Forest dynamics and climate change
We study how forests change over time and how growth, regeneration, mortality and species composition respond to climate variability and climate change. We analyse both long-term trends and the effects of drought and climatic extremes to understand when observed responses represent acclimation, adaptation, loss of vitality or transitions towards new forest compositions.
Research questions
- How do growth, regeneration and mortality change along climatic gradients and after extreme events?
- Which species, provenances and forest structures show greater vulnerability or adaptive capacity?
- When does climate change alter forest composition and successional trajectories?
Approaches and methods
We combine forest inventories, dendroecology, provenance trials, ecophysiological monitoring, climate time series, remote sensing and forest dynamics models. We work from individual trees to landscapes, integrating historical observations with future climate scenarios.
Related projects
SOSFOR · REWILD-FIRE · eLTER+ · RiForestAzione · Campo dei Fiori · Branzi · Appennino Tosco-Emiliano · Parco del Ticino · Val di Mello · Tree Talker · Colli Berici · Valmalenco
Selected publications
- Clark J.S. et al. (2026). Continental contrasts in climate extremes that control tree fecundity.
- Oggioni S.D. et al. (2026). Simulating silver fir provenance responses to climate change: A forest modelling approach in the Northern Apennines.
- Vacchiano G., Garbarino M., Lingua E., Motta R. (2017). Forest dynamics and disturbance regimes in the Italian Apennines.
- Vacchiano G., Motta R. (2015). An improved species distribution model for Scots pine and downy oak under future climate change in the NW Italian Alps.
- Rigling A. et al. (2013). Driving factors of a vegetation shift from Scots pine to pubescent oak in dry Alpine forests.