19 research outputs found
Applicazione di tecniche di telerilevamento per la stima di parametri dendro-auxometrici a diversa scala in popolamenti forestali
No full textIl Telerilevamento è diventato una tecnologia insostituibile per il monitoraggio delle foreste a tutte le scale spaziali, a fini scientifici, pianificatori, gestionali e operativi, tanto da essere diventato onnipresente all’interno della Selvicoltura di precisione. Il Telerilevamento fa parte a sua volta degli strumenti e tecniche della Geomatica che supportano ad analizzare dati, estrarre informazioni e metterle a disposizione degli utilizzatori finali, anche attraverso i Sistemi di supporto alle decisioni. Questo elaborato presenta tre applicazioni di telerilevamento e geomatica legate al contesto territoriale del Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Il primo studio ha riguardato la stima spazialmente esplicita di volume legnoso e incremento legnoso corrente annuo per l’intera superficie forestale del Friuli Venezia Giulia mediante l’utilizzo di dati telerilevati, e dell’Inventario forestale nazionale 2015 usati in un algoritmo Random forest. Tra i dati in ingresso, sono state utilizzate come variabili indipendenti quattro indici spettrali calcolati da Sentinel-2 tramite Google Earth Engine, un modello di altezza delle chiome e tre descrittori della geomorfologia. I risultati sono due mappe raster a risoluzione 23 x 23 m, e dimostrano l’importanza dell’impiego dei dati LiDAR ad alta densità, ma anche l’apporto dei dati satellitari.
Il secondo articolo riguarda la realizzazione di un sistema di supporto alle decisioni forestale finalizzato ad assistere le utilizzazioni e la pianificazione di dettaglio, integrando i dati generati dalla prima ricerca. Questo nuovo strumento è stato sviluppato aggiornando e unendo insieme diverse fonti di informazioni disponibili (ad esempio, composizione delle specie arboree, presenza di aree protette, strade forestali, ecc.) con nuovi livelli ad hoc quali l’accessibilità con due mezzi da esbosco, ed elaborando anche un'analisi dei costi relativa ai diversi possibili metodi di raccolta del legname. Il sistema è stato testato e diffuso tra i professionisti, funzionari regionali e amministrazioni, dimostrandone la facilità d’impiego e l’utilità.
L’ultimo, prende le mosse dal grande incendio del 2022 che ha colpito i boschi del Carso tra Italia e Slovenia. Nasce dall’esigenza di raccogliere dati sull’estensione e severità dell’incendio, applicando l’indice spettrale differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), e che ha consentito un approfondimento con i dati raccolti in campo sulle specie vegetali. I risultati mostrano che incendi intensi causano una significativa mortalità degli alberi e modificano profondamente la composizione della vegetazione, favorendo la diffusione di specie arbustive e erbacee, alcune delle quali aliene e invasive. L'aumento dell'eterogeneità degli habitat, pur favorendo la biodiversità a breve termine, potrebbe comportare cambiamenti a lungo termine nella struttura e nel funzionamento dell'ecosistema. Lo studio sottolinea l'importanza di considerare la gravità degli incendi nella pianificazione delle strategie di conservazione e gestione forestale.Remote Sensing has become an irreplaceable technology for forest monitoring at all spatial scales, for scientific, planning, management and operational purposes, so much so that it has become omnipresent within Precision Forestry. Remote Sensing is in turn part of the Geomatics tools and techniques that support data analysis, information extraction and making it available to end users, also through Decision Support Systems. This paper presents three applications of remote sensing and geomatics related to the territory of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The first study concerned the spatially explicit estimation of growing stock and current annual increment for the entire forest area of Friuli Venezia Giulia through the use of remote sensing data, and the 2015 National Forest Inventory used in a Random forest algorithm. Among the input data, four spectral indices calculated by Sentinel-2 via Google Earth Engine, a canopy height model and three geomorphology descriptors were used as independent variables. The results are two raster maps with a resolution of 23 x 23 m, and demonstrate the importance of using high-density LiDAR data, but also the contribution of satellite data.
The second article concerns the creation of a forestry decision support system aimed at assisting utilization and detailed planning, integrating the data generated by the first research. This new tool was developed by updating and merging together different sources of available information (for example, composition of tree species, presence of protected areas, forest roads, etc.) with new ad hoc levels such as accessibility with two logging vehicles, and also developing a cost analysis relating to the different possible methods of timber harvesting. The system has been tested and disseminated among professionals, regional officials and administrations, demonstrating its ease of use and usefulness.
