96967 - Forest Dynamics and Environmental Restoration

Learning outcomes

During this course students will gain theoretical and practical know how on how to evaluate a forest stand and how to improve its stability after disturbances, based on current regulation in place at regional and national level. In particular students will learn to plan and design: - forest landscape restoration and rehabilitation interventions as well as landscape reclamation; - forest management in areas with specific regulation (e.g., protected areas, urban areas); - afforestation interventions.

Course contents

Pre-requisite knowledge: botany (forest botany), forest ecology and management, environmental hydraulics and forest and landscape monitoring. 

The course is broadly divided into six principal themes:

Theme 1. Forest stand description

Main topics: how to describe a forest stand, its functioning (with focus on ecological processes) and associated ecosystem services; overview of main forest management practices. 

Theme 2. Forest types in Italy

Main topics: main forest types in Italy following the principal phytoclimatic zones (including woodland afforestation and reforestation); forest management according to the main forest functioning.

Theme 3. Disturbances and forest stand dynamics.

Main topics: natural dynamics of forest ecosystems, disturbance ecology, with focus on natural disturbances (definitions, categories and disturbance analysis); forest resistance and resilience; forest degradation.

Theme 4. Disturbances and Forest management  

Main topics: land degradation and forest management; Post-disturbance restoration (case studies: forest fire, wind, landslides, avalanche, climate extremes); land reclamation.

Theme 5. Forest disturbance management in other context

Main topics: disturbances and forest management in protected areas.

Theme 6. Forest nursery

Main topics: seed production; nursery organisation and regulatory aspects

Readings/Bibliography

Books

- Del Favero Roberto (2004). I boschi delle regioni alpine italiane: tipologia, funzionamento e selvicoltura. CLEUP.

- Del Favero Roberto (2008). I boschi delle regioni meridionali e insulari di’Italia: tipologia, funzionamento e selvicoltura. CLEUP.

- Del Favero Roberto (2010). I boschi delle regioni dell’Italia centrale. CLEUP.

- Roberto del Favero, Emanuele Lingua eMario Pividori (2019). Selvicoltura per la protezione dei disturbi. Compagnia delle Foreste.

- Thomas Wohlgemuth, Anke Jentsch, Rupert Seidl (2022). Disturbance Ecology. Springer

Teaching methods

The course combines lectures with power-point presentations (for the majority of the hours) and practical activities in the forest. There will be a series of seminars from forest management experts and forest ecology researchers on specific topics. The use of virtual platform (Wooclap) in the class and active discussion during seminars will foster critical thinking and interaction between students and professor (e.g., brainstorming and discussion on specific case studies regarding post-disturbance forest management).

Assessment methods

The final exam will include:

Written report: a technical report on the activity carried out during fieldwork.

Written test: a questionnaire of 5 questions.

This is a module of the integrated course, and consequently, the final mark will be the average of the scores obtained from the two modules.

Teaching tools

All the material will be shared through the Virtuale platform

Office hours

See the website of Maria Rosa Guerrieri