Natural disturbances and protective forests: the effects of cascading and compound hazards after the storm VAIA (Northeastern Italy)

Climate change is undeniably responsible for the increase in climate-related disturbances affecting Alpine communities. These phenomena are often the result of compound events, a combination of multiple climate-related hazards that contribute to socio-ecological risks. Among the key drivers of the increased vulnerability of Alpine communities are changes in forest cover, structure and species composition. Forests provide essential ecosystem services that support human well-being and play a crucial role in the mitigation of climate change. However, their health and stability are also particularly affected by large and high-severity climate-related disturbances. Therefore, in the framework of MOSAIC, an Alpine Space Interreg project funded by the European Union, a focus is being devoted to hazard-resilient and sustainable protective forest management, which is essential for managing climate-related hazards.  In order to support Alpine climate action plans, the project partners aim to collect, harmonise and share data on Alpine climate-related disturbances and hazards, as well as forecasting their future trends. MOSAIC strives to raise awareness among foresters, risk managers, decision makers and the public through an Alpine network of forest living labs. Here, some case studies and examples of disturbance interactions and their effects on protective forest stands are presented and discussed, with a special focus on the aftermath of VAIA, a windstorm that affected Northeastern Italy in 2018.