Transient dynamics of vegetation in upper timberline of fagus sylvatica L. forests in the Monti Sibillini national park

The research wants to supply useful elements of knowledge to the management of plant communities in zones of transition at the upper limit of beech woods in the Monti Sibillini National Park. In this area there are historical and scientific evidences that attest the weight of the pressure of domestic wild breeding (sheep, caws, horses), in the definition of present edge of the forest. Such limit, today, is certainly more downwards with respect to the natural capacity of beech wood that would arrive until 1840 - 1850 m. s. l. m. The pastural activity that in the last centuries has modeling present landscape, in the last 60 years had a strong reorganization: that determined a new natural expansion of the forests. The phenomenon is rapid and great to the lowest heights, whereas seems very slow, or even worthless in delicate environments of the highest limit of the forest. This is the reason for that it becomes interesting to study this special aspect of the phenomenon. To understand and to expect the dynamics in these areas of transition, besides the study of the climatic change (analysis that asks for big engagement of time, of money and of personnel), it has to be also considered the impact of the decreased human disturbance on the natural forest populations. In last years, many authors prefer this second hypothesis to explain new expansion happened over woodlands, attributing instead to the climatic change an effect to await it in the long period. It has to report that in reference to the forest vegetation it says ''short period'' also for temporal ranks of 100 300 years. Some scholars, besides, affirm that this logic of short period is especially useful for observations of middle-small space dimension, that is to say to regional scale, or of landscape, or local. The present work just examines a regional and landscape scale, to arrive then to more detailed local analysis, sometimes even micro research stations. Particularly, this study would want to characterize itself for the following aspects: a) the affected territory: It is the extreme and peculiar environmental context of the highest part of the Monti Sibillini. These areas are the sole, in the Umbro-marchigiana portion of Apennine, that for their altitude are higher of the area of potential vegetation of beech. There are a lot of tops above 2000 m. that overtop an important calcareous plateau. In the area in examination, besides, is almost completely absent the shrubby layer above the forest, that in other Apennine zones is retained necessary for lift of beech; b) the object of study: The regeneration of beech wood towards its higher limits (above 1600 m.), in spite of difficult environmental conditions and delicate ecological features of this species. General summary of carried out activity Scientific reference hypothesis is based on the check of eventual tendencies to change in higher limit of beech wood happened in short period ("short" according to forest parameters …). This type of approach ascribes eventual shift of forests from decreased human pressure. Instead, in case such gone back it is not observed, we investigate the motive that can clash the expansion of the forest to the high. The study was turned by means of the following actions: a) Bibliographic inquiry on the relating arguments to the study; b) Diachronic inquiry to identify happened changes during the period 1980 2008; c) Determination and analysis of 12 stations of study retained necessary to represent in appropriate way the regeneration "to the high" of the beech woods inside Monti Sibillini National Park; d) Check of the "qualitative" aspects of the woodland neighbors to the higher edge. This observation is directed to the check of potential sources of sexual propagation of the beech in the areas now except for exploitation from domestic grazing. e) Execution of different types of relief in every choice area, to note ecological data, environmental data, plant diversity data; f) Elaboration of samples taken in the field; g) Evaluation of the disturbance brought from wild ungulates and of domestic livestock; h) Analysis of the results. Expected results a) Creation of a functional model useful to carrying out foreseeing tools of potential dynamics of expansion of the beech woods towards their natural highest limit; b) Formulation of hypothesis on the mechanisms and the criticality of forest expansion towards high; c) First check of the abovementioned hypothesis, and definition of an experimental protocol for the continuation of the research. d) Creation of a cartography with the relevant precise identification of sample areas, necessary for eventual following checks on the evolution of upper margin of the beech-woods.