Trees and woods

Sectors and activities | Trees and woods

Sector activities

In every type of landscape, trees characterise what is perceived and their presence has many different benefits depending on the context and on who and what interacts with them. A tree in a city helps preserve the health of the environment. A tree in a woodland provides timber, an important part of the economy. Our neighbour’s tree poses a risk of falling down. A tree in a park marks an historic event.

These issues, which are often problematic, are scientifically addressed by Studio Tovaglieri in an open-minded manner and above all without stating the obvious.

Martina Roncalli

Martina Roncalli

Head of Sector

martina@studiotovaglieri.it

  • Dottoressa in Agraria.
  • Laurea magistrale in Progettazione delle Aree Verdi e del Paesaggio presso l’Università degli Studi di Genova.
  • Laurea triennale in Agrotecnologie per l’Ambiente e il Territorio conseguita all’Università degli Studi di Milano.
  • Maturità tecnica di Perito Agrario.
  • Esperienza in indagini arboree visive e strumentali, mediante approccio VTA, censimenti del verde e progettazione forestale.

Health and safety analysis of Trees

What does it involve

We often see images and headlines on tv or in the local newspapers regarding fallen trees, often reporting disastrous consequences for property, cars or even people.

The constantly changing weather conditions in recent years has led to an increase in the frequency and intensity of gusts of wind and tornadoes, even in areas where these phenomena, as far as anyone can remember, were rare or even absent.

If healthy trees struggle to adapt to these sudden climate changes, poorly anchored, diseased trees or in precarious health conditions are also likely to struggle.

Entrusting Studio Tovaglieri means identifying, examining, being aware of and setting up forms of protection to prevent possible risks. In this respect, for over 25 years the Studio has been working alongside numerous private clients, municipalities and hundreds of gardeners in monitoring and understanding the state of health, stability and security of trees. The specialists at Studio Tovaglieri codify and classify each tree, visually examine it, (VTA method – Visual Tree Assessment and D.A.I. method. – Destiny of Surveyed Trees) if necessary using state-of-the-art machinery, and produce a specific evaluation sheet for each tree which indicates its general conditions and health, signs of structural weakness (risk) and actions to take to ensure, where possible, the conservation of the tree’s health, safety and functionality in the interest of people, things and the environment and thus preventing damage and unpleasant situations (see Estimates and Damage).

Target audience

Owners of Parks and Gardens, Companies, Property Administrators, Gardeners, Public Bodies and Administrators.

carie-del-legno
carie-del-legno

Green Area Survey

What does it involve

The starting points for an integrated management (Facility Management) of urban and private green spaces and for the intelligent planning of the interventions are the precise and specific knowledge of the types of vegetation (trees, shrubs, ground covers and turfs), manufacts and outdoor furnishings, both in terms of specific variety (quality) and number (quantity), their mapping through the use of the most modern and up-to-date technologies and equipment (GIS, CAD, current and historical aerial images, APP, etc.) and the regular monitoring and updating of data.

The actual survey carried out by the specialists at Studio Tovaglieri, consists in the labelling and in the recognition of the woods, in the acquisition of the spatial arrangement of trees, shrubs, manufacts and furnishings as well as in the evaluation of their condition and their main characteristics.

The information collected is stored electronically in editable format so as to develop and implement specific maps, allowing calibrated economic and technical management plans of the green area to be prepared.

The green space survey is a useful and user-friendly service, that promotes interaction between the owners of the assets, the administrators (specialists and business consultants) and professionals (gardeners and firms that manage green spaces) and even citizens (public green spaces), improving efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, visual impact and the functionality of the green system as a whole.

Target audience

Public Bodies and Administrators, Park Owners, Companies, Property Administrators.

Forestry Planning

What does it involve

The establishment of new woodlands or reforestation projects, activities involving silvicultural cutting operations or the regeneration of large wooded areas, reinforcement of embankments or watercourses employing environmental engineering techniques, forest tracks and firebreaks, agro-sylvopastoral systems are all interventions that require a fully-fledged project to be prepared and developed by qualified professionals. These professionals start with what already exists, and describe, calculate, assess and schedule all the operations, making sure they comply with the regulations, which are then approved and monitored by the relevant public bodies. Cultivating woodland means to think about the future! In fact, besides representing an important economic resource, the woodland ecosystem is identified as an improvement of the perceived landscape, an area where the biodiversity of flora and fauna is preserved, a place that provides food, protection and shelter for wildlife, as well as a place dedicated to rest and mental relaxation for human beings. Studio Tovaglieri has worked for both public bodies with large wooded areas and for small woodland owners, with the common goal, which has always been achieved, of improving the woodland by considering it a long-term resource and not a temporary problem to manage.

Target audience

Public Bodies and Administrators, Woodland Owners, Agroforestry Companies.

Phytosociological Surveys

What does it involve

The aim of Phytosociology is to study plant communities (habitat), their distribution and their entire physical and biological relationship that characterises their evolution in space and in time.

Phytosociology is based on the concept of “plant association” which stems from observing the repetition of the same ecological and environmental conditions (soil, climate, etc.) in different locations, where very similar communities can be found in terms of structure, specific composition and abundance ratios between individuals of the same species. Basically, “plant association” means that for a given ecological structure and a specific environmental balance, one and only one specific combination exists.

The fundamental purpose of phytosociology is to scientifically and unambiguously recognise and describe the various plant communities in terms of association through the constant monitoring of the environment in order to ensure its proper management and planning and assess the impact and the response of vegetation to human activity over time.

Climate changes, including human impact, have caused a shift in vegetation.

Studio Tovaglieri has successfully and satisfactorily performed phytosociological surveys from the North to the South of Italy, thanks to qualified personnel “ready to go”, who are able to address any type of situation using the most appropriate equipment.

Target audience

Authorities and Public Administrators, Companies.