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Estimating canopy and stand structure in hybrid poplar plantations from multispectral UAV imagery
Romano , Elio , Brambilla , Massimo , Chianucci , Francesco , Tattoni , Clara , Puletti , Nicola , Chirici , Gherardo , Travaglini , Davide , Giannetti , Francesca
canopy photography canopy structure poplar plantation texture metrics digital camera gclm metrics unmanned aerial vehicle
Mostra abstract
Accurate estimates of canopy structure like canopy cover (CC), Leaf Area Index (LAI), crown volume (Vcr), as well as tree and stand structure like stem volume (V_st) and basal area (G), are considered essential measures to manage poplar plantations effectively as they are correlated with the growth rate and the detection of possible stress. This research exploits the possibility of developing a precision forestry application using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), terrestrial digital camera and traditional field measurements to monitor poplar plantation variables. We set up the procedure using explanatory variables from the Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix textural metrics (Entropy, Variance, Dissimilarity and Contrast) calculated based on UAV multispectral imagery. Our results show that the GCLM texture derived by multispectral ortomosaic provides adequate explanatory variables to predict poplar plantation characteristics related to plants' canopy and stand structure. The evaluation of the models targeting the different poplar plantation variables (i.e. Vcr, G_ha, Vst_ha, CC and LAI) with the four GLCM explanatory variables (i.e. Entropy, Variance, Dissimilarity and Contrast) consistently higher or equal resulted to R<sup>2</sup> ≥0.86. © 2024, Editura Silvica. All rights reserved.
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2024
Rivista
Annals of Forest Research
Dettagli
Vol. 67 (1) pp. 143 - 154
DOI
Wall-to-Wall Mapping of Forest Biomass and Wood Volume Increment in Italy
Giannetti , Francesca , Chirici , Gherardo , Vangi , Elia , Corona , P. , Maselli , Fabio , Chiesi , Marta , D'Amico , Giovanni , Puletti , Nicola
remote sensing forest biomass forest increment mediterranean forest national forest inventories
Mostra abstract
Several political initiatives aim to achieve net-zero emissions by the middle of the twenty-first century. In this context, forests are crucial as a carbon sink to store unavoidable emissions. Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of forest ecosystems is pivotal to the availability of accurate forest variable estimates for supporting international reporting and appropriate forest management strategies. Spatially explicit estimates are even more important for Mediterranean countries such as Italy, where the capacity of forests to act as sinks is decreasing due to climate change. This study aimed to develop a spatial approach to obtain high-resolution maps of Italian forest above-ground biomass (ITA-BIO) and current annual volume increment (ITA-CAI), based on remotely sensed and meteorological data. The ITA-BIO estimates were compared with those obtained with two available biomass maps developed in the framework of two international projects (i.e., the Joint Research Center and the European Space Agency biomass maps, namely, JRC-BIO and ESA-BIO). The estimates from ITA-BIO, JRC-BIO, ESA-BIO, and ITA-CAI were compared with the 2nd Italian NFI (INFC) official estimates at regional level (NUT2). The estimates from ITA-BIO are in good agreement with the INFC estimates (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.95, mean difference = 3.8 t ha<sup>−1</sup>), while for JRC-BIO and ESA-BIO, the estimates show R<sup>2</sup> of 0.90 and 0.70, respectively, and mean differences of 13.5 and of 21.8 t ha<sup>−1</sup> with respect to the INFC estimates. ITA-CAI estimates are also in good agreement with the INFC estimates (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.93), even if they tend to be slightly biased. The produced maps are hosted on a web-based forest resources management Decision Support System developed under the project AGRIDIGIT (ForestView) and represent a key element in supporting the new Green Deal in Italy, the European Forest Strategy 2030 and the Italian Forest Strategy. © 2022 by the authors.
