Purpose: This article aims to compare the LiDAR handheld mobile laser scanner (HMLS) scans with traditional survey methods, as the tree gauge and the hypsometer, to study the efficiency of the new technology in relation to the accuracy of structural forest attributes estimation useful to support a sustainable forest management.Design/methodology/approach: A case study was carried out in a high forest located in Tuscany (Italy), by considering 5 forest types, in 20 different survey plots. A comparative analysis between two survey methods will be shown in order to verify the potential limits and the viability of the LiDAR HMLS in the forest field.Findings: This research demonstrates that LiDAR HMLS technology allows to obtain a large amount of valuable data on forest structural parameters in a short span of time with a high level of accuracy and with obvious impact in terms of organisational efficiency.Practical implications: Findings could be useful for forest owners highlighting the importance of investing in science and technology to improve the overall efficiency of forest resources management.Originality/value: This article adds to the current knowledge on the precision forestry topic by providing insight on the feasibility and effectiveness of using precision technologies for monitoring forest ecosystems and dynamics. In particular, this study fills the gap in the literature linked to the need to have practical examples of the use of innovative technologies in forestry.

Purpose: Precision agriculture technologies play an important role in optimising practices to increase yields and reduce costs, contributing to socio-economic progress and environmental well-being, and playing a key role in addressing climate change. Viticulture is a strategic, input-intensive agricultural sector where precision technologies can make the use of resources more efficient without compromising profitability. The aim of this study is to evaluate the profitability of implementing precision farming systems, such as unmanned aerial vehicle surveying for the production of vigour maps, compared to the conventional cultivation system in two Italian wineries. Methods: The profitability of using precision farming tools in viticulture compared to conventional management techniques has been investigated in two Italian wineries over a four-year period, before and after the introduction of UAV technology. Results: The results demonstrate the usefulness and economic viability of precision agriculture technologies in viticulture. The vigour maps produced by the data collected with UAV technology allow both the identification of problems such as diseases, and consequently the planning of phytosanitary treatments, and selective grape harvesting, which allows a significant improvement in the quality of the harvested grapes. Conclusion: The results demonstrate the usefulness of precision technologies for cost-effective and sustainable vineyard management, satisfying a market segment made up of stakeholders who are increasingly sensitive to environmental issues.

The technological innovation of terrestrial LIDAR systems has recently given forest planners greater access to key features on forest structure. The Hand Held Mobile Laser Scanner (HMLS) is a recently developed LIDAR tool that is particularly user-friendly and reliable. It is especially useful in the mapping of forest stands, thanks to its implementation of the Simultaneous Location and Mapping Algorithms (SLAM) algorithm. Thus, the present study investigates the ideal walking path to follow during HMLS scanning to survey trees and estimates the biometric parameters of forest stands by testing three distinct schemes. Specifically, two different forest ecosystems are considered in experimental HMLS LIDAR surveys, a beech-dominated deciduous forest and an oak-dominated deciduous forest. Finally, a cost/benefit analysis of each laser survey is analysed according to three walking path models (STAR, GRID, BORDER). A control analysis is also performed of the traditional method without LIDAR. This study contributes to the advancement of a growing body of research on Precision Forestry by considering different characteristics of the forest environment. Regarding practical application, the resulting evaluation of field survey technology can help foresters integrate these techniques into their basic tool kit for forest planning and management processes.

Betula aetnensis is an endemic tree of high conservation value, which thrives on the nutrient-poor volcanic soils of Mount Etna. Since plant–microbe interactions could play a crucial role in plant growth, resource uptake, and resistance to abiotic stresses, we aimed to characterize the root and rhizosphere microbial communities. Individuals from natural habitat (NAT) and forest nursery (NURS) were surveyed through microscopy observations and molecular tools: bacterial and fungal automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA), fungal denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). B. aetnensis was found to be simultaneously colonized by arbuscular (AM), ectomycorrhizal (ECM), ericoid (ERM) fungi, and dark septate endophytes (DSE). A high diversity of the bacterial community was observed whilst the root fungal assemblage of NAT plants was richer than that of NURS. Root and rhizosphere fungal communities from NAT plants were characterized by Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Most of the identified sequences were affiliated to Helotiales, Pezizales, and Malasseziales. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota dominated roots and rhizosphere but differed in community structure and composition. ECM in the roots mainly belonged to Tylospora and Leccinum, while Rhizopogon was abundant in the rhizosphere. The Helotiales, including ERM (mostly Oidiodendron) and DSE (mostly Phialocephala), appeared the dominant component of the fungal community. B. aetnensis harbors an extraordinarily wide array of root-associated soil microorganisms, which are likely to be involved in the adaptation and resistance mechanisms to the extreme environmental conditions in volcano Etna. We argue that nursery-produced seedlings could lack the necessary microbiota for growth and development in natural conditions.

This study evaluates whether handheld mobile laser scanning (HMLS) can support the design of canopy consolidation systems for urban Pinus pinea L. trees without climbing into the crown. Fifty stone pines in a historic park in Pistoia (Italy) were surveyed with a SLAM-based handheld laser scanner and assessed with Visual Tree Assessment; five trees were then selected for consolidation design. Tree height, diameter at breast height (DBH), and crown metrics were derived from the point cloud and compared with field measurements, and the scaffold branches were reconstructed as sequences of truncated cones. For each branch, the bending stress generated by self-weight was computed with cantilever-beam theory and compared with the compressive strength of green P. pinea wood; a wind load case and a sensitivity analysis to diameter errors were added. Under self-weight, the safety factor of the vulnerable branches ranged from 1.44 to 37; one branch was below the usual minimum of 1.5 and a second fell to 1.69 under the 27 m/s wind. Anchor positions, rope trajectories, and system classes (4 t or 8 t) were drawn directly on the point cloud. The study is proof of concept: the systems have not been installed, and the mechanical results have not been verified by load tests, but the workflow shows that the data needed for consolidation design can be obtained remotely and non-invasively.