title: Modeling the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on wood production and carbon storage: A case study in the Mediterranean region.
abstract: Forest ecosystems are fundamental for the terrestrial biosphere as they deliver multiple essential ecosystem services (ES). In environmental management, understanding ES distribution and interactions and assessing the economic value of forest ES represent future challenges. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit method based on a multi-scale approach (MiMoSe-Multiscale Mapping of ecoSystem services) to assess the current and future potential of a given forest area to provide ES. To do this we modified and improved the InVEST model in order to adapt input data and simulations to the context of Mediterranean forest ecosystems. Specifically, we integrated a GIS-based model, scenario model, and economic valuation to investigate two ES (wood production and carbon sequestration) and their trade-offs in a test area located in Molise region (Central Italy). Spatial information and trade-off analyses were used to assess the influence of alternative forest management scenarios on investigated services. Scenario A was designed to describe the current Business as Usual approach. Two alternative scenarios were designed to describe management approaches oriented towards nature protection (scenario B) or wood production (scenario C) and compared to scenario A. Management scenarios were simulated at the scale of forest management units over a 20-year time period. Our results show that forest management influenced ES provision and associated benefits at the regional scale. In the test area, the Total Ecosystem Services Value of the investigated ES increases 85% in scenario B and decreases 82% in scenario C, when compared to scenario A. Our study contributes to the ongoing debate about trade-offs and synergies between carbon sequestration and wood production benefits associated with socio-ecological systems. The MiMoSe approach can be replicated in other contexts with similar characteristics, thus providing a useful basis for the projection of benefits from forest ecosystems over the future.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: francesca.bottalico@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bottalico
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Agro-Ambientali e Territoriali, University of Bari, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70125 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: lucia.pesola@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pesola
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy. Electronic address: matteo.vizzarri@unimol.it.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vizzarri
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: leonardo.antonellomm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Antonello
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento per l'Innovazione nei Sistemi Biologici, Agroalimentari e Forestali, University of Tuscia, Via San Camillo de Lellis s.n.c., 01100 Viterbo, Italy. Electronic address: barbati.sisfor@unitus.it.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbati
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: gherardo.chirici@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Gherardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chirici
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Forestry Research Centre (CREA SEL), Viale S. Margherita 80, 52100 Arezzo, Italy. Electronic address: piermaria.corona@entecra.it.
authors.forename: Piermaria
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 4, 90128 Palermo, Italy. Electronic address: sebastiano.cullotta@unipa.it.
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cullotta
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy. Electronic address: vittorio.garfi@unimol.it.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Garfì
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Agro-Ambientali e Territoriali, University of Bari, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70125 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: vincenzo.giannico@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giannico
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Agro-Ambientali e Territoriali, University of Bari, Via G. Amendola 165/a, 70125 Bari, Italy. Electronic address: raffaele.lafortezza@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lafortezza
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari e Forestali, Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, I-89060 Reggio Calabria, Italy. Electronic address: fabio.lombardi@unirc.it.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lombardi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy. Electronic address: marchettimarco@unimol.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: susanna.nocentini@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nocentini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.riccioli@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Riccioli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Gestione dei Sistemi Agrari, Alimentari e Forestali, University of Florence, via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy. Electronic address: davide.travaglini@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Travaglini
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, Contrada Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy. Electronic address: lorenzo.sallustio@unimol.it.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sallustio
mesh_terms: D057965:Carbon Sequestration; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D016468:Forestry / Q000379:methods*; D062305:Geographic Mapping; D007558:Italy; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014934:Wood / Q000032:analysis*
keywords: Ecosystem services; Forest management; InVEST; MiMoSe approach; Trade-off analysis