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2022
Rivista
Forests
Dettagli
Vol. 13 (12)
DOI
A deep learning approach for automatic mapping of poplar plantations using Sentinel-2 imagery
D'Amico , Giovanni , Francini , Saverio , Giannetti , Francesca , Vangi , Elia , Travaglini , Davide , Chianucci , Francesco , Mattioli , Walter , Grotti , Mirko , Puletti , Nicola , Corona , P. , Chirici , Gherardo
deep learning big data forest tree crops fully connected neural networks multitemporal classification tree species mapping
Mostra abstract
Poplars are one of the most widespread fast-growing tree species used for forest plantations. Owing to their distinct features (fast growth and short rotation) and the dependency on the timber price market, poplar plantations are characterized by large inter-annual fluctuations in their extent and distribution. Therefore, monitoring poplar plantations requires a frequent update of information–not feasible by National Forest Inventories due to their periodicity–achievable by remote sensing systems applications. In particular, the new Sentinel-2 mission, with a revisiting period of 5 days, represents a potentially efficient tool for meeting this need. In this paper, we present a deep learning approach for mapping poplar plantations using Sentinel-2 time series. A reference dataset of poplar plantations was available for a large study area of more than 46,000 km<sup>2</sup> in Northern Italy and served as training and testing data. Two classification methods were compared: (1) a fully connected neural network (also called multilayer perceptron), and (2) a traditional logistic regression. The performance of the two approaches was estimated through bootstrapping procedure with a confidence interval of 99%. Results indicated for deep learning an omission error rate of 2.77%±2.76%, showing improvements compared to logistic regression, omission error rate = 8.91%±4.79%. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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2021
Rivista
GIScience and Remote Sensing
Dettagli
Vol. 58 (8) pp. 1352 - 1368
DOI
Influence of image pixel resolution on canopy cover estimation in poplar plantations from field, aerial and satellite optical imagery
Chianucci , Francesco , Puletti , Nicola , Grotti , Mirko , Bisaglia , Carlo , Giannetti , Francesca , Romano , Elio , Brambilla , Massimo , Mattioli , Walter , Cabassi , Giovanni , Bajocco , Sofia , Li , Linyuan , Chirici , Gherardo , Corona , P. , Tattoni , Clara
canopy photography crown cover foliage cover sentinel-2 unmanned aerial vehicles
Mostra abstract
Accurate estimates of canopy cover (CC) are central for a wide range of forestry studies. As direct measurements are impractical, indirect optical methods have often been used to estimate CC from the complement of gap fraction measurements obtained with restricted-view sensors. In this short note we evaluated the influence of the image pixel resolution (ground sampling distance; GSD) on CC estimation in poplar plantations obtained from field (cover photography; GSD < 1 cm), unmanned aerial (UAV; GSD <10 cm) and satellite (Sentinel-2; GSD = 10 m) imagery. The trial was conducted in poplar tree plantations in Northern Italy, with varying age and canopy cover. Results indicated that the coarser resolution available from satellite data is suitable to obtain estimates of canopy cover, as compared with field measurements obtained from cover photography; therefore, S2 is recommended for larger scale monitoring and routine assessment of canopy cover in poplar plantations. The higher resolution of UAV compared with Sentinel-2 allows finer assessment of canopy structure, which could also be used for calibrating metrics obtained from coarser-scale remote sensing products, avoiding the need of ground measurements. © 2021 Centro di Ricerca per la Selvicoltura, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria. All rights reserved.
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2021
Rivista
Annals of Silvicultural Research
Dettagli
Vol. 46 (1) pp. 8 - 13
DOI
Assessment of UAV photogrammetric DTM-independent variables for modelling and mapping forest structural indices in mixed temperate forests
Giannetti , Francesca , Puletti , Nicola , Puliti , Stefano , Travaglini , Davide , Chirici , Gherardo
biodiversity precision forestry forest structure forest inventory airborne laser scanning drone dtm-independent structure from motion
Mostra abstract
In the EU 2020 biodiversity strategy, maintaining and enhancing forest biodiversity is essential. Forest managers and technicians should include biodiversity monitoring as support for sustainible forest management and conservation issues, through the adoption of forest biodiversity indices. The present study investigates the potential of a new type of Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry derived variables for modelling forest structure indicies, which do not require the availability of a digital terrain model (DTM) such as those obtainable from Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) surveys. The DTM-independent variables were calculated using raw 3D UAV photogrammetric data for modeling eight forest structure indices which are commonly used for forest biodiversity monitoring, namely: basal area (G); quadratic mean diameter (DBH<inf>mean</inf>); the standard deviation of Diameter at Breast Height (DBH<inf>σ</inf>); DBH Gini coefficient (Gini); the standard deviation of tree heights (H<inf>σ</inf>); dominant tree height (H<inf>dom</inf>); Lorey's height (H<inf>l</inf>); and growing stock volume (V). The study included two mixed temperate forests areas with a different type of management, with one area, left unmanaged for the past 50 years while the other being actively managed. A total of 30 field sample plots were measured in the unmanaged forest, and 50 field plots were measured in the actively managed forest. The accuracy of UAV DTM-independent predictions was