ESEMPI DI INTEGRAZIONE DI DENDROCRONOLOGIA E GEOMATICA PER LO STUDIO DEI PERICOLI NATURALI E I CAMBIAMENTI DEL PAESAGGIO

The Italian territory is subject to high avalanche and hydrogeological risks and the monitoring of natural hazards is of extreme importance in this context. The historical records of past events are sometimes available but data are often incomplete. Past history showed that the monitoring and mapping of these phenomena can contribute to avoid or reduce damage in the future. We present the results of different studies carried out at the Ecology Lab of the University of Trento. In particular, an integrated approach has been used by combining geomatics and dendrochronology techniques. Case studies concerning avalanches, debris flows, natural reforestation (Trentino) and riverbed path changes (Albania) are presented. The cartographic information was provided by official sources of public organizations or processed from remote sensed imagery. Using GRASS and QGIS, it was possible to create multi- temporal maps showing the effects of the phenomena on forest landscape, to produce morphological and potential risk maps and to spatialize information coming from dendrochronological analysis. The integration of geomatics and dendrochronological techniques can effectively contribute to the study of avalanches, debris flow, riverbed change and landscape change, allowing the spatial and temporal modelling including the reconstruction of paths and volumes of occurred phenomena. In order to prevent new phenomena in a changing climate, these reconstructions are extremely important for the areas that are more exposed to the direct risks of avalanches and debris flows.