Brief career summary

Date and place of birth: 15 May 1958, Rimini.

Current position: Full Professor, Silviculture and Ecosystem Processes.

Institution: School of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy.

Education: Laurea in “Forest Sciences” (University of Firenze, 1980).

Appointments:

• Research Associate (Institute of Silviculture, University of Florence, 1980-1984)

• Research fellow (Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Uppsala, Sweden, 1983).

• Research assistant (Institute of Forest Tree Breeding, National Research Council, Firenze, Italy, 1985-1992)

• Research fellow (Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Edinburgh, 1986).

• Visiting research scientist (Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Edinburgh, 1989).

• Associate Professor (Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Agricultural Science, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy, 1992-1994)

• Full Professor (Chair of Silviculture and Ecosystem Processes, School of Agricultural, Forest, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy, 1994-present).

Memberships

• Italian Academy of Forest Science, Firenze, Italy

• National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Bologna, Italy

• Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology, Founder (in 1995) and Emeritus Member

Main Research interests

• Linkage between forest biodiversity and productivity

• Water relations of trees, and effects of intense drought on trees and forest ecosystems.

• Post-fire dynamics in forest ecosystems and recovery processes

• Carbon balance of forest ecosystems, including experimental and modelling studies

• Effects of nitrogen deposition on forest trees and forest ecosystems at different spatial scales, from trees to global
  

Responsibilities (current)

• Editor in chief, Journal iForest-Biogeosciences and Forestry (2008-present).

• Editor in Chief, Journal Forest@ (2004-present).
  
  

Responsibilities (past, selection)

• Chairman, Evaluation Committee UMR-PIAF INRAE-University Auvergne (2019-2020)

• President, Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (2003-2007).

• Chairman, PhD program "Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences", University of Basilicata, Italy (2014-2019)

• Vice-President, Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (2001-2003).

• Chairman, PhD program “Tree Crop plantation”, University of Basilicata (2001-2003).

• Member, Evaluation Panel of CNR (National Research Council of Italy) Institutes (Environmental Sciences) (2009-2010)

• Member, Management Committee of the COST E21 action ‘Forest Tree Physiology Research’ (1996-2000).

• Member, Natura 2000 Committee, Regione Basilicata (2008-2012).

• Member, Board of reviewers for the " Four-Year Research Evaluation (VQR)" of Italian University, 2010 and 2015.
  
  

Projects (selection)

As principal investigator:

• PRIN 1998 (1998-2000). Impact of climate change on the Italian forests and wood production (Project Number 9807388499).

• PRIN 2000 (2000-2002). The carbon balance and stocks of forest ecosystems: age-related effects, physiological determinants and environmental constraints (Project Number MM07384774).

As research unit coordinator

• EU-LTEEF I (1994-1996) and EU LTEEF II (1998-1999). Long-term effects of climate change on the European forests.

• EU-MIND (2002-2005). Mediterranean ecosystems and increasing drought.

• EU-CARBO-AGE (2000-2003). Age-related effects on the carbon balance of forest ecosystems.

• PRIN 2003 (2003-2005). Mediterranean forest trees and drought.

• PRIN 2005 (2005-2007) Remote sensing pf photosynthetic potential in forest ecosystems: comparison among species and effects of water stress.

• PRIN 2012 (2012-2015) Global change effects on the productivity and radiative forcing of Italian forests: a novel retrospective, experimental and prognostic analysis.

• AGRITHEC NATIONAL PROJECT , task 7.1.2, University of Basilicata  (2022-2025)  Forest Resilience to Climate Change: deciduous oak forests under climatic stress in marginal and protected areas.