compared with a benchmark approach based on traditional explanatory variables calculated from ALS data. Finally, DTM-independent variables were used to produce wall-to-wall maps of the forest structure indices in the two test areas and to estimate the mean value and its uncertainty according to a model-assisted regression estimators. DTM-independent variables led to similar predictive accuracy in terms of root mean square error compared to ALS in both study areas for the eight structure indices (DTM-independent average RMSE<inf>%</inf> = 20.5 and ALS average RMSE<inf>%</inf> = 19.8). Moreover, we found that the model-assisted estimation, with both DTM-independet and ALS, obtained lower standar errors (SE) compared to the one obtained by model-based estimation using only field plots. Relative efficiency coefficient (RE) revealed that ALS-based estimates were, on average, more efficient (average RE ALS = 3.7) than DTM-independent, (average RE DTM-independent = 3.3). However, the RE for the DTM-independent models was consistently larger than the one from the ALS models for the DBH-related variables (i.e. G, DBH<inf>mean</inf>, and DBH<inf>σ</inf>) and for V. This highlights the potential of DTM-independent variables, which not only can be used virtually on any forests (i.e., no need of a DTM), but also can produce as precise estimates as those from ALS data for key forest structural variables and substantially improve the efficiency of forest inventories. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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2020
Rivista
Ecological Indicators
Dettagli
Vol. 117
DOI
A plot-level exploratory analysis of European forest based on the results from the BioSoil Forest Biodiversity project
Galluzzi , Marta , Giannetti , Francesca , Puletti , Nicola , Canullo , R. , Rocchini , Duccio , Bastrup-Birk , Annemarie M. , Chirici , Gherardo
data structure ground vegetation icp forests monitoring programme nfis
Mostra abstract
The lack of multi-dimensional data is one of the major gaps which limit the knowledge and the assessment possibilities of European forests. Nowadays, the most extensive and complete data on the European forest statuses are given by National Forest Inventories (NFIs) which provide information about the extent of forest’s resources and their composition and structure. Traditionally, NFIs collect data related to trees, with a limited consideration of other habitat components, such as ground vegetation. This information which goes beyond the mere arboreal component is instead essential for a more complete forest biodiversity assessment. This paper is aimed at introducing the ICP Forests LI-BioDiv database which resulted from BioSoil Forest Biodiversity, a large collaborative European project. This database is organized as a multi-dimensional forest geodatabase that contains forest structure and vegetation records collected in 19 European countries in the period of 2005–2008. The data were acquired from 3311 geocoded plots where several different types of data were gathered: stand-level general information, tree-level data, deadwood, canopy closure and floristic composition. This paper is structured in order to: (1) give a clear overview of the raw data available in the database and to (2) present an elaboration of raw data to calculate simple plot-level forest variables (biomass, deadwood volume, alpha diversity). On the basis of the results we achieved, the LI-BioDiv database appears useful mainly for research purposes aimed at studying cross-relationships between multiple forest variables and not for an operative use for monitoring and assessing European forest. In particular, we hope that this contribution can stimulate scientists to carry out cross-analysis of the database for defining future forest biodiversity indicators that could be introduced into the field protocols of the NFIs in Europe. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
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2019
Rivista
European Journal of Forest Research
Dettagli
Vol. 138 (5) pp. 831 - 845
DOI
Integrating terrestrial and airborne laser scanning for the assessment of single-tree attributes in Mediterranean forest stands
Giannetti , Francesca , Puletti , Nicola , Quatrini , Valerio , Travaglini , Davide , Bottalico , Francesca , Corona , P. , Chirici , Gherardo
lidar remote sensing precision forestry forest structure forest inventories proximal sensing
Mostra abstract
The development of laser scanning technologies has gradually modified methods for forest mensuration and inventory. The main objective of this study is to assess the potential of integrating ALS and TLS data in a complex mixed Mediterranean forest for assessing a set of five single-tree attributes: tree position (TP), stem diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height (TH), crown base height (CBH) and crown projection area radii (CPAR). Four different point clouds were used: from ZEB1, a hand-held mobile laser scanner (HMLS), and from FARO® FOCUS 3D, a static terrestrial laser scanner (TLS), both alone or in combination with ALS. The precision of single-tree predictions, in terms of bias and root mean square error, was evaluated against data recorded manually in the field with traditional instruments. We found that: (i) TLS and HMLS have excellent comparable performances for the estimation of TP, DBH and CPAR; (ii) TH was correctly assessed by TLS, while the accuracy by HMLS was lower; (iii) CBH was the most difficult attribute to be reliably assessed and (iv) the integration with ALS increased the performance of the assessment of TH and CPAR with both HMLS and TLS. © 2018, © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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2018
Rivista
European Journal of Remote Sensing
Dettagli
Vol. 51 (1) pp. 795 - 807
DOI
Deadwood distribution in European forests
Puletti , Nicola , Giannetti , Francesca , Chirici , Gherardo , Canullo , R.