The last one, starts from the great fire of 2022 that hit the forests of the Karst between Italy and Slovenia. It arises from the need to collect data on the extension and severity of the fire, applying the spectral index differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR), and which has allowed an in-depth analysis with the data collected in the field on plant species. The results show that intense fires cause significant tree mortality and profoundly modify the composition of the vegetation, favoring the spread of shrubby and herbaceous species, some of which are alien and invasive. The increase in habitat heterogeneity, while favoring biodiversity in the short term, could lead to long-term changes in the structure and functioning of the ecosystem. The study underlines the importance of considering the severity of fires in planning forest conservation and management strategies
Strumenti digitali di supporto alle decisioni per il governo smart del territorio
No full textL’Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ha un’importanza fondamentale dal punto di vista sociale, economico e culturale per l’erogazione di servizi ai cittadini e per il supporto ai processi produttivi. Sta inoltre emergendo un nuovo ruolo fondamentale dell’ICT come supporto ai processi di decisione strategica, ottenuto grazie all’elaborazione di grandi masse di dati che permettono di modellare fenomeni complessi prevedendone l’evoluzione. In tale ambito risulta rilevante l’apporto dell’Università che può mettere a disposizione conoscenze ICT innovative e un approccio multidisciplinare per costruire Smart city e Smart land. Iniziative dell’Officina riguardano i sistemi informativi di supporto alle decisioni strategiche dei policy maker e il supporto alla Pubblica amministrazione locale per l’analisi e la progettazione di iniziative innovative. Tra queste, la co-progettazione di Udine SMART University City con gli studenti e il Comune di Udine e l’avvio del Portale del riuso a sostegno di politiche ambientali sostenibili
Mapping Forest Growing Stock and Its Current Annual Increment Using Random Forest and Remote Sensing Data in Northeast Italy
No full textThe role of forests in providing multiple goods and services has been recognized worldwide. In such a context, reliable spatial predictions of forest attributes such as tree volume and current increment are fundamental for conducting forest monitoring, improving restoration programs, and supporting decision-making processes. This article presents the methodology and the results of the wall-to-wall spatialization of the growing stock volume and the current annual increment measured in 273 plots of data of the Italian National Forest Inventory over an area of more than 3260 km2 in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (Northeast Italy). To this aim, a random forest model was tested using as predictors 4 spectral indices from Sentinel-2, a high-resolution Canopy Height Model derived from LiDAR, and geo-morphological data. According to the Leave One Out cross-validation procedure, the model for the growing stock shows an R2 and an RMSE% of 0.67 and 41%, respectively. Instead, an R2 of 0.47 and an RMSE% of 57% were obtained for the current annual increment. The validation with an independent dataset further improved the models’ performances, yielding significantly higher R2 values of 0.84 and 0.83 for volume and for increment, respectively. Our results underline a relatively higher importance of LiDAR-derived metrics compared to other covariates in estimating both attributes, as they were even twice as important as vegetation indices for growing stock. Therefore, these metrics are promising for the development of a national LiDAR-based model
Forest regeneration after windstorm: from natural regeneration dynamics to restoration practices in north-easter Italian Alps.
No full textIncreasing the value of windstorm damaged forest: combining restoration practices and agroforestry
No full textIncreasing the value of windstorm damaged forest: combining restoration practices and agroforestry
No full textA WebGIS tool to support forest management at regional and local scale
No full textOne of the most important obstacles for taking advantage of forest resources in the Italian Alps is represented by the high level of private properties fragmentation and by their small size. Thus, there is an urgent need for tools to support single or multi-forest owners to gain reliable and updated information on their forest stands so that the proper silvicultural activities following all the existing regulations can be adopted. The present research was aimed at promoting a shared management of small private forest properties in the mountainous area of Friuli Venezia Giulia (NE Italy) through the implementation of a new WebGIS tool to support forest decisions and management at different spatial scales. This new tool was developed updating and merging together different available information sources (e.g., tree species composition, the presence of protected areas, forest roads, etc.) with ad-hoc elaborated layers (e.g., standing volume, annual increment of volume, forest accessibility, etc.), also elaborating a cost analysis related to the different possible harvesting methods. The tool allows queries at the level of either a single or a group of cadastral parcels to obtain data in a format, which can be used for filling in the planning document requested by the regional authorities
Impact of salvage logging on short-term natural regeneration in montane forests of the Alps after large windthrow events
No full textWind disturbances are one of the main drivers of forest dynamics in Europe, shaping forest stands and modifying the ecosystem services provisioning. Salvage logging is often most common strategy adopted after a high-severity disturbance in managed stands. Understanding natural regeneration dynamics including their interaction with the logging operations, is crucial to understand how forests will be changing under a climate with increasing variability and to design adequate adaptive post-disturbance management strategies. In this study, we focused on 148 stands damaged by storm Vaia (2018). The aim was to analyze natural regeneration dynamics under different logging systems and to investigate influences of site characteristics and disturbance legacies on sapling growth and seedling emergence. The sampling protocol consisted of one transect per stand, perpendicular to one of the intact forest edges, and with a length of 80 m. Along the transect, we collected soil cover, natural seedling and sapling stem density, and deadwood quantity in four sample plots of 3 m radius each at distances of 0, 20, 40, and 80 meters from the edge (592 plots in total). Regeneration species composition was mainly driven by previous stand composition, with some exceptions depending on seed dispersal strategy. Distance from the edge significantly influenced seedlings and saplings occurrence in large gaps and affected the browsing damage percentage, together with deadwood presence. According to GLM’s models, distance from the edge, elevation, and logging methods influenced seedling establishment. At the same time, species characteristics, edge structure, deadwood and logging damages significantly influenced pre-storm seedlings and saplings presence and health. In conclusion site factors, disturbance legacies, and logging strategies are key points to consider in post-disturbance management for a fast forest recovery
Scheda della rete della mobilità lenta
No full textLa scheda propone quadri conoscitivi, analisi, interpretazioni e strategie in riferimento agli assi della mobilità lenta (ciclabili, cammini, vie d'acqua) in grado di costituire una rete per la fruizione paesaggistica in Friuli Venezia Giulia
Strategie per una rete di spazi aperti a supporto di politiche contro il consumo di suolo nel contesto del Friuli Venezia Giulia
No full textIl contributo trae origine da uno studio sul consumo di suolo in Friuli Venezia Giulia nell'ambito delle attività di supporto svolte dall'Università di Udine per il Piano Paesaggistico Regionale e propone un insieme di strategie ad ausilio dei processi urbanistici, sia decisionali che progettuali, per il contenimento del consumo di suolo. Queste vengono inquadrate nella cornice metodologica delle infrastrutture verdi, e nel tema prioritario del ruolo dello spazio aperto nel governo del territorio e del paesaggio
