Search results for "WOOD"

ForBioEnergy - Forest Bioenergy in the Protected Mediterranean Areas

2019

The ForBioEnergy project, funded within the INTERREG MED Programme 2014-2020, involved a Lead Partner (Regional Department for the Rural and Territorial Development, Sicily Region), 8 project partners from 4 Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Slovenia and Croatia) and 4 Associate Partners from Italy (Ente Parco delle Madonie, AIEL, Enviland, Petralia Sottana) and Croatia. It is an innovative project which bets on the chance to favor the sustainable development of the rural areas through the exploitation of the forest biomass for the production of bioenergy. However, most of the Mediterranean forests are within protected areas, where the current regulatory restrictions and the lack of ma…

Are Sicilian forests at less risk of invasion by alien plants?

Climate change could facilitate the spread of invasive alien plants by making plant communities and individuals weaker and less competitive. Indeed, alien plants are generally more adapted to the rapidly changing environmental conditions that are being determined in the coming decades. Moreover, while alien plants have, until recent years, mainly affected synanthropic communities and man-made habitats, they are increasingly able to affect also more complex natural communities such as forests. The talk will show some Sicilian cases.

Traditional use of wood in Sicily

2020

The results of a multidisciplinary survey on the use of wood in Sicily are presented here. This research, based on a thorough review of the information available from numerous sources, mostly related to Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities, sheds light on the lasting, widespread and diversified use of many tens of woody species - native and cultivated - growing on the island. This work represents an initial contribution to a topic largely overlooked the national and regional literature concerning forest sciences and wood technology. Contrariwise, the very precise information available on the specific uses of wood from certain Sicilian woody species clearly testifies to the profound knowle…

Environmental and Forest Planning in Italy: Conflicts and Opportunities

2016

Abstract The necessity of a more sustainable use of lands and environmental resources in general, throughout specific programming and management tools at different scale levels is nowadays widely shared. Forests and woodlands are a key asset of the environment and the traditional and current landscapes. With regards to the state of art of forest planning and management tools in Italy, in this short paper, after a synthetic analysis of the tools currently adopted at different levels, some critical aspects of the relationships of forest planning instruments with other planning tools involved in environmental management (landscape plan, energy plans, basin plans) are investigated, enlightening…

Notes on the status and the current spread of Viburnum tinus L. (Viburnaceae) in Sicily (Italy)

2021

The authors carried out a multi-disciplinary research in order to clarify the native status of Viburnum tinus in Sicily and update the knowledge about its current regional distribution. With this purpose, a large amount of scientific papers on forestry, botany and palaeo- and archaeobotany was consulted; more useful data issued from papers focused on local historical gardens, from archives and from herbarium specimens. The available data suggest that most of the extant nuclei may issue from the recent colonization of plants introduced just few centuries ago. Although the status of the stands found in some warm and humid sites in the surroundings of the city of Palermo and on the Sicani Moun…

Evolution of the lactic acid bacterial biofilms on different wood typologies applied for the production of vats intended for cheese making

2017

The present work was carried out to evaluate the lactic acid bacterial biofilms formation on wooden vat produced with seven different woods, derived from trees species grown in Sicily. The biofilm formation on the wooden surfaces was performed as reported by Gaglio et al. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses did not show differences in terms of microbial levels and composition within the neoformed biofilms (Fig.1). The specific investigation of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and positive-coagulase staphylococci did not generate any colony for all vats before and after microbial activation. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations dominated the s…

Fitting the Stocking Rate with Pastoral Resources to Manage and Preserve Mediterranean Forestlands: A Case Study

2015

Pasture practices have affected Mediterranean forest ecosystems for millennia, and they are still quite widespread in mountainous areas. Nevertheless, in the last decades, the stability of forest ecosystems has been jeopardized due to the abandonment of traditional agro-pastoral practices, so that the gradual reduction of open areas due to progressive succession processes has caused a high increase of grazing pressure by livestock and wild ungulates feeding on forest areas. This paper aims at showing a methodological approach for evaluating the effect of applying measures in order to improve the grazing value of grasslands and ecotonal patches and lower the grazing impact on native woodland…

ForBioEnergy - Forest Bioenergy in the Protected Mediterranean Areas

2018

ForBioEnergy project, funded in 2016 within the INTERREG MED Programme 2014 – 2020, involves a Lead Partner (Regional Department for the Rural and Territorial Development, Sicily Region), 8 project partners from 4 Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Slovenia and Croatia) and 4 Associate Partners from Italy (Ente Parco delle Madonie, AIEL) and Croatia. The other Italian partners are Enviland s.r.l. and the municipality of Petralia Sottana. ForBioEnergy is an innovative project which bets on the chance to favour the sustainable development of the rural areas through the exploitation of the forest biomass for the production of bioenergy. In Mediterranean contexts, however, most of the fores…

The evolution in time of the concept of fast growing tree species: is it possible to use a definition applicable to all environmental conditions?

2020

Although the expression “fast-growing species” (FGS) referred to tree species has been since long time used, a clear definition has not been adopted for decades. Starting from the Italian historical background, we searched for the definitions of FGS formulated over time at a national and international level. The mean annual increment (MAI) of 10 m3 ha-1, identified by the FAO, has been the most commonly considered threshold until recently. Subsequently, experimental activities and research efforts have consistently enhanced the productivity of FGS, and other definitions have been proposed accordingly. Hence, FGS should provide annual wood yields of 15-25 m3 ha-1 with rotations of less than …

RETTORIA DI CASA PROFESSA - PALERMO LE TERMITI SUGLI ARREDI LIGNEI DELLA SACRESTIA

2012

"Rettoria di Casa Professa" - Palermo. The Termites on Wooden Forniture of the Sacristy. Termites are among the most important agents of wood degradation. They can attack wooden structures (roofs ceiling) or works of art (choirs, altars,wardrobes) causing serious damage to the historical, artistic and ethno-anthropological heritage especially when there are favourable environmental conditions for their growth. High wood moisture is the most important factor that favours termite settlements, it is frequently due to water condensation which is related to the closely contact of the wood with materials (masonry, metal, plastic) having a different thermal coefficient. Observations were carried o…