icp forests deadwood europe forest ecosystems standardized dataset
Mostra abstract
National forest inventories are a primary source of data for the assessment of forest resources and lastly more often biodiversity at national scales. The diversity of adopted sampling designs and measurements reduces the prospect for a reliable comparison of generated estimates. The ICP Forest dataset represents a unique opportunity for a standardized approach of forest estimates through Europe. This work aims to provide a distribution map of the mean deadwood volume in European forest. A total of 3243 ICP Forests plots were analysed and presented. The study area extends over 3,664,576 km<sup>2</sup> interesting 19 countries. We observed that the highest percentage of plots show a deadwood volume lower than 50 m<sup>3</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup>, with a few of forests attaining around the maximum of 300 m<sup>3</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup>. Forests with more than 100 m<sup>3</sup> ha<sup>-1</sup> are concentrated in mountainous regions, central Europe and other regions, linked to high-forest management types, while coppices-derived forest systems (part of the Great Britain, Mediterranean region) show lower deadwood content. The map of deadwood volume on European Forests is of interests for scientists, land planners, forest managers and decision-makers, as a reference for further evaluation of changes, stratified sampling, ground reference for model validation, restoration and conservation purposes. © 2017 The Author(s).
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2017
Rivista
Journal of Maps
Dettagli
Vol. 13 (2) pp. 733 - 736
DOI
Epiphytic lichen diversity and sustainable forest management criteria and indicators: A multivariate and modelling approach in coppice forests of Italy
Brunialti , Giorgio , Frati , Luisa , Calderisi , Marco , Giorgolo , Francesca , Bagella , Simonetta , Bertini , Giada , Chianucci , Francesco , Fratini , Roberto , Gottardini , Elena , Cutini , Andrea
biodiversity european forest types lichen diversity value (ldv) predictive models
Mostra abstract
Epiphytic lichens represent one of the most suitable indicators of forest continuity and management, especially in the context of ancient and old-growth forests. Nevertheless, they have not yet been included among Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) indicators to which Pan-European forest policy and governance refer. In addition, currently adopted SFM indicators are mainly designed for high forests rather than coppice forests, despite the fact that today this management system covers more than 10% of the total European forests. In this study we investigated these two issues by examining epiphytic lichen diversity in three coppice forest stands, located in the two Italian regions of Tuscany and Sardinia. In particular, we addressed: i) the role of lichen diversity as SFM indicator and ii) its relationship with consolidated and new SFM indicators dealing with structural, health, biodiversity, protective and socioeconomic functions. Multivariate Factor Analysis and Generalised Linear Models were adopted for data analysis. We found that lichen diversity and the frequency of single sensitive species were mainly related to the biodiversity of plants and fungi (Criterion 4), the health and vitality of the forests (Criterion 2) and their protective functions (Criterion 5). Furthermore, our results show that the lichen species highlighted by the models may represent suitable indicators in long-term studies, especially in relation to complex and interconnected aspects of sustainable forest management. Although our findings represent a first contribute to this issue, more in-depth researches will be needed to clarify further aspects of the complex interactions among SFM indicators in the context of coppice forests. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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2020
Rivista
Ecological Indicators
Dettagli
Vol. 115
DOI
Drivers of vascular species diversity on floodplain poplar stands: An integrated approach for ecological and functional assessment
Corli , Anna , Vannucchi , Francesca , Traversari , Silvia , Orsenigo , Simone , Giovannelli , Alessio , Chiarabaglio , Pier Mario , Chianucci , Francesco , Calfapietra , Carlo , Scartazza , Andrea , Mascherpa , Marco Carlo , Traversi , Maria Laura , Cristaldi , Luca , Trentanovi , Giovanni
soil properties stand structure management populus spp. soil enzymatic activities vascular plants diversity
Mostra abstract
Biodiversity restoration is pivotal to enhance natural ecological processes in riparian ecosystems, affected by intensive human impact. Improving the riparian area functionality through new plantations is an effective Nature-based Solution. Poplar plantations have great potential for preventing soil erosion and providing habitats, but their impact on biodiversity has been little studied. Aims of this study were to: (1) investigate the effect of different poplar woodland management on vascular species diversity; (2) define the main drivers of vascular plant species richness, community composition, invasiveness and functional strategies. In three sites (Po river, Italy), an integrated survey protocol was applied to assess vascular species diversity, stand structure and soil properties. For each site, three stands with different management (cultivated, semi-natural and natural) were surveyed. Differences among all stand structural parameters and the management types were found. Tree diameter did not change between natural and seminatural stands but mean quadratic diameter of seminatural stands (28.1 cm) was similar to cultivated ones (26.8 cm). While cultivated stands showed the highest species richness (mean 28 species), semi-natural stands showed the highest number of native species (82 %) and an efficient soil N cycle (microbial N limitation, MNL < 0). The total Ca and MNL in soil resulted the main drivers of species diversity in the studied poplar stands. Semi-natural stands highlighted the best trade-off amongst vascular plant species diversity, invasiveness and soil process. The used integrated approach was effective and extendable to ecological and functional assessment of poplar riparian forests under different management gradients. © 2025 The Authors
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2025
Rivista
Forest Ecology and Management
Dettagli
Vol. 595
DOI
Linking Acoustic Indices to Vegetation and Microclimate in a Historical Urban Garden: Setting the Stage for a Restorative Soundscape
Portaccio , Alessia , Chianucci , Francesco , Pirotti , Francesco , Piragnolo , Marco , Sozzi , Marco , Zangrossi , Andrea , Celli , Miriam , Mazzella Di Bosco , Marta , Bolognesi , Monica , Sella , Enrico , Corbetta , Maurizio , Pazzaglia , Francesca , Cavalli , R.
