Guidelines for monitoring and managing plant health emergencies in the forests of the central-western Alps
The forests of the Alpine valleys, including those that cover the slopes at medium-low altitudes, have a multifunctional value and, besides producing timber, guarantee a series of positive externalities, including the maintenance of biodiversity, the hydrogeological protection of the slopes and the maintenance of a pleasant landscape. The project aims to deal synergistically, taking advantage of cross-border skills and experiences, with some of the main phytosanitary emergencies that have occurred in recent years in the forests of the central-western Alps, including the decay of the ash, the pine processionary and the emerging phytosanitary problems affecting the chestnut tree represented by the gall-bladder insect, the mal dell'inchiostro and the pathogenic fungus Gnomoniopsis castaneae. In addition to the definition of monitoring standards, the project includes applied research that will allow for the preparation of guidelines for the management of phytosanitary emergencies.