V. 81 N. 2 (2026)
Reviews

Alberi e arbusti possono rendere le città più silenziose? Il ruolo delle foreste urbane nella mitigazione dell’inquinamento sonoro

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  • Mario Pagano,
  • Veronica Amodeo,
  • Francesco Belli,
  • Giacomo Mocarli,
  • Simone Secchi
Mario Pagano
Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri, Consiglio Nazionale delle Riceche (IRET-CNR); via Madonna del Piano 10 - 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI).
Biografia
Veronica Amodeo
Dipartimento di Architettura (DIDA), Università degli Studi di Firenze; via della Mattonaia 8 - 50121 Firenze.
Francesco Belli
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università degli Studi di Firenze; Piazzale delle Cascine 18 - 50144 Firenze, Italia.
Giacomo Mocarli
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agrarie, Alimentari, Ambientali e Forestali (DAGRI), Università di Firenze, Piazzale delle Cascine 18, 50144 Firenze, Italia
Simone Secchi
Dipartimento di Architettura (DIDA), Università degli Studi di Firenze; via della Mattonaia 8 - 50121 Firenze.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/ifm-1238

Pubblicato 2026-07-07

Parole chiave

  • Foreste urbane,
  • Inquinamento acustico,
  • Assorbimento del suono,
  • Soluzioni basate sulla natura (NBS)

Come citare

Pagano, M., Amodeo, V., Belli, F., Mocarli, G., & Secchi, S. (2026). Alberi e arbusti possono rendere le città più silenziose? Il ruolo delle foreste urbane nella mitigazione dell’inquinamento sonoro. L’Italia Forestale E Montana, 81(2), 91–102. https://doi.org/10.36253/ifm-1238

Copyright (c) 2026 Mario Pagano, Veronica Amodeo, Francesco Belli, Giacomo Mocarli, Simone Secchi

Creative Commons License

Questo lavoro è fornito con la licenza Creative Commons Attribuzione - Non commerciale 4.0 Internazionale.

Abstract

L’inquinamento acustico ambientale è ampiamente riconosciuto come una delle principali cause di deterioramento ambientale a livello mondiale, con il traffico stradale che rappresenta la fonte predominante nelle aree urbane. L’esposizione a livelli sonori superiori a 55 dBA è associata a significativi rischi per la salute, tra cui disturbi del sonno, stress psicosociale ed effetti cardiovascolari, come evidenziato dall’Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità. Le aree verdi urbane si sono affermate come una strategia efficace per mitigare l’esposizione al rumore, non solo attraverso meccanismi fisici di attenuazione del suono, ma anche grazie alla capacità di favorire il recupero psicologico, riducendo così il fastidio percepito dovuto al rumore. Barriere vegetali dense, in particolare configurazioni multilivello che combinano alberi, arbusti e copertura erbacea, possono garantire una considerevole attenuazione delle frequenze medie e alte. La selezione delle specie vegetali riveste pertanto un ruolo cruciale e deve tenere conto dell’idoneità climatica, della persistenza del fogliame durante tutto l’anno, della rapidità di crescita e della densità di impianto. Tuttavia, le prestazioni acustiche della vegetazione sono limitate dagli stress fisiologici tipici degli ambienti urbani, tra cui siccità, elevate temperature e inquinamento, fattori che riducono la vitalità delle piante e, di conseguenza, la loro capacità di fornire servizi ecosistemici. La norma ISO 9613-2 fornisce metodi standardizzati per la stima dell’attenuazione dovuta al fogliame, evidenziando riduzioni modeste ma misurabili che aumentano con la densità della copertura forestale e con la frequenza del suono. Nel complesso, se adeguatamente progettata, mantenuta e integrata con le specifiche condizioni acustiche del sito, la vegetazione rappresenta uno strumento multifunzionale ed ecologicamente prezioso per la mitigazione del rumore urbano e per il miglioramento della qualità ambientale e del benessere umano. Pertanto, lo scopo della presente revisione è valutare il potenziale di riduzione dell’impatto acustico delle foreste urbane, analizzando sia i meccanismi fisici e psicologici coinvolti, sia le prestazioni specifiche delle diverse specie vegetali, nonché le limitazioni operative imposte dagli stress tipici dell’ambiente urbano e dai modelli previsionali standardizzati a livello internazionale.

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