acoustic indices human well-being seasonal variation soundscapes urban garden vegetational metrics
Mostra abstract
Urban soundscapes are increasingly recognized as fundamental for both ecological integrity and human well-being, yet the complex interplay between the vegetation structure, seasonal dynamics, and microclimatic factors in shaping these soundscapes remains poorly understood. This study tests the hypothesis that vegetation structure and seasonally driven biological activity mediate the balance and the quality of the urban acoustic environment. We investigated seasonal and spatial variations in five acoustic indices (NDSI, ACI, AEI, ADI, and BI) within a historical urban garden in Castelfranco Veneto, Italy. Using linear mixed-effects models, we analyzed the effects of season, microclimatic variables, and vegetation characteristics on soundscape composition. Non-parametric tests were used to assess spatial differences in vegetation metrics. Results revealed strong seasonal patterns, with spring showing increased NDSI (+0.17), ADI (+0.22), and BI (+1.15) values relative to winter, likely reflecting bird breeding phenology and enhanced biological productivity. Among microclimatic predictors, temperature (p < 0.001), humidity (p = 0.014), and solar radiation (p = 0.002) showed significant relationships with acoustic indices, confirming their influence on both animal behaviour and sound propagation. Spatial analyses showed significant differences in acoustic patterns across points (Kruskal–Wallis p < 0.01), with vegetation metrics such as tree density and evergreen proportion correlating with elevated biophonic activity. Although the canopy height model did not emerge as a significant predictor in the models, the observed spatial heterogeneity supports the role of vegetation in shaping urban sound environments. By integrating ecoacoustic indices, LiDAR-derived vegetation data, and microclimatic parameters, this study offers novel insights into how vegetational components should be considered to manage urban green areas to support biodiversity and foster acoustically restorative environments, advancing the evidence base for sound-informed urban planning. © 2025 by the authors.
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2025
Rivista
Land
Dettagli
Vol. 14 (10)
DOI
Behaviour of Brown Bears Under Fluctuating Resource Availability
Tattoni , Clara , Corradini , Andrea , Chianucci , Francesco , Ciolli , Marco , Giusti , Roberta , Bragalanti , Natalia , Cagnacci , Francesca , Martinoli , Adriano , Preatoni , Damiano G. , Bisi , Francesco
alps beech mast damage home range maxent modelling ursus arctos
Mostra abstract
Mast seeding, the variable and intermittent production of seeds, has cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. This study explores its influence on the brown bear populations in the Italian Alps, focusing on beechnuts (Fagus sylvatica L.), the primary food source for bears in the region. Using historical data and field sampling, we estimated and mapped the annual seed biomass from 2007 to 2021 for the province of Trento. The energy content of beechnuts was assessed through high heating values, providing the caloric resources available. Data on beechnuts production, records of damages and GPS data from 16 Eurasian brown bears were integrated to perform a temporal and spatial analysis at home range and at landscape level. Standardised damages to beehives and livestock decreased during mast years, suggesting that bears met their trophic needs through natural food sources. In fact, bears used more agricultural areas and less beech forest during years of beech crop failure. At landscape level, agriculture and pasture areas close to beech forests and distant from cities showed a higher risk of damage, providing a tool to anticipate management actions. This work provides insights on the ecological dynamics and conservation implications of brown bears in the study area by mapping the spatial and temporal aspects of mast seeding and bear-related damages. © 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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2025
Rivista
Ecology and Evolution
Dettagli
Vol. 15 (7)
DOI
Reliability of canopy photography for forest ecology and biodiversity studies
von Meijenfeldt , Anouk , Chianucci , Francesco , Rigo , Francesca , Ottenburghs , Jente , Hilpold , Andreas , Mina , Marco
leaf area index canopy photography canopy structure hemispherical photography mountain forests understory vegetation
Mostra abstract
Understory is a key component of forest biodiversity. The structure of the forest stand and the horizontal composition of the canopy play a major role on the light regime of the understory, which in turn affects the abundance and the diversity of the understory plant community. Reliable assessments of canopy structural attributes are essential for forest research and biodiversity monitoring programs, as well as to study the relationship between canopy and understory plant communities. Canopy photography is a widely used method but it is still not clear which photographic techniques is better suited to capture canopy attributes at stand-level that can be relevant in forest biodiversity studies. For this purpose, we collected canopy structure and understory plant diversity data on 51 forest sites in the north-eastern Italian Alps, encompassing a diversity of forest types from low-elevation deciduous, to mixed montane stands to subalpine coniferous forests. Canopy images were acquired