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Reviewing climatic traits for the main forest tree species in Italy
- Source :
- IForest (Viterbo) 12 (2019): 173–180. doi:10.3832/ifor2835-012, info:cnr-pdr/source/autori:Pecchi M., Marchi M., Giannetti F., Bernetti I., Bindi M., Moriondo M., Maselli F., Fibbi L., Corona P., Travaglini D., Chirici G./titolo:Reviewing climatic traits for the main forest tree species in Italy/doi:10.3832%2Fifor2835-012/rivista:IForest (Viterbo)/anno:2019/pagina_da:173/pagina_a:180/intervallo_pagine:173–180/volume:12, iForest-Biogeosciences and Forestry, Vol 12, Iss 1, Pp 173-180 (2019)
- Publication Year :
- 2019
- Publisher :
- Italian Society of Sivilculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF), 2019.
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Abstract
- The future dynamics of forest species and ecosystems depend on the effects of climate change and are related to forest management strategies. The expected impacts of climate change are linked to forest growth and productivity. An increase in the length of the growing season and greater productivity are likely as well as shifts in average climatic values and more variable frequencies, intensities, durations and timings of extreme events. The main aim of this work is to assess and describe the climatic requirements for Italian forest tree species. We used 7.272 field observations from Italian National Forest Inventory plots and average annual temperatures and precipitation as interpolated from raster maps with 1 km spatial resolution. On this basis we evaluated the current observed distributions of the 19 most important tree species in Italy with respect to potential climatic limits based on expert knowledge and the available literature. We found that only 46% of the observations fall within the potential joint temperature and precipitation limits as defined by expert knowledge. For precipitation alone, 70% of observations were within the potential limits, and for temperature alone, 80% of observations were within the potential limits. Similarity between current observed and potential limits differ from species-to-species with broadleaves in general more frequently distributed within the potential climatic limits than conifers. We found that ecological requirements and potential information should be revised for some species, particularly for the Pinus genus and more frequently for precipitation. The results of the study are particularly relevant given the threat of climate change effects for Italian forests which are broadly acknowledged to be a biodiversity hotspot. Further investigations should be aimed at modelling the effects of climate changes on Italian forests as a basis for development of mitigation and adaptation forest management strategies.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
Forest management
Sustainable forest management
Biodiversity
Growing season
Climate change
01 natural sciences
National Forest Inventory
Effects of global warming
Ecosystem
lcsh:Forestry
Nature and Landscape Conservation
Spatial Analysis
Ecology
Forestry
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
Biodiversity hotspot
Sustainable Forest Management
040103 agronomy & agriculture
lcsh:SD1-669.5
0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
Environmental science
Physical geography
Forest Monitoring
Climatic Drivers
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 19717458
- Volume :
- 12
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3fd8ea7c8fa123eaa375b6e6a67ecbff