Tmedia Tmax Tmin

Annual

Summer

Temperature increase of 1°C every 100 years for whole Italy and a decrease

(5% per century) for rainfall (in spring - 9% per 100 yrs)

FACTS1, DukeEUROFACE, Viterbo

OakridgeAspenFACE

Will forests keep their C-sink role also in the future environment?

Long term experiments & large scale infrastructures are needed

Norby, Scarascia-Mugnozza et al, 2005 PNAS

NPP in future climatic conditions (yr 2050)(simulated by elevated CO2 in FACE)

From experiments conducted in USA and EU under high CO2 (550 ppm, as expected in 2050)

in the open environment on

forest plantations(FACE

infrastructures)Is also NEP

increased by the same extent?

+ 23%

Apparently, no down-regulation of ecosystems caused by increasing CO2 but there is a significant increase of the conversion efficiency of light into biomass. This information is most valuable for model parameterization and validation

Set-up for flux measurements

Tower/mast Fast response instruments

Tower

Homogenous forest (or other land cover)

Atmospheric Concentration with Coal Phaseout by 2030

Red line is for EIA oil & gas reserve estimates, rather than IPCC estimates

(From J. Hansen)

(IIASA 2008)Land is becoming a precious and rare asset;it should be managed wisely!

[email protected]

italian forestry and forest research at the italian ... · soil organic carbon stock. ... long term...

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