{"id":3202,"date":"2025-05-05T15:20:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T13:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/life-co2rk-actions\/carbon-beech-apennine\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T08:56:46","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T07:56:46","slug":"carbon-beech-apennine","status":"publish","type":"acciones-co2rk","link":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/life-co2rk\/actions\/carbon-beech-apennine\/","title":{"rendered":"Monitoring Carbon stock capacity in the Apennine beech forests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The capacity of forests to store atmospheric carbon is a crucial issue in the exploitation of the many ecosystem utilities and therefore in the sustainable management of forests.<\/p>\n\n

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The EU\u2019s LIFE CO2RK project (Spain, Portugal and Italy) also aims to implement regional policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by defining methodologies and tools to quantify carbon sequestration by forest ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced, but sustainable management systems in the agro-pastoral and forestry sectors can contribute to climate mitigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The definition of sustainable supply chains linked to cork oak groves (Spain and Portugal) and beech forests (Italy) management can provide interesting technical solutions if addressed to enterprises and stakeholders in the specific reference sectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the LIFE CO2RK project, the research groups of the Forestry Systems and Soil Sciences of the Marche Polytechnic University are currently engaged in the determination of the stock of organic carbon in the tree biomass and in the soils of beech forests (Fagus sylvatica L.) of the Marche region. In particular, the study areas are representative of beech forests subjected to different types of management located in the Mt. Catria (Central Apennines) and in the Mt. San Vicino (Pre-Apennines) mountain ranges. <\/p>\n<\/div>

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In the two selected representative areas, analyses and assessments are underway for the estimation of carbon in forests and soils using different approaches and instruments.<\/p>\n\n

Carbon fixed by plant biomass<\/h3>\n\n

Both direct and indirect methods allow measurement of structural stand parameters using specific field instruments, as well as remote detection techniques trough sensors transported by drones.<\/p>\n\n

In the forests, we used circular sample plots in representative stands of different types of forest management (coppice, stored coppice, coppice in conversion, and high forest), where we collected the main forest structure parameters.<\/p>\n\n

Diameter measurements of tree stems, and their total heights were carried out with the FieldMap system, a total station used to obtain the location and inventory of individual trees of forest parcel. <\/p>\n\n

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We obtained remote sensing data by flying over the area with a DJI Matrice 350 RTK aircraft equipped with Zenmuse L2 laser scanner for point cloud capture and determination of digital terrain model (DTM), digital canopy model (CHM) and the estimated biomass volumes.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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Sensor can record the absolute coordinates, the return intensity and the RGB color of the points forming the cloud (Figure 3). Measurements in the test areas shall be correlated with field data. <\/p>\n\n

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Figure 3: Point cloud in lateral section (right) of a portion of the beech forest stand at M. Acuto-Catria (Central Apennines, Italy). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Soil Organic Carbon<\/h3>\n\n

Soil plays a very important role in the ecosystem due to the carbon cycle, its fixation and richness in organic matter produced by litter and dead wood degradation. The morphological, physical and chemical properties of the soil can be evaluated directly in the field and subsequently by laboratory analysis. <\/p>\n\n

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Figure 4: UNIVPM Soil Science researchers assessing soil properties in an open profile of a beech forest, M. Acuto-Catria (Central Apennines, Italy). <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Soil assessment requires the opening of a trench (soil profile) suitable for the recognition of different layers (horizons) of the morphological characteristics and the collection of a suitable sample for laboratory analysis (Figure 5). Total organic carbon, bulk density and depth are required for the estimation of the soil carbon stock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The image shows a soil profile with defined horizons in a beech forest in the Monte Acuto-Catria pilot area (Central Apennines, Italy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fieldwork by the Polytechnic University of Marche (UNIVPM) and methodologies for measuring the carbon sequestered by the soil and beech forests at the CO2RK pilot sites in the Apennine Mountains in Italy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":3201,"template":"","class_list":["post-3202","acciones-co2rk","type-acciones-co2rk","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/acciones-co2rk\/3202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/acciones-co2rk"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/acciones-co2rk"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yuntas.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}