Background Heathlands are dynamic plant communities characterized by a high cover of
sclerophyllous, ericoid shrubs that develop over nutrient-poor soils. Interest in the …

Prescribed burning has been carried out since the late 1970s in several southern European
countries. Italy hosted some pioneer experiences in the early'80s, but these did not follow up …

Maintaining multiple ecological functions (“multifunctionality”) is crucial to sustain viable
ecosystems. To date most studies on biodiversity‐ecosystem functioning (BEF) have …

Fire evolved on the Earth under the direct influence of climate and the accumulation of
burnable biomass at various times and spatial scales. However, since humans have been …

This review presents a multidisciplinary framework for integrating the ecological, regulatory,
procedural and technical aspects of forest management for fi res prevention under …

Even though temperate forests have lower non-native plant species richness and cover in
comparison to some other habitats, such as anthropogenically influenced habitats or some …

Land abandonment and the cessation of traditional management practices is favouring
scrubland and forest expansion throughout Europe, reducing the extent of many semi …

A method to build and calibrate custom fuel models was developed by linking genetic
algorithms (GA) to the Rothermel fire spread model. GA randomly generates solutions of fuel …

The interest for goats rearing has increased during last decades on the Italian Alps.
However, feeding preferences by grazing goats have not undergone detailed investigation …

Tree encroachment is one of the primary conservation issues in Calluna-heathlands, a
priority habitat in Europe. Improving understanding of the ecological factors that trigger …