Search results for "Forestal"

Source shape and data analysis procedure effects on hydraulic conductivity of a sandy-loam soil determined by ponding infiltration runs

2017

Performing ponding infiltration runs with non-circular sources could represent a good means to sample completely an area of interest. Regardless of the shape of the source, predicting the expected reliability of the collected data by infiltrometers should facilitate soil hydraulic characterisation and also allow a more conscious use of the field data. The influence of the shape of the infiltration source (i.e., circular or square) and the analysis procedure of the steady-state infiltration data on the saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, of a sandy-loam soil was tested in this investigation. Circular and square surfaces sampled with the pressure infiltrometer (PI) yielded similar estimates…

Discussion of "Hydraulic Model of Transition of Transient to Steady Flows in the Vadose Zone" by Yaguo Zhang, Tonglu Li, Wei Shen, and Yu Wang

2020

The authors wrote an interesting article dealing with a simple hydraulic model to illustrate the transition mechanism of transient to steady flows in the vadose zone. The soil behavior is described by a set of nine vertically aligned cylinders, each opened at the top and with a small outlet at the bottom. The water level dynamic of each cylinder, associated with an intermittent constant rainfall applied to the top cylinder, C0, was analyzed and numerical simulations were performed. The only objective of this discussion is to show that results similar to those proposed by the authors could be obtained by using the recently introduced Richards equation analytical solution, under gravity-drive…

The Halaesa landscape (III B.C.): the origin of the traditional polycultural Mediterranean landscape

2014

The entire Mediterranean basin is characterized by landscape patterns whose compositions result from countless, long and complex cultural and historical processes. This paper traces the historic and “agri-cultural” processes that have characterized these complex agricultural systems and landscapes in order to better define: • the concept of a traditional rural Mediterranean landscape (TML); • the concept and importance of the complex-forms of polycultural (coltura promiscua) systems and landscapes, by following the historic development of this landscape; • their most important structural characters, configuration and bio-diversity at the landscape level, because of its environmental complex…

Qanat, gebbie and water sources: the last refuge for the malacologican freshwater fauna in Palermo (Sicily, Italy)

2017

The surroundings of Palermo were characterized, over the centuries, by the presence of many natural environments of great ecological and faunal importance. These environments were placed in a context characterized by minimal and sustainable urban development and large agriculture areas, dedicated to the development of tree crops such as citrus and orchards. These crops were supported by an imposing irrigation system that, using natural resources such as watercourses, wells and springs, collected and distributed water in soils through tanks, gebbie, qanat, irrigation channels (saje), etc. Fresh water mollusks, like many other animal and vegetable organisms, spread from the natural freshwater…

Forest accessibility, Madonie mountains (northern Sicily, Italy): implementing a GIS decision support system

2021

Valorisation and sustainable exploitation of woody biomass from cultivation interventions might be an important opportunity to track alternative development trails for rural communities in natural protected areas. The governance of Mediterranean protected areas is characterized by overlapping, sometimes conflicting institutions, stakeholders and regulations, causing negative impacts on decision-making processes. We present an open source GIS-based decision support system tool for mapping forest accessibility and optimizing woody biomass extraction. Two models were implemented to support forest managers during the decision-making process in designing and managing wood-energy supply chains. T…

Tempi e modi di un’invasione incontrastata: Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. (Poaceae) in Sicilia.

2010

Circa 50 anni fa venivano segnalati a Catania e a Palermo i primi due casi di spontaneizza-zione di Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk.) Chiov. sul territorio siciliano. Dopo un breve periodo di latenza, questa pianta paleotropicale ha cominciato a diffondersi sempre più rapidamente, tanto che oggi l'adozione di scelte d'intervento assume carattere d'urgenza per via del pesante impatto che essa ha sia sulle comunità pre-forestali (macchie degradate e garighe) sia sulle praterie perenni e annue locali. Dopo aver fornito una panoramica sul comportamento di questa xeno-fita, viene analizzato il suo processo di espansione in Sicilia e viene comparata l'ampiezza della sua nicchia ecologica con quella d…

Elogio delle vagabonde. Erbe, arbusti e fiori alla conquista del mondo.

2010

PREVISIONE E MITIGAZIONE DEI FENOMENI DI DISSESTO IDROGEOLOGICO IN AMBIENTI SEMI-ARIDI MEDITERRANEI

2012

Nella relazione viene affrontato il tema del dissesto idrogeologico in ambienti semi-aridi mediterranei, con particolare riferimento a differenti aspetti fenomenologici e modellistici del deflusso e dell’erosione idrica accelerata a scala parcellare e di bacino. Dapprima si approfondisce il tema della relazione tra l’erosione per unità di superficie e la lunghezza della pendice. Quindi si esamina il legame tra l’erosione per solchi e altre forme di erosione canalizzata. Successivamente si propone un’analisi critica dei modelli in atto disponibili per la previsione dell’erosione parcellare. In seguito si tratta il tema dell’approccio empirico per la stima della produzione di sedimenti. Poi s…

Coupling two radar backscattering models to assess soil roughness and surface water content at farm scale

2013

Remote sensing techniques are useful for agro-hydrological monitoring at the farm scale because the availability of spatially and temporally distributed data improves agricultural models for irrigation and crop yield optimization under water scarcity conditions. This research focuses on the surface water content retrieval using active microwave data. Two semi-empirical models were chosen as these showed the best performances in simulating cross and co-polarized backscatter. Thus, these models were coupled to obtain reliable assessments of both soil water content and soil roughness. The use of the coupled model enables one to avoid using roughness measured in situ. Remote sensing images and …

Climate variability in forest management planning: The LIFE AForClimate project.

2018

Previous research experiences have shown that climate variability can play a relevant role in forest planning and management within a climate change scenario. In forest planning and management, yield tables, site quality indices, age classes, and rates of growth are some of the most frequently used parameters and tools. However, these ‘traditional’ methods do not include the influence of climate variability on forest growth over time, although it is one of the main influencing factors in tree growth. Changes in climate determine changes in thermo-pluviometric regimes that often have a marked influence on forest growth trends. Forest biomass, resilience, and carbon sequestration may be damag…