Extreme weather events are increasingly recognized as major stress factors for forest eco- systems, causing both immediate and long-term effects. This study focuses on the impacts experi- enced by the forests of Valdisotto, Valfurva, and Sondalo (28% of the total area is covered by forests) in Upper Valtellina (Italy) due to the Vaia storm that occurred in October 2018. To define the imme- diate impacts of Vaia, we assess the economic value of forest ecosystem services (ESs), particularly those provided by timber production and carbon sequestration, pre- and post-Vaia and during the emergency period. We used the market price method to assess the economic values of timber pro- duction and carbon sequestration, as these are considered to be marketable goods. Based on data processed from Sentinel-2 satellite images (with a spatial resolution of 10 m), our results show that, despite the reduction in forest area (−2.02%) and timber stock (−2.38%), the economic value of the timber production increased after Vaia due to higher timber prices (i.e., from a total of €124.97 mil- lion to €130.72 million). However, considering the whole emergency period (2019–2020), the total losses are equal to €5.10 million for Valdisotto, €0.32 million for Valfurva, and €0.43 million for Son- dalo. Instead, an economic loss of 2.88% is experienced for carbon sequestration, with Valdisotto being the more affected municipality (−4.48% of the pre-Vaia economic value). In terms of long-term impacts, we discuss the enhanced impacts due to the spread of the bark beetle Ips typopgraphus.

Enhanced Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on Forest: The Upper Valtellina (Italy) Case Study / B. Barbagallo, N. Rocca, L. Cresi, G.A. Diolaiuti, A. Senese. - In: REMOTE SENSING. - ISSN 2072-4292. - 16:19(2024 Oct 03), pp. 3692.1-3692.24. [10.3390/rs16193692]

Enhanced Impacts of Extreme Weather Events on Forest: The Upper Valtellina (Italy) Case Study

B. Barbagallo
Primo
;
L. Cresi;G.A. Diolaiuti
Penultimo
;
A. Senese
Ultimo
2024

Abstract

Extreme weather events are increasingly recognized as major stress factors for forest eco- systems, causing both immediate and long-term effects. This study focuses on the impacts experi- enced by the forests of Valdisotto, Valfurva, and Sondalo (28% of the total area is covered by forests) in Upper Valtellina (Italy) due to the Vaia storm that occurred in October 2018. To define the imme- diate impacts of Vaia, we assess the economic value of forest ecosystem services (ESs), particularly those provided by timber production and carbon sequestration, pre- and post-Vaia and during the emergency period. We used the market price method to assess the economic values of timber pro- duction and carbon sequestration, as these are considered to be marketable goods. Based on data processed from Sentinel-2 satellite images (with a spatial resolution of 10 m), our results show that, despite the reduction in forest area (−2.02%) and timber stock (−2.38%), the economic value of the timber production increased after Vaia due to higher timber prices (i.e., from a total of €124.97 mil- lion to €130.72 million). However, considering the whole emergency period (2019–2020), the total losses are equal to €5.10 million for Valdisotto, €0.32 million for Valfurva, and €0.43 million for Son- dalo. Instead, an economic loss of 2.88% is experienced for carbon sequestration, with Valdisotto being the more affected municipality (−4.48% of the pre-Vaia economic value). In terms of long-term impacts, we discuss the enhanced impacts due to the spread of the bark beetle Ips typopgraphus.
forest ecosystem services; economic value; Vaia; bark beetle; Lombardy (Italy)
Settore GEOS-03/A - Geografia fisica e geomorfologia
3-ott-2024
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1119480
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