How do insect pests interact with other forest disturbances?
Insects are part of our ecosystems and are well integrated in the dynamics of our forests. However, high-intensity episodes, known as outbreaks, can have strong negative impacts on forest landscapes. In this post written with Quim Canelles from the Forest Sciences and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) we summarize the results of a recent review paper published in the journal Landscape Ecology shedding some light on the indirect effects of insect outbreaks through interactions with other forest disturbances.
Dopo Vaia, il futuro sono le foreste resilienti
I was interview (in Italian) by the regional daily newspaper Alto Adige about the agreement on deforestation during the COP26 and about resilient forests.
The future of forests
Article written by Giovanni Blandino from the Communication Office of Eurac Research. In this post we discuss the vulnerability of forests in an era of global environmantal changes and how predictive models can allow to evaluate future scenarios, helping us understand how these ecosystems will behave in the face of anticipated changes such as rising temperatures and to be more prepared in their response to unexpected events.
A step forward in the simulation of Mediterranean forest ecosystems
Modelling the dynamics of Mediterranean forests at large scales is a challenge. Landscape simulation models can help us better understand future directions of these ecosystems and how to better manage them.
Forest landscapes as functional networks - Novel approaches to manage for resilience
Viewing and analyzing forest landscapes as functional complex networks could be a promising approach to increase ecological resilience to global uncertainty. Now, two new studies show how this could be applied in differently structured landscapes.
Da Vicenza a Montreal studiando le foreste
A short article about me on the italo-canadian journal Cittadino Canadese written by Giulia Verticchio / Un breve articolo sul mio percorso di ricerca all’estero e integrazione in Canada sul giornale Cittadino Canadese scritto da Giulia Verticchio
Are ash trees doomed?
Ash trees have been part of North American and European forest landscapes for millennia. Yet, they are now under threats from invasive pests and pathogens (ash dieback and the emerald ash borer).
The challenge of managing forests for multiple ecosystem services in a changing world
On 26-28 February 2020, about 200 scientists – forest ecologists, economists, policy analysts and conservationists – as well as interested stakeholders, students and practitioners from Europe and beyond gathered together in Bonn, Germany, to discuss scientific evidence relating to the current state of ‘integrated’ forest management approaches across the globe.
Giant tree hunting and old-growth forest conservation in Vancouver Island
Temperate rainforests are magical ecosystems. In them trees grow tall, big, massive. Big and tall trees, however, means also big, tall money. When European pioneers arrived in Eastern North America they found forests with huge trees, but it only took a few decades to get rid of ancient giants.
Seeing and managing forests as functional complex networks – an interview with Christian Messier
In September 2017 I participated to a very dynamic field-week that took place in Tuscany, Italy. Here international students had the chance to discuss new concepts in forest management, such as viewing forest ecosystems as complex adaptive systems.
