Climbing the oldest Angiosperm trees in Europe
Age vs. size effects on beech shape and growth under contrasting bioclimates
A National Geographic Society funded research project aimed at climbing the oldest and largest beech trees in a network of old-growth UNESCO beech forests from the Austrian Alps to the Southern Apennines to precisely describe their entire structure, biomass, and growth.
The focus is on understanding how much the increase in size and age in old beech trees expose them to a higher mortality risk, especially in the context of the current climate change.
This research aims at improving our knowledge of the factors affecting tree longevity and mortality, assess the climate-change impact on the survival of the large old trees, and evaluate the conservation status of large old trees under contrasting environmental conditions.
Principal Investigator: Alfredo Di Filippo
Project Members: Luca Di Fiore, Michele Baliva, Andrea Barbieri, Andrea Di Cerbo, Emanuele Presutti Saba
Project Partners
Kalkalpen National Park
Parco Nazionale Foreste Casentinesi
Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità Pratovecchio
Comune di Oriolo Romano
Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità Foresta Umbra
Parco Nazionale del Gargano
Climbing European Oldest Trees 