New techniques for monitoring the carbon balance and the state of health of wood and fruit chestnut trees

In most of the Italian Apennines the chestnut grove is evolving towards a mixed forest with an important presence of Castanea sativa Mill. lacking the structural characteristics necessary for the traditional production of fruit. Faced with this process of re-naturalization, the Emilia-Romagna Region recognizes the desirability of maintaining fruit-bearing chestnut growing in the Apennines, as a resource for the mountain economy and as a characterizing element of the landscape and tradition. The recovery of the chestnut grove to the topical crop is, however, expected only in the most suitable
conditions, considering not only the phytoclimatic zone but also the appropriate micro-site conditions, thus proceeding with recovery interventions on small surfaces (<500 square meters) inside of a forest matrix (Art. 30, Emilia-Romagna Forest Regulation).
The aim of the project is to assess the ecological footprint of this recovery to the topicality of cultivation, in terms of carbon fixation and sequestration in the soil-plant system, water use and land cover.
The project therefore proposes to (i) disseminate methods of analysis of stational suitability (Land Suitability Analysis) for the identification of areas potentially suited to recovery in the current situation; (ii) apply smart and low-cost technologies to monitor the environmental impact and on the cycle of the recovery of the chestnut grove; (iii) apply the same methodologies to monitor the response of the chestnut to climate change.