using both digital cover (DCP) and hemispherical (DHP) photography, and analysed canopy structural attributes. These attributes were then compared to tree species composition data to evaluate whether they were appropriate to differentiate between forest types. Additionally, we tested what canopy attributes derived from DCP and DHP best explained the species composition of vascular plants growing in the understory. We found that hemispherical canopy photography was most suitable to capture differences in forest types, which was best expressed by variables such as leaf inclination angle and canopy openness. On our sites, DHP-based canopy attributes were also able to better distinguish between different conifer forests. Leaf clumping was the most important attribute for determining plant species distribution of the understory, indicating that diverse gap structures create different microclimate conditions enhancing diverse plant species with different ecological strategies. This study supports the reliability of canopy photography to derive meaningful indicators in forest and biodiversity research, but also provide insights for increasing understory diversity in managed forests of high conservation value. © 2025
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2025
Rivista
Ecological Indicators
Dettagli
Vol. 172
DOI
Silvicultural regime shapes understory functional structure in European forests
Chianucci , Francesco , Napoleone , Francesca , Ricotta , Carlo , Ferrara , Carlotta , Fusaro , Lina , Balducci , Lorenzo , Trentanovi , Giovanni , Bradley , Owen , Kovács , Bence , Mina , Marco , Cerabolini , Bruno Enrico Leone , Vandekerkhove , Kris , de Smedt , Pallieter , Lens , Luc , Hertzog , Lionel R. , Verheyen , Kris , Hofmeister , Jeňýk , Hošek , Jan , Matula , Radim , Doerfler , Inken , Müller , Jörg C. C. , Weisser , Wolfgang W. , Helback , Jan , Schall , Peter , Fischer , Markus , Heilmann-Clausen , Jacob , Riis-Hansen , Rasmus , Goldberg , Irina , Aude , Erik , Kepfer-Rojas , Sebastian , Kappel Schmidt , Inger , Riis-Nielsen , Torben , Mårell , Anders , Dumas , Yann , Janssen , Philippe , Paillet , Yoan , Archaux , Frédéric , Xystrakis , Fotios , Tinya , Flóra , Ódor , Péter , Aszalós , Réka , Bölöni , János , Cutini , Andrea , Bagella , Simonetta , Sitzia , Tommaso , Brazaitis , Gediminas , Marozas , Vitas , Ujházyová , Mariana , Ujházy , Karol , Máliš , František , Nordén , Björn , Burrascano , Sabina
functional diversity functional redundancy forest understory sustainable forest management unmanaged forests ecosystem resilience silvicultural regime
Mostra abstract
Managing forests to sustain their diversity and functioning is a major challenge in a changing world. Despite the key role of understory vegetation in driving forest biodiversity, regeneration and functioning, few studies address the functional dimensions of understory vegetation response to silvicultural management. We assessed the influence of the silvicultural regimes on the functional diversity and redundancy of European forest understory. We gathered vascular plant abundance data from more than 2000 plots in European forests, each associated with one out of the five most widespread silvicultural regimes. We used generalized linear mixed models to assess the effect of different silvicultural regimes on understory functional diversity (Rao's quadratic entropy) and functional redundancy, while accounting for climate and soil conditions, and explored the reciprocal relationship between three diversity components (functional diversity, redundancy and dominance) across silvicultural regimes through a ternary diversity diagram. Intensive silvicultural regimes are associated with a decrease in functional diversity and an increase in functional redundancy, compared with unmanaged conditions. This means that although intensive management may buffer communities' functions against species or functional losses, it also limits the range of understory response to environmental changes. Policy implications. Different silvicultural regimes influence different facets of understory functional features. While unmanaged forests can be used as a reference to design silvicultural practices in compliance with biodiversity conservation targets, different silvicultural options should be balanced at landscape scale to sustain the multiple forest functions that human societies are increasingly demanding. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Applied Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
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2024
Rivista
Journal of Applied Ecology
Dettagli
Vol. 61 (10) pp. 2350 - 2364
DOI
Relating forest structural characteristics to bat and bird diversity in the Italian Alps
Rigo , Francesca , Paniccia , Chiara , Anderle , Matteo , Chianucci , Francesco , Obojes , Nikolaus , Tappeiner , Ulrike , Hilpold , Andreas , Mina , Marco
forest biodiversity deadwood alps birds chiroptera tree-related microhabitats
Mostra abstract
