During the last decades, an increasing number of studies have described and highlighted the impact of historical human activities on the structural, compositional and functional characteristics of forest ecosystems. The production of woody charcoal in Mediterranean forests originated in very ancient times and has continued until about 60 years ago. The charcoal process production is based on the pyrolisis of wood at high temperature without oxygen; it was realized directly in the forest, using special woody kilns covered by a mixture of soil and plant material, placed in small, flat areas prepared for this purpose. This traditional activity has been for long time the main form of forest use of Italian coppice woodlands, but, as many widespread traditional land use systems it almost vanished because of the socio-economical changes in the last decades. In most Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, this activity resulted in a high number of charcoal sites in various types of lowland and mountain forests. Today, these sites are still easily recognizable for their semicircular, flat surface, the blackish color of the soil (rich in charcoal remains) and often for the lack of trees rooted inside. Moreover, preliminary observations indicate that the understory vegetation may be more abundant and rich in such peculiar sites than in the surrounding stands. Therefore charcoal places may represent small but numerous “ecological” islands of anthropic origin, contributing to the fine-scale heterogeneity and diversity of the forest community. To date, information about the ecological effects of these micro-habitats on the diversity and productivity of the understorey vegetation, as well on tree regeneration, is still completely lacking. The aim of this work was therefore to investigate these effects, and the main abiotic drivers possibly involved. Based on extensive field searches, over 60 charcoal burning sites were selected to represent three main forest types of central Italy along an altitudinal gradient: sclerophyll forests, mixed-deciduous forests, and mountain beech forests. Each of these sites was sampled for understory vegetation and tree regeneration according to a standard protocol which was applied also to the same number of control areas randomly placed for each charcoal site in the closely surrounding stands. Preliminary results of this work suggest that old charcoal sites are characterized by a higher understorey vegetation diversity and productivity. In addition, compositional changes were also detected, increasing the βdiversity of the forest ecosystem. Data on tree regeneration, still under processing, do not suggest significant differences in the number of one–year seedlings. Interactions between soil and light factors in explaining such differences are still under investigation. Demonstrating the presence of a positive “charcoal effect” on understory vegetation would justify the adoption of some conservation strategies in the management of both abandoned and productive coppices. This would help the conservation of both biodiversity and a remarkable heritage of a vanished form of forest use.

Il significato ecologico delle carbonaie per la vegetazione erbaceo-arbustiva e per la rinnovazione arborea delle foreste mediterranee / The ecological role of old charcoal sites for understorey vegetation and tree regeneration in Mediterranean forests / Carrari, Elisa; Ampoorter, Evy; Verheyen, Kris; Coppi, Andrea; Selvi, Federico. - ELETTRONICO. - (2015), pp. 5-6. (Intervento presentato al convegno II Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura / II International Congress of Silviculture tenutosi a Firenze nel 26-29 Novembre 2014).

Il significato ecologico delle carbonaie per la vegetazione erbaceo-arbustiva e per la rinnovazione arborea delle foreste mediterranee / The ecological role of old charcoal sites for understorey vegetation and tree regeneration in Mediterranean forests

CARRARI, ELISA;COPPI, ANDREA;SELVI, FEDERICO
2015

Abstract

During the last decades, an increasing number of studies have described and highlighted the impact of historical human activities on the structural, compositional and functional characteristics of forest ecosystems. The production of woody charcoal in Mediterranean forests originated in very ancient times and has continued until about 60 years ago. The charcoal process production is based on the pyrolisis of wood at high temperature without oxygen; it was realized directly in the forest, using special woody kilns covered by a mixture of soil and plant material, placed in small, flat areas prepared for this purpose. This traditional activity has been for long time the main form of forest use of Italian coppice woodlands, but, as many widespread traditional land use systems it almost vanished because of the socio-economical changes in the last decades. In most Mediterranean countries, such as Italy, this activity resulted in a high number of charcoal sites in various types of lowland and mountain forests. Today, these sites are still easily recognizable for their semicircular, flat surface, the blackish color of the soil (rich in charcoal remains) and often for the lack of trees rooted inside. Moreover, preliminary observations indicate that the understory vegetation may be more abundant and rich in such peculiar sites than in the surrounding stands. Therefore charcoal places may represent small but numerous “ecological” islands of anthropic origin, contributing to the fine-scale heterogeneity and diversity of the forest community. To date, information about the ecological effects of these micro-habitats on the diversity and productivity of the understorey vegetation, as well on tree regeneration, is still completely lacking. The aim of this work was therefore to investigate these effects, and the main abiotic drivers possibly involved. Based on extensive field searches, over 60 charcoal burning sites were selected to represent three main forest types of central Italy along an altitudinal gradient: sclerophyll forests, mixed-deciduous forests, and mountain beech forests. Each of these sites was sampled for understory vegetation and tree regeneration according to a standard protocol which was applied also to the same number of control areas randomly placed for each charcoal site in the closely surrounding stands. Preliminary results of this work suggest that old charcoal sites are characterized by a higher understorey vegetation diversity and productivity. In addition, compositional changes were also detected, increasing the βdiversity of the forest ecosystem. Data on tree regeneration, still under processing, do not suggest significant differences in the number of one–year seedlings. Interactions between soil and light factors in explaining such differences are still under investigation. Demonstrating the presence of a positive “charcoal effect” on understory vegetation would justify the adoption of some conservation strategies in the management of both abandoned and productive coppices. This would help the conservation of both biodiversity and a remarkable heritage of a vanished form of forest use.
2015
II Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura / II International Congress of Silviculture - Book of Abstracts
II Congresso Internazionale di Selvicoltura / II International Congress of Silviculture
Firenze
Carrari, Elisa; Ampoorter, Evy; Verheyen, Kris; Coppi, Andrea; Selvi, Federico
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Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1066614
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