Land suitability for vegetation

Concerning forests, the case study benefits from an analysis of the climate impacts on forest vegetation carried out by the CMCC Foundation for Southern Europe and Russia, thanks to research initiatives and international agreements. The study on Europe suggests a migration to the north and to the higher altitudes of the main Mediterranean species; the alpine chain could therefore become a refuge for species that do not find optimal conditions at lower altitudes. Given the size of the geographical domains in the previous studies, available data were appropriate despite their rather coarse spatial resolution. For smaller domains with heterogeneous topography, as Italy, data with finer spatial resolution are needed. Therefore, HIGHLANDER aims at evaluating the suitability of Italian territory for the main forest species with a spatial detail useful to support the forestry sector. Starting from the current distribution of the forest species (focusing on the most valuable in terms of provided ecosystem services, such as wood production, recreational purposes etc.), projections will be produced on the possible modifications (shift, reduction, expansion) of the typical areas (habitats) of the same species.

This use case is related to the following case called “Changes in the land suitability for vegetation”.