ANALYSIS OF QUALITY DEVELOPMENT IN BROAD-LEAVED TREE-FARMING PLANTATIONS IN NORTHERN-EAST ITALY

Thanks to the financial incentives available through the EEC Regulation 2080/92, almost 250 hectares of tree-farming plantations have been established on previous agricultural lands in Gorizia province (northern-east Italy). The main reasons of such a policy were the excess of agricultural productions and the lack of local wood supply. The amount of subsidies was significant but the rules enforced were not sufficiently strict and properly defined; as a consequence, several management problems occurred already during the seasons after planting. The aim of this study is to assess the present quality and the quality development of the tree farming plantations that were established in Gorizia province thanks to the public funds available through the EEC Regulation 2080/92. This study has included field visits, collection of sample data representative of the entire population and primary data analysis. Two methods of stem quality assessment have been adopted, namely Nosenzo’s classification (Nosenzo et al. 2008) and Canesin’s classification (2006). Both methodologies demonstrated to be quickly applied in the field but a statistical test was carried out to compare their outcomes. The results show the significant difference between Nosenzo’s and Canesin’s classifications.