The global decline of biodiversity has affected European forests, involving many tree species and forest-dwelling threatened animals. An integrated approach linking forest structure and multi-taxon diversity is increasingly needed to maintain the multifunctionality of forest ecosystems. We investigated the relationship between forest structure, deadwood elements, canopy attributes, and tree-related microhabitats on bat and bird communities in the north-eastern Italian Alps. We collected forest attributes, bats, and bird data on 40 forest plots encompassing the diversity of forest types. To assess the different contributions of each forest attribute variables we performed a two-step statistical analysis using generalised and linear models, including bat and bird taxonomical and functional diversity indices as response variables. Our findings reveal that bats and birds respond differently to variation in forest structural characteristics. Specifically, bat species richness was higher in forests with both higher standing tree and lying deadwood volume. The Shannon diversity index for bird community was higher in forests with high volumes of coarse lying deadwood and stumps. Moreover, plots with mature trees, gaps, and heterogeneous diameter distribution fostered the presence of generalist species of bats and birds, while the abundance of tree-related microhabitats was not significant for these two taxa. This study demonstrates that the optimal habitat conditions for bats and birds in Alpine forests are multifaceted. Promoting distinctive elements within forest stands and a complex forest structure through adaptations in forest management interventions would enhance the conservation of multi-taxon forest biodiversity. © 2024 The Authors
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2024
Rivista
Forest Ecology and Management
Dettagli
Vol. 554
DOI
Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to?
Burrascano , Sabina , Chianucci , Francesco , Trentanovi , Giovanni , Kepfer-Rojas , Sebastian , Sitzia , Tommaso , Tinya , Flóra , Doerfler , Inken , Paillet , Yoan , Nagel , Thomas A. , Mitić , Božena , Morillas , Lourdes , Munzi , Silvana , Van Der Sluis , Theo , Alterio , Edoardo , Balducci , Lorenzo , de Andrade , Rafael Barreto , Bouget , Christophe , Giordani , P. , Lachat , Thibault , Matošević , Dinka , Napoleone , Francesca , Nascimbene , Juri , Paniccia , Chiara , Roth , Nicolas , Aszalós , Réka , Brazaitis , Gediminas , Cutini , Andrea , D'Andrea , Ettore , de Smedt , Pallieter , Heilmann-Clausen , Jacob , Janssen , Philippe , Kozák , Daniel , Mårell , Anders , Mikoláš , Martin , Nordén , Björn , Matula , Radim , Schall , Peter , Svoboda , Miroslav , Ujházyová , Mariana , Vandekerkhove , Kris , Wohlwend , Michael Rudolf , Xystrakis , Fotios , Aleffi , Michele , Ammer , Christian , Archaux , Frédéric , Asbeck , Thomas , N Avtzis , Dimitrios N. , Ayasse , Manfred , Bagella , Simonetta , Balestrieri , Rosario , Barbati , Anna , Basile , Marco , Bergamini , Ariel , Bertini , Giada , Biscaccianti , Alessandro Bruno , Boch , Steffen , Bölöni , János , Bombi , Pierluigi , Boscardin , Yves , Brunialti , Giorgio , Bruun , Hans Henrik , Buscot , François , Byriel , David Bille , Campagnaro , Thomas , Campanaro , Alessandro , Chauvat , Matthieu , Ciach , Michał , Čiliak , Marek , Cistrone , Luca , Pereira , Joaò Manuel Cordeiro , Daniel , Rolf , de Cinti , Bruno , de Filippo , Gabriele , Dekoninck , Wouter , Di Salvatore , Umberto , Dumas , Yann , Elek , Zoltán , Ferretti , Fabrizio , Fotakis , Dimitrios G. , Frank , Tamás , Frey , Julian , Giancola , Carmen , Gömöryová , Erika , Gosselin , Marion , Gosselin , Frédéric , Goßner , Martin M. , Götmark , Frank , Haeler , Elena , Hansen , Aslak Kappel , Hertzog , Lionel R. , Hofmeister , Jeňýk , Hošek , Jan , Johannsen , Vivian Kvist , Justensen , Mathias Just , Korboulewsky , Nathalie , Kovács , Bence , Lakatos , Ferenc , Landivar , Carlos Miguel , Lens , Luc , Lingua , Emanuele
forest biodiversity biodiversity conservation forest stand structure multi-taxon sustainable management
Mostra abstract
The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research gaps; iii) discuss its research potential. We established a research network to fit data on species, standing trees, lying deadwood and sampling unit description from 34 local datasets across 3591 sampling units. A total of 8724 species were represented, with the share of common and rare species varying across taxonomic classes: some included many species with several rare ones (e.g., Insecta); others (e.g., Bryopsida) were represented by few common species. Tree-related structural attributes were sampled in a subset of sampling units (2889; 2356; 2309 and 1388 respectively for diameter, height, deadwood and microhabitats). Overall, multi-taxon studies are biased towards mature forests and may underrepresent the species related to other developmental phases. European forest compositional categories were all represented, but beech forests were over-represented as compared to thermophilous and boreal forests. Most sampling units (94%) were referred to a habitat type of conservation concern. Existing information may support European conservation and SFM strategies in: (i) methodological harmonization and coordinated monitoring; (ii) definition and testing of SFM indicators and thresholds; (iii) data-driven assessment of the effects of environmental and management drivers on multi-taxon forest biological and functional diversity, (iv) multi-scale forest monitoring integrating in-situ and remotely sensed information. © 2023 The Authors
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2023
Rivista
Biological Conservation
Dettagli
Vol. 284
DOI
IN SITU (TREE TALKER) AND REMOTELY-SENSED MULTISPECTRAL IMAGERY (SENTINEL-2) INTEGRATION FOR CONTINUOUS FOREST MONITORING: THE FIRST STEP TOWARD WALL-TO-WALL MAPPING OF TREE FUNCTIONAL TRAITS
Francini , Saverio , Zorzi , Ilaria , Giannetti , Francesca , Chianucci , Francesco , Travaglini , Davide , Chirici , Gherardo , Cocozza , C.
