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Research activities
Research activities
The Centre’s research activities are focused on:
- making the best use of the opportunities offered and of the information made available by the emerging sciences (genomics, biotechnologies, Earth observation and land measurement technologies) to promote the implementation and integration of the innovations produced by information and communication technologies (ICT) in the forestry sector, within the so-called Precision forestry
- improving end-users' access to innovation transfer in order to increase the competitiveness of all productive sectors of the forest-wood chain
These goals are made clear in the three-year activity plan of the Centre, both in its specific objectives (objective no. 1 in particular) and in its broad and high quality "third mission" activity (mostly, but not only, carried out within the National Rural Network and the National Forest Inventory). The hopeful acquisition of new staff and new equipment aim at strengthening the Centre’s research and innovation capacity.
Forests' genetic improvement and biodiversity

Monitoring of forest ecosystems

Sustainable forest management

Wood plantations

Poplar culture

Precision forestry

Research programme 2018/2020 - Centre's objectives
Research programme 2018/2020 - Centre's objectives
Thematic workshops
Forest Genetic Resources - Arezzo
In Arezzo, the activities of the Forest Genetic Resources are exerted in the following laboratories:
Forest Geomatics - Arezzo
Lab activities are focused on dendroecological research applied to environmental problems. They include: Measurement of the characteristics of tree r... [Read all]
Dendroecology - Arezzo
In this laboratory, studies are focused on the conservation and characterization of medicinal and aromatic plant genetic resources, in particular alp... [Read all]
Silviculture and Forest Ecology - Arezzo
This laboratory carries out the measurements needed to develop tree- volume, biomass and increment models. It is equipped for precise measurements of... [Read all]
Forest planning - Trento
Il laboratorio è stato istituito nel 2002 per il supporto scientifico e tecnico dell’Inventario Forestale Nazionale italiano INFC, realizzato dal Cor... [Read all]
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Trento
The laboratory carry out the following activities: - water analysis: pH, ammonia and nitric nitrogen determination; - soil arthropoda and other bioin... [Read all]
Forest biometrics and dendrochronology - Trento
Laboratory dedicated to traditional and digital cartography for the photointerpretation and photorestitution of remote sensing images. It is well sto... [Read all]
Inventari forestali - Trento
The laboratory has been established to investigate the biology of the main pest and pathogens of poplars, willows and other fast-growing woody specie... [Read all]
Landscape and forest systems Ecology - Casale Monferrato
L’attività del laboratorio è finalizzata alla modificazione genetica di cloni di pioppo per caratteri utili mediante sistemi innovativi basati sulla ... [Read all]
Disease and pest management of fast-growing wood plantations - Casale Monferrato
Laboratory dedicated to pedological and dendrometric surveys, in particular for the determination of the dry matter and calorific power of lignocellu... [Read all]
In vitro cultures and biotechnology for wood plantations - Casale Monferrato
The laboratory hosts staff and equipment dedicated to the study of greenhouse gas fluxes and volatile organic compounds between the biosphere and the... [Read all]
Miglioramento genetico delle Salicacee - Casale Monferrato
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Wood quality and wood technology - Casale Monferrato
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Silviculture for timber and biomass production - Casale Monferrato
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Biometeorology - Roma
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Vivaistica forestale - Roma
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Wildlife management and forest biodiversity - Rende
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Analisi sensoriale
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Biochimica e microbiologia agraria e forestale - Rende
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Research infrastructures
Research permanent areas
The network is composed by 645 research permanent plots (250 hectares), concerning 223 experimental trials and 38 different research items. The exper... [Read all]
Italian Monitoring network on forest condition
The network articulates as following: 1)Large-scale forest condition monitoring (Level I): Level I monitoring provides an annual overview on forest ... [Read all]
Rete di stazioni meteorologiche ed eco-fisiologiche
A partire dagli anni novanta, in ottemperanza al programma di ricerca e monitoraggio integrato Con.Eco.For., è stata installata una rete integrata di... [Read all]
Experimental plots of Mediterranean conifers and broad-leaved trees
The “Ovile” experimental farm, located in the Municipality of Rome (XIII Municipio, Casalotti area), take up an area of about 77 hectares where exper... [Read all]
Permanent observation site of Castelporziano
The Presidential Estate of Castelporziano represents a key area for the maintenance of environmentally friendly conditions with the growing urbanizat... [Read all]
Ex ISS-CS Test areas
Permanent test areas made by the Experimental Institute for Silviculture - Peripheral Operational Section of Cosenza (now CREA-FL) in Pinus nigra cal... [Read all]
Germplasm collections of poplars
Germplasm collections of poplars and willows are maintained ex-situ at CREA Forests and Wood Research Center (Casale Monferrato); by number of specie... [Read all]
Forest Genetic Resources Experimental Networks
The Working Group on Forest Genetic Resources Management at CREA FL Arezzo manages a unique-in-Italy experimental network in terms of size, number of... [Read all]
The history of the Center
FORESTRY AND WOOD
The history of the Center
The Centre coordinates the research activities carried out in offices and laboratories located in Arezzo, Casale Monferrato (AL), Trento, Rome and Rende (CS)
Research in Forestry started in 1922 in Florence, with the foundation by Aldo Pavari of the Regia Stazione Sperimentale di Selvicoltura (Royal Forestry Experimental Station), the first Italian research center in this field.
In 1967 the Regia Stazione Sperimentale di Selvicoltura became the Istituto Sperimentale per la Selvicoltura (Forestry Experimental Institute) with headquarters in Arezzo and operational offices in Florence, San Pietro Avellana (Isernia) and Cosenza. In 2007 with the creation of the Council for Research and Experimentation in Agriculture (CRA) it became part of the CRA network of research centers, taking the name ‘Centro di Ricerca per la Selvicoltura’ (Forestry Research Center).
The historical site in Florence was closed and the offices at Isernia (Unità di ricerca per la gestione dei sistemi forestali dell'Appennino) and Cosenza (Unità di ricerca per la selvicoltura in ambiente mediterraneo) become autonomous Research Units (R.Unit for the management of the Apennine forest systems and Research Unit for forestry in the Mediterranean environment, respectively). As a consequence of CREA reorganisation in 2017 the site at Isernia has become an experimental farm while the site at Rende is now a Research Group.
The offices and laboratories at Casale Monferrato, formerly known as the Unità di ricerca per le Produzioni Legnose fuori Foresta (Research Unit for Wood Productions outside Forests), and even before as the ‘Istituto di Sperimentazione per la Pioppicoltura’ (ISP), were built on land owned by Cartiere Burgo and inaugurated on October 1, 1939. Sold in 1952 to the Ente Nazionale Cellulosa e Carta (ENCC) (National Body for Cellulose and Paper) and managed since 1999 by the Agricultural and Forestry Society (SAF), in 2001 they were donated to the Ministry of Agriculture, and from October 1 2004 have been part of CREA together with their branch offices and land in Rome, today an experimental farm (Azienda Ovile).