Scientific publications
Annual canopy height mapping in Italy from Landsat and multi-source LiDAR for disturbance and recovery monitoring
09-09-2026
Accurate monitoring of forest canopy height is essential for assessing forest structure, biomass, disturbance, and recovery, but airborne laser scanning (ALS) has limited coverage and high acquisition costs. We present an annual 30 m canopy height dataset for Italy from 2004–2024, integrating Landsat imagery with multi-source LiDAR through deep learning and Bayesian Model Averaging. Validation against Italian National Forest Inventory measurements yielded a mean absolute error of 3.98 m, outperforming existing Italian canopy height products despite its coarser resolution. The dataset also supports disturbance detection and recovery monitoring, achieving a mean precision of 0.64 for disturbance events from 2005–2016, and provides a harmonized resource for forest monitoring.
Natural disturbances from bark beetle outbreaks and windthrow increasingly affect Europe’s most mature and carbon-rich forests
31-08-2026
Europe’s forests store nearly 40 PgC, but climate-sensitive disturbances increasingly threaten their carbon sink. Combining three decades of satellite-derived disturbance maps with spatial data on forest age, biomass, and species composition, this study investigates whether windthrow and bark beetle outbreaks increasingly affect older, carbon-rich forests. Natural disturbances have shifted toward forests over 60 years old, with disturbed area nearly tripling since 2010. Bark beetle outbreaks increasingly affect mature spruce forests in Central Europe, driving a fivefold increase in biomass losses between 2011–2016 and 2017–2023. Projections suggest disturbances could expose carbon stocks equivalent to 20% of Europe’s current forest carbon sink by 2040.
Disturbance characteristics and forest properties regulate surface warming and recovery across Europe
25-08-2026
Forest disturbances are increasing across Europe due to climate change and land-use pressures, yet their effects on local surface climate remain poorly quantified. Combining Landsat-derived summer land-surface temperatures with a Europe-wide disturbance record, this study assesses how disturbance and forest properties shape post-disturbance warming and recovery. Disturbed forests were 1.70 °C warmer than adjacent undisturbed forests, with warming driven mainly by vegetation and canopy-structure loss and best predicted by disturbance severity. Needleleaf forests and plantations warmed more than broadleaf and natural forests. Over 82% of warming dissipated within ten years. These findings highlight biophysical controls on warming and forest-management strategies to limit it.
Spatio-temporal assessment of Toumeyella parvicornis spread in mediterranean coastal pine forests through sentinel-2 data
28-07-2026
Mediterranean coastal pine forests provide important ecological and cultural benefits but are increasingly threatened by climate change, urbanization, and invasive pests. This study develops an interpretable remote sensing framework to monitor Toumeyella parvicornis infestation in Pinus pinea forests across Campania, Italy, from 2017 to 2025. Multitemporal Sentinel-2 composites and spectral indices were combined with spatial and temporal predictors in Google Earth Engine. Random Forest models and SHAP interpretation were used to assess infestation dynamics, vulnerability, and risk. The attack-transition and risk models achieved AUC values of 0.79 and 0.80, respectively. The framework supports scalable monitoring and operational prediction of pest spread.
The meaning of climate-smart forestry— A narrative literature review
30-06-2026
This study examines how the concept of Climate-Smart Forestry (CSF) is defined in the scientific literature through a PRISMA-guided systematic review and thematic analysis of 32 publications published between 2015 and 2025. Four recurring narrative clusters were identified, describing climate-related challenges, key actors, proposed solutions, and future forest visions. CSF emerges as a flexible concept centered on mitigation and adaptation, while differing in its approaches to forest management, governance, and social dimensions. Although governance plays a central role, local knowledge and power dynamics remain underexplored. Greater attention to trade-offs among climate objectives, biodiversity conservation, and socio-economic goals is essential.
Integrating earth observation and graph theory to evaluate urban green spaces connectivity across European capitals
15-06-2026
Urban Green Spaces (UGS) are essential for biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation, yet their spatial configuration and connectivity remain insufficiently assessed across cities. This study evaluates UGS connectivity across 28 European capitals using a 10 m-resolution Urban Vegetation Map derived from Earth observation data. Forty traditional landscape metrics were combined with Graph Theory-based Network Science metrics to assess fragmentation and functional connectivity. While traditional metrics effectively captured fragmentation, they were strongly correlated with vegetation abundance. Graph-based metrics provided additional insights into functional connectivity, identifying three distinct urban typologies. Results highlight the need to integrate structural and connectivity metrics to assess urban ecological resilience.
