Tree farming plantation schemes of Potentially Permanent Polycyclic Plantations (3P Plantations) with double function, developed in rows

LIFE12 ENV/IT/000153

Tree rows to which it is also possible to associate shrub species that combine 2 or more production cycles of different length in the same alignment with a double function, both productive and environmental.

PROJECT REFERENT
De Pietri  Stefano

WEBSITE

The development of Potentially Permanent Polycyclic Plantations (3P Plantations) in rows pursues several objectives:

• produce valuable wood and biomass;
• increase biodiversity;
• mitigate the climate;
• reduce pollutants in waterways,
• defend the river banks from erosion;
• redesign the landscape.

The 3P plantations are plants that combine 2 or more production cycles of different lengths in the same tree row; in particular:

• very short cycle (5-7 years) to produce woody biomass;
• short cycle (8-10 years), such as poplar to produce peeled wood;
• medium-long cycle (20-45 years), such as walnut, cherry, ash, rowan or oak to produce sliced ​​and/or sawn assortments.

In the design phase, each plant must be assigned the right space along the row according to the role it has to play. The LIFE + InBioWood Project envisaged the construction of 45 km of Potentially Permanent Polycyclic Plantations in rows of different complexity according to the length of the production cycles, and the number of tree and shrub species used.

The rows were created in a watershed within the area of ​​the Great Veronese Valleys, in particular along the Tartaro and Tione delle Valli rivers. Here the structure of the landscape is determined by the fluvial and hydrological network, by intensively used arable lands, interrupted only by sporadic orchards or rows of poplars or willows.

The construction of 3P plantations can be replicated anywhere, but specific knowledge is required both on the design and on the management. One of the main aims of the project is precisely to provide operators and technicians with tools and materials to learn about the design, construction and management methodologies of the 3P Plantations.

From the GoProFor database, in the final part of the sheet, it is possible to download material relating to the project and in particular the technical manual entitled "Design, construction and management of Naturalistic Polycyclic Wood Plantations" in Italian and English version.