In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, tree farming and agroforestry systems can contribute significantly to domestic wood production, for industrial usage and energy conversion, combining productive activities with ecosystem services. This has been demonstrated in the last few years by many research studies carried out at national and international levels. Trees outside forest can have positive effects on adjacent cropping areas in terms of biodiversity, landscape, carbon cycle and soil protection, in full agreement with the latest guidelines on the EU’s “greening” of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The uncertainty of the international wood market has led to a dramatic crisis of private investments on traditional plantation forestry for timber production, although poplar plantations are still intensively managed and constantly innovated throughout research activity. Alternative solutions relay on flexible cultural models, able to quickly adapt to wood market uncertainty, throughout the implementation of cropping systems providing various sized and quality wood assortments for energy and round wood at different time steps. This can be achieved by applying: i) polycyclic arboriculture, i.e. combining tree species with different rotation lengths; ii) Short Rotation plantations with 2-3 and 5-6 yr. rotation coppicing cycle, producing assortments for multiple industrial uses; ii) new agroforestry systems with a modern complementarity between trees outside forest and agricultural activities, balancing food and wood security with environmental preservation. These opportunities offered by the new cultural models need a more coordinated political and industrial organization of the domestic wood sector.
Tree farming, Agroforestry and the new green revolution, a necessary alliance
MINOTTA, Gianfranco;
2015-01-01
Abstract
In Italy, as in the rest of Europe, tree farming and agroforestry systems can contribute significantly to domestic wood production, for industrial usage and energy conversion, combining productive activities with ecosystem services. This has been demonstrated in the last few years by many research studies carried out at national and international levels. Trees outside forest can have positive effects on adjacent cropping areas in terms of biodiversity, landscape, carbon cycle and soil protection, in full agreement with the latest guidelines on the EU’s “greening” of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The uncertainty of the international wood market has led to a dramatic crisis of private investments on traditional plantation forestry for timber production, although poplar plantations are still intensively managed and constantly innovated throughout research activity. Alternative solutions relay on flexible cultural models, able to quickly adapt to wood market uncertainty, throughout the implementation of cropping systems providing various sized and quality wood assortments for energy and round wood at different time steps. This can be achieved by applying: i) polycyclic arboriculture, i.e. combining tree species with different rotation lengths; ii) Short Rotation plantations with 2-3 and 5-6 yr. rotation coppicing cycle, producing assortments for multiple industrial uses; ii) new agroforestry systems with a modern complementarity between trees outside forest and agricultural activities, balancing food and wood security with environmental preservation. These opportunities offered by the new cultural models need a more coordinated political and industrial organization of the domestic wood sector.
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
