In European mountain regions, forests play an important role in the mitigation of risk due to natural hazards such as landslides, rockfalls, floods and avalanches.\ud \ud Conifer species usually provide a protective effect at higher altitude, while at lower altitudes broadleaf species are dominant. These forests are or were often managed as coppice systems.\ud \ud The high stem density of coppice stands, their rapid growth and the permanence of root systems in the soil can be considered as assets in terms of protective function. However, these considerations are poorly researched and there is generally a lack of studies investigating the suitability of coppice as protection forests. The issue is relevant, considering that many coppice stands in mountain regions have become uneconomic and are now abandoned and overaged. Whether and how to manage these forests stands is a key question for practitioners.\ud \ud In this contribution we analyze the implications of coppice management for slope stability and in particular to mitigate shallow landslides, focusing on root reinforcement, the main mechanism by which vegetation can reinforce slopes.\ud \ud We review available studies concerning root distribution and dynamics in coppice stands to formulate hypotheses about their contribution in terms of root reinforcement. Finally we highlight the lacks of knowledge and the further steps needed to properly evaluate the effectiveness of the coppices in protecting against shallow landslides

Botanical gardens represent interesting arenas for research in environmental psychology and environment-behavior relations. They can be considered a very particular type of restorative environment and also have a relevant social function for the promotion of a more sustainable lifestyle in current societies. In this paper, we present a study assessing the relationship between the perceived restorativeness, the psychological and physical benefits experienced, and the subjective wellbeing reported by visitors of botanical gardens in four different cities in Italy (N = 127). As expected, a bootstrapping mediation model supported the idea that perceived restorativeness of botanical gardens significantly predicts visitors’ subjective wellbeing, both directly and indirectly through perceived physical and psychological benefits of the visit. A moderation model also revealed that the relationship between restorativeness and wellbeing varies across respondents with different socio-demographic characteristics, being stronger for singles as compared to couples with and without children, respectively. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

We investigated the potential performance of air pollution removal by the green infrastructures and urban forests in the city of Florence, central Italy, with a focus on the two most detrimental pollutants for human health: particulate (PM10) and ozone (O3). The spatial distribution of green infrastructures was mapped using remote sensing data. A spatial modeling approach using vegetation indices, Leaf Area Index, and local pollution concentration data was applied to estimate PM10 and O3 removal. The results are discussed to highlight the role and potential of green infrastructures and urban forests in improving air quality in Southern European cities