Vol. 79 No. 2 (2024)
Articles

Forest tree failures along peri-urban roads: a multidisciplinary perspective to analyze predisposing and triggering factors

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  • Luigi,
  • Federico Valerio Moresi,
  • Emanuela Masini,
  • Antonio Tomao,
  • Mariagrazia Agrimi
Luigi
Università della Tuscia
Bio
Federico Valerio Moresi
Università della Tuscia
Bio
Emanuela Masini
Università della Tuscia
Bio
Antonio Tomao
Università di Udine
Bio
Mariagrazia Agrimi
Università della Tuscia
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ifm-1129

Published 2024-07-26

Keywords

  • tree failure,
  • windstorm,
  • ecosystem disservices,
  • analysis of predisposing and triggering factors,
  • multidisciplinary approach

Copyright (c) 2024 Luigi Portoghesi, Federico Valerio Moresi, Emanuela Masini, Antonio Tomao, Mariagrazia Agrimi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Tree failures in forest ecosystems are part of their natural dynamics. However, when these events occur in an urban area or along the wooded strips of very high-traffic peri-urban roads, they become traumatic events that can cause damage to people and things and must be prevented. Therefore, this type of event constitutes an ecosystem disservice since it is perceived as something negative that puts people's well-being and safety at risk. There are various factors, often concomitant, that can cause a tree failure. Meteorological, geotechnical, geophysical analyses and dendrometric analyses were combined to better understand the causes that led to the collapse of trees from wooded strips along a highly frequented peri-urban road in Central Italy. The article reports the main results of the multidisciplinary investigations carried out. Some conclusions were drawn and some management hypotheses to prevent tree fallings onto the road were presented.

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