Pubblicato 2026-10-06
Parole chiave
- crescita,
- risorsa,
- invecchiamento,
- produttività,
- ecofisiologia
Come citare
Copyright (c) 2026 Roberto Tognetti

Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale 4.0 Internazionale.
Abstract
I boschi vetusti rappresentano oggi un riferimento essenziale per orientare strategie adattative di gestione, conservazione e ripristino degli ecosistemi forestali: conservano grandi quantità di carbonio, ospitano biodiversità e mostrano processi ecologici che nei boschi giovani o gestiti sono assenti o meno evidenti. Capire come funzionano aiuta a prevedere la stabilità futura delle foreste e la loro capacità di rispondere a siccità, aumento delle temperature e altri stress. Con l’aumento dell’età e delle dimensioni, gli alberi affrontano vincoli diversi da quelli delle piante giovani. Devono trasportare acqua più in alto, mantenere una maggiore massa viva e sostenere chiome complesse. Questi fattori possono ridurre la crescita e la produttività, sia del singolo albero sia dell’intero popolamento. A livello individuale, il rallentamento può dipendere da maggiori costi respiratori, limiti idraulici e minore efficienza fotosintetica. A livello di popolamento, può essere associato a minore disponibilità di nutrienti e a una maggiore allocazione di risorse verso componenti non legnose. Resta però incerto quanto questi processi causino davvero il declino produttivo osservato. Età, dimensioni, genetica, ambiente e disturbi interagiscono in modi ancora poco chiari, limitando la capacità di prevedere la risposta delle foreste vetuste al cambiamento globale.
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