Criteria to identify old‐growth forests in the Mediterranean: A case study from Sicily based on literature review and some management proposals

Badalamenti, Emilio; Pasta, Salvatore; Mantia, Tommaso La; Veca, Donato Salvatore La Mela

doi:10.1002/fedr.201700009

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Very few studies have been carried out in potentially old-growth Mediterranean oak forests [11,12], including Italy, where the identified OGFs, mostly beech stands, are estimated to cover about 160,000 ha [13]. Although they are likely to be rare, some oak OGF has been reported and investigated in the last few years [14]. However, very little is known about the carbon stocks and belowground pools of these unique ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon stock increases up to old growth forest along a secondary succession in Mediterranean island ecosystems

et al. 2019

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The occurrence of old-growth forests is quite limited in Mediterranean islands, which have been subject to particularly pronounced human impacts. Little is known about the carbon stocks of such peculiar ecosystems compared with different stages of secondary succession. We investigated the carbon variation in aboveground woody biomass, in litter and soil, and the nitrogen variation in litter and soil, in a 100 years long secondary succession in Mediterranean ecosystems. A vineyard, three stages of plant succession (high maquis, maquis-forest, and forest-maquis), and an old growth forest were compared. Soil samples at two soil depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm), and two litter types, relatively undecomposed and partly decomposed, were collected. Carbon stock in aboveground woody biomass increased from 6 Mg ha -1 in the vineyard to 105 Mg ha -1 in old growth forest. Along the secondary succession, soil carbon considerably increased from about 33 Mg ha -1 in the vineyard to about 69 Mg ha -1 in old growth forest. Soil nitrogen has more than doubled, ranging from 4.1 Mg ha -1 in the vineyard to 8.8 Mg ha -1 in old growth forest. Both soil parameters were found to be affected by successional stage and soil depth but not by their interaction. While the C/N ratio in the soil remained relatively constant during the succession, the C/N ratio of the litter strongly decreased, probably following the progressive increase in the holm oak contribution. While carbon content in litter decreased along the succession, nitrogen content slightly increased. Overall, carbon stock in aboveground woody biomass, litter and soil increased from about 48 Mg ha -1 in the vineyard to about 198 Mg ha -1 in old growth forest. The results of this study indicate that, even in Mediterranean environments, considerable amounts of carbon may be stored through secondary succession processes up to old growth forest.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon stock increases up to old growth forest along a secondary succession in Mediterranean island ecosystems

et al. 2019

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“…To evaluate the descriptive capacity of the SHI, it has been related to variables that are likely to be related with forest age and structural complexity, such as presence of cerambycids (higher presence associated with mature forest), canopy cover (higher canopy cover in older forests), forest layers (higher complexity of layers in mature forests), grazing (lower structural heterogeneity in forest with regeneration strongly affected by grazing) and location (easy coastal access favours the economic exploitation of the wood and the drier climate slows down its growth). Moreover, each site was classified according to the three old-growthness classes proposed for different types of Sicilian forests (Badalamenti et al 2018). Such classification was based on field measurements of four internationally recognised indicators of oldgrowthness: deadwood, tree size, structural characteristics and tree species richness.…”

Section: Elaborating and Evaluating The Structural Heterogeneity Index (Shi)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and cerambycids (Cer. ); estimated % of canopy cover; structure of canopy layers (CL): Multi (M), Double (D), Single (S); tree species richness; Old-growthness class estimated according to Badalamenti et al (2018): High (H), Medium (M), Low (L). See Table 1 for the rest of abbreviations human accessibility, economic interest and, possibly, to slower forest growth associated with dry climatic conditions and general low forest resilience of Mediterranean coastal areas (Mayor et al 2007).…”

Section: Factors Affecting Forest Heterogeneity In Sardiniamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was supported by the significant differences of SHIs among forest stands classified under three classes of old-growthness. Even though the SHI is not conceived for classifying oldgrowth forests, like the one proposed by Badalamenti et al (2018), it can be used as a preliminary conservation priority-ranking measure of old-growth forests and persistent woodlands in Sardinia and other poorly investigated territories. Forests with high SHI stands should be prioritised for conservation and investigations aimed at understanding local processes underlying forest structural complexity and dynamics.…”

Section: The Shi As a Proxy Forest Of Old-growthness And Conservation Valuementioning

confidence: 99%

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Structural heterogeneity and old-growthness: A first regional-scale assessment of Sardinian forests

Fantini

Fois

Casula

et al. 2020

AFR

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Mediterranean forests have been altered by several human activities. Consequently, relatively intact forests that have been unmodified by humans for a relatively long time (i.e., old-growth forests) are often reduced to isolated and fragmented stands. However, despite their high conservation value, little is known about their features and even presence several Mediterranean areas. First steps of their investigation are based on the identification of old-growth features such as amount of large‐size and old trees, tree species composition, canopy heterogeneity, occurrence and amount of deadwood. The Structural Heterogeneity Index (SHI) is commonly used to summarise features of old-growthness in one single value. Here, the SHI was derived for 68 plots included in 45 forest stands within the 4,297 km2 of territory that is covered by forests in Sardinia. SHI values were affected by variables that are likely to be related to forest age and structural complexity, such as presence of cerambycids, canopy cover, forest layers, location and three old-growthness classes. Results confirm a high structural variability among forests with old-growth features, determined by the presence, or lack, of given living and deadwood features. Our findings identified, for the first time, most of the forest stands that need special protection in Sardinia for the presence of old-growth features. In this sense, the SHI was confirmed useful for improving their management and conservation, although more specific and deeper studies are necessary for better understanding their species composition and dynamics.

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“…It accounts for approx. 7% of total regional forest cover (Camerano et al 2011), in some cases characterizing old growth stands (Badalamenti et al 2018). Only 41.3% of the Sicilian cork oak stands are currently managed for production and the progressive abandonment of cork cultivation is considered to be a threat to the conservation of these ecosystems on a regional scale.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

Badalamenti¹,

Scalenghe²,

Mantia³

et al. 2020

iForest

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The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range is not only determined by its climatic requirements but also by specific edaphic needs. Although most of the natural populations thrive in acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops, some cork oak populations are found growing in soils deriving from calcareous bedrock, which are considered less suitable. We carried out a multidisciplinary investigation at the south eastern edge of the Q. suber distribution range (Mountains of Palermo, NW Sicily), including soil, floristic, and vegetation surveys, aimed at: (i) assessing the native or introduced origin of some peculiar cork oak populations; (ii) describing the associated plant communities and soils; (iii) identifying the ecological factors which could explain the local adaptation to soils deriving from calcareous bedrock; (iv) discussing the ecological role played by this species in the study area and within its distribution range. The collected information suggest that the detected cork oak stands are native to these areas. We hypothesized that the co-occurrence of high fire frequency, high soil calcium content and erosion, which caused the intermixing of different parent materials, might favor its competitive interactions with other Mediterranean tree species, thus accounting for the local presence of Q. suber. The study of cork oak populations thriving in peculiar substrates at the driest end of the range could be of great importance for the future conservation of this species, which is expected to face growing threats in the coming decades.

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Criteria to identify old‐growth forests in the Mediterranean: A case study from Sicily based on literature review and some management proposals

Cited by 12 publications

References 52 publications

Carbon stock increases up to old growth forest along a secondary succession in Mediterranean island ecosystems

Carbon stock increases up to old growth forest along a secondary succession in Mediterranean island ecosystems

Structural heterogeneity and old-growthness: A first regional-scale assessment of Sardinian forests

The cork oak in the Mountains of Palermo (Italy): ecological insights from the south-eastern edge of its distribution range

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