Planting trees in Italy for the health of the planet. Where, how and why

Forest

article

Marco Marchetti¹  Renzo Motta²  Fabio Salbitano³  Giorgio Vacchiano⁴ 

[1] Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, Università degli Studi del Molise;Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Forestali e Alimentari, DISAFA, Università degli studi di Torino;Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali, Università degli Studi di Firenze;Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Ambientali, DISAA, Università degli studi di Milano

关键词: Climate Change Mitigation;    Reforestation;    Urban Forests;    Sustainable and Adaptive Forest Strategies;   

DOI  :  10.3832/efor3260-016

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Societa Italiana di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale (S I S E F)

【 摘 要 】

The Laudato Si’ communities have put forward the proposal to plant 60 million trees in Italy to fight the climate crisis. The role of forests in mitigating climate change is scientifically unequivocal. However, a sound reforestation strategy must be consistent with the country’s environmental, forest and socio-economic context. Italian forests and the 12 billion trees they contain currently absorb 5-10% of the total country emissions; 60 million trees would result in an additional sequestration of 0.05% of the CO2 emitted annually. Furthermore, forested areas in Italy are rapidly increasing on rural and marginal sites. On the contrary, forests are disappearing in lowlands and urban centers. Cities and suburbs are the areas where new forests could play an important role in climate mitigation, contributing to the mitigation of heat waves and air pollution, and increasing the well-being of citizens. To be successful, interventions to mitigate the climate crisis cannot be exhausted within the forest sector. Forestry-related strategies must be diversified, and include reducing deforestation, planting new forests, increasing the efficacy of sustainable and adaptive forest management, and taking advantage of the substitution effects played by wood-based materials. New urban forests, if subject to scientifically based design and planning, are an important part of this strategy.

【 授权许可】

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