remote sensing deep learning modelling sensors tree talker tree-functional traits
Mostra abstract
Monitoring tree functional traits is essential for understanding forest ecosystems' capability to respond to climate change. Advancements in continuous proximal sensors and IoT technologies hold great potential for monitoring forest and tree ecosystem processes at the finest spatial and temporal scale. An example is the TreeTalker (TT) technology, which features sensors for measurements of the radial growth, sap flow, multispectral light transmission, air temperature, and humidity at tree level with an hourly frequency rate. Such information can be linked with remote sensing data acquired by the Sentinel-2 (S2) mission, allowing for scaling results over more spatially extensive areas. Firstly, we compared six TT with four S2 spectral bands with similar wavelengths. No correlation was found for blue, green and red channels (R<sup>2</sup> ranged between 0.04 and 0.09) while higher values were found for the near-infrared channel (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.9). To obtain an accurate prediction of TTs bands, also for those TTs bands which wavelengths are not similar to that of S2 bands, we implemented a Sentinel-2 to TreeTalker model (S2TT) by using an 8-layers fully connected deep neural network. The model was tested by using 23 Sentinel-2 imagery and data acquired by 40 TreeTalkers located in two different sites in Tuscany (a beech and a silver fir forest stand) in the period between 2020-07-15 and 2020-11-15. The R<sup>2</sup> ranged between 0.61 (B7, blue) and 0.96 (B6, near-infrared band). The S2TT model represents the first link between remote sensing and TreeTalkers, which might allow predicting tree functional traits using Sentinel-2 imagery. © 2021, Italian Society of Remote Sensing. All rights reserved.
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2021
Rivista
Trends in Earth Observation
Dettagli
Vol. 2 pp. 108 - 111
Dataset of tree inventory and canopy structure in poplar plantations in Northern Italy
Chianucci , Francesco , Marchino , Luca , Bidini , Claudio , Giorcelli , Achille , Coaloa , Domenico , Chiarabaglio , Pier Mario , Giannetti , Francesca , Chirici , Gherardo , Tattoni , Clara
leaf area index precision forestry crown volume hybrid i-214 poplar stem volume
Mostra abstract
The dataset reports data collected in 38 square (50 x 50m) 0.25 ha plots representative of poplar plantations in Lombardy Region (Northern Italy), which were used to calibrate optical information derived from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite (Sentinel-2) sensors. In each plot, the diameter at breast height was measured using a caliper; height, stem and crown volume of each tree were then derived from diameter using allometric equations developed in an independent study. Additional canopy attributes (foliage and crown cover, crown porosity, leaf area index) were derived in each plot from 12-20 optical images collected using digital cover photography (DCP). The collected data allows characterizing the assessment of structure of these plantations, along with their variation over the rotation time. Canopy and crown data also enable the evaluation of optimal rotation and tree spacing, as well as the relationship between stand and canopy structure. The raw datasets consist of 2,591 records (trees) associated with inventory measurements and 616 records (images) associated with optical canopy measurements. An R code was also provided to calculate plot-level attributes from raw data. Dataset and associated metadata are freely available at http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/ycr7w5pvkt.1. © 2021 Centro di Ricerca per la Selvicoltura, Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'Analisi dell'Economia Agraria. All rights reserved.
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2021
Rivista
Annals of Silvicultural Research
Dettagli
Vol. 46 (1) pp. 93 - 96
DOI