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

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1 Italian forestry and forest research at the Italian Agricultural Research Council (CRA) Giuseppe Scarascia Mugnozza CRA Agronomy, Forestry &Land Use Department Rome, Italy 2010

2 Who we are The 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 Organization 1.Plant Biology and Production 2.Animal Biology and Production 3.Transformation of Agro Industrial Products 4.Agronomy, Forestry and Land Use National Council for Agricoltural Research Network 4 th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

3 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 environment Research 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) 4 th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

4 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 indicators Geographic scenario s 4th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

5 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 activities 4.CRA research centers/units combine their own data bases on soils with the Regional networks 4th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

6 DAF Research activity supporting National Agro-forestry Policies CRA DAF SUPPORTING BASIC ACTIVITY INSIDE MIPAAF RURAL NETWORK NATIONAL SOIL DATABASE HYDROLOGICAL, FERTILITY AND BIOLOGICAL SOIL DATABASE SOIL NATIONAL FORESTAL INVENTORY SOIL BIODIVERSITY NATIONAL CHARACTERIZATION APPLICATION REQUESTED TO CRA: NEW METHODOLOGY FOR AGRICULTURAL NITRATE VULNERABILITY SOIL ORGANIC CARBON STOCK CROP WATER REQUIREMENTS IN IRRIGATED AREAS THROUGH PREDICTIVE MODELS DESERTIFICATION NATIONAL ATLAS CAP CROSS COMPLIANCE CHECK 4th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

7 National soil databases 4th International Workshop on Digital Soil Mapping Rome, May 2010

8 Italian Inventory of Forests and Carbon-INFC Step 1 10 Mil points Step 2 30,000 points Step 3: 7,000 points (step 3+ 1,700 points on soil C)

9 Italian forestry rich of history/1 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

10 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

11 Italian forestry rich of history/2 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 m 3 of wood per year (oaks for ships, spruce as masts and beech as rows)

12 Italian forestry rich of history/3 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

13 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)

14 Time-series analysis of temperature and rainfall from more than 120 met stations in Italy, since 1800 to present 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) Brunetti, Maugeri, Monti & Nanni, IJC 2006.

15 EUROFACE, Viterbo FACTS1, Duke Long term experiments & large scale Will forests keep their C-sink role infrastructures also the future are environment? needed AspenFACE Oakridge

16 NPP in future climatic conditions (yr 2050) (simulated by elevated CO 2 in FACE) From experiments conducted in USA and EU under high CO 2 (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 CO 2 but there is a significant increase of the conversion efficiency of light into biomass. This information is most valuable for model parameterization and validation Norby, Scarascia-Mugnozza et al, 2005 PNAS

17 Set-up for flux measurements Tower Homogenous forest (or other land cover) Tower/mast Fast response instruments

18 Atmospheric Concentration with Coal Phaseout by 2030 Red line is for EIA oil & gas reserve estimates, rather than IPCC estimates (From J. Hansen)

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

20 Grazie!