Residents evaluation of the city green infrastructure preess release

Thomas Panagopoulos

Lichens as a tool for environmental management in urban forests: the case study of Parco Nord Milano

Press release STSM: Dr Silvana Munzi

LEAF DUST CHARACTERIZATION THROUGH SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) AND SIRM

Press release Adinolfi

Allergenic potential of the plant species commonly used in urban and peri-urban forests in a Mediterranean Zone

Cristiano Adinolfi, a master student of the Parthenope University of Naples (Italy) visited the Department of Botany of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Granada (Spain) funded with a STSM of the COST Action FP1204. The objective was to develop a database which includes the main parameters that influence the allergenic potential of trees in urban and peri-urban forests in a Mediterranean zone. The species were classified into three groups: Angiosperms, Gymnosperms and Palm Trees and in each record included: scientific name, botanical family, common name, bioclimatic zone, sexuality, strategy and duration of pollination and potential allergenicity. The maximum value of potential allergenicity is associated to taxa with wind-pollinated strategy and a reference as main allergen in the area. This occurs in 19% of Angiosperms, 18% of Palm Trees but 100% of Gymnosperms. The information collected in this database can contribute to prevent and / or correct the impact of highly allergenic species in urban areas. It is recommended to avoid planting male individuals of dioecious species and to replace species with greater contribution to the overall allergenicity.

Press release Carriero

Dr Giulia Carriero, from the IPP-CNR Institute for Plant Protection in Florence (Italy) visited the Institute Plant Sciences in Juelich (Germany) during a Short Term Scientific Mission funded by the COST Action FP1204. In her STSM, she studied the volatiles (BVOCs) emitted by an urban tree species and their influence on ozone (O3) formation potential and uptake rate in urban ecosystems. The experiment was conducted in Jülich Plant Atmosphere Chamber facility (JPAC) that simulated the urban environment. The target plant was Quercus ilex, an urban Mediterranean tree species. By measuring stomatal uptake and gas phase losses of O3, at low NOx conditions, she determined the maximum sink strengths. By measuring stomatal uptake and photochemical O3 production from BVOCs emitted by the plant, at high NOx conditions, the maximum net O3 formation was determined. It was found that O3 production, by photochemical reaction with BVOCs, was higher than O3 uptake at high NOx levels. The experiment was made at different leaf temperatures. The data suggested that net O3 production from Holm oak depends on leaf temperature and O3 concentrations.

Spatial air quality assessment over urban area using biomagnetic plant monitoring _ pr

During a Short Term Scientific Mission in August – September 2014, funded by the COST Action FP1204, MSc Gordana Vuković from the Institute of Physics Belgrade, Republic of Serbia visited the Department of Bio-science Engineering, University of Antwerp in Antwerp, Belgium regarding biomagnetic analysis of two urban plant species. Plant magnetic properties such as susceptibility and remanence has been reported as a proxy for particulate matter (PM) pollution. Saturation isothermal remanent magnetisation (SIRM) was chosen as a suitable parameter for this purpose. SIRM measurements of 320 plant samples were performed in order to get insight into spatial distribution of air pollution over the city of Belgrade. Based on the distribution of the obtained plant SIRM values, city zones related to high, intermediate and low level of air pollution as well as green zones could be proposed. SIRM method could be used as a rapid and a cost-effective technique for pre-screening of PM levels with a high spatial resolution.

MSc Gordana Vuković

Press release STSM Gerard Farré-Armengol

During May-July 2014 Gerard Farré-Armengol from the Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF) realized a Short Term Scientific Mission, funded by the COST Action FP1204, to visit the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, Finland. The main objective of the work was to assess the effects of ozone on flower volatile emissions and the related effects on pollinator attraction. We conducted a series of lab experiments to characterize the effects of high ambient ozone concentrations on the chemical composition of floral volatile cues at different distances from the scent source and tested the efficiency in pollinator attraction by original and degraded floral blends. Apart from the promising set of results achieved, the stay served to establish useful collaborative relations with the host group.

Scientific report on the Short Term Scientific Mission – Economic valuation of recreation in urban forests in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Information on needs and wants of the society towards forests are becoming an essential part of forest management planning. Different approaches on obtaining peoples’ preferences for different management options are being taken, all aimed to pinpoint the socially-optimal state of forests. Urban forests are of special interest as they need to provide for a wider set of ecosystem services
Grantee: Anže Japelj, Slovenian Forestry Institute, dept. of Forest and Landscape monitoring and planning

IMPROVING METHODS FOR MODELLING LEAF AREA INDEX IN ISOLATED URBAN TREES

During a Short Term Scientific Mission in May 2014, funded by the COST Action FP1204, Dr. Francesco Chianucci from the Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura - Forestry Research Centre (Arezzo, IT) visited the Tartu Observatory in Estonia. Dr. Francesco Chianucci discussed the problems of radiative transfer in vegetation and of use of optical canopy instruments for isolated plant analysis with the members of vegetation remote sensing group in Tartu Observatory. After thorough reviewing of indirect optical methods, he individuated digital photography as a potentially suitable method for application in urban settings. Several features available from digital photography (i.e., leaf inclination angle measurements from levelled camera approach; vegetation indices of greenness derived from Digital Number inversion) have been proposed for crop and forestry systems, but still not tested at the individual (urban) tree scale. By combining different digital camera approaches, he proposed strategies for improving leaf area index retrieval in urban settings, an important step for understanding ecosystem processes related to leaf area in urban systems.

Press release STSM Chianuci

During a Short Term Scientific Mission in May 2014, funded by the COST Action FP1204, Dr. Francesco Chianucci from the Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura - Forestry Research Centre (Arezzo, IT) visited the Tartu Observatory in Estonia. Dr. Francesco Chianucci discussed the problems of radiative transfer in vegetation and of use of optical canopy instruments for isolated plant analysis with the members of vegetation remote sensing group in Tartu Observatory. After thorough reviewing of indirect optical methods, he individuated digital photography as a potentially suitable method for application in urban settings. Several features available from digital photography (i.e., leaf inclination angle measurements from levelled camera approach; vegetation indices of greenness derived from Digital Number inversion) have been proposed for crop and forestry systems, but still not tested at the individual (urban) tree scale. By combining different digital camera approaches, he proposed strategies for improving leaf area index retrieval in urban settings, an important step for understanding ecosystem processes related to leaf area in urban systems.