Economic impacts of ambient ozone pollution on wood production in Italy

Sandro Sacchelli,Claudia Cocozza,Gherardo Chirici,Pierre Sicard,Alessandra De Marco,Elena Paoletti,Alessandro Anav,Yasutomo Hoshika,Augusto Screpanti,Elisa Carrari

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-80516-6

Abstract

Worldwide, tropospheric ozone (O3) is a potential threat to wood production, but our understanding of O3 economic impacts on forests is still limited. To overcome this issue, we developed an approach for integrating O3 risk modelling and economic estimates, by using the Italian forests as a case study. Results suggested a significant impact of O3 expressed in terms of stomatal flux with an hourly threshold of uptake (Y = 1 nmol O3 m−2 leaf area s−1 to represent the detoxification capacity of trees), i.e. POD1. In 2005, the annual POD1 averaged over Italy was 20.4 mmol m−2 and the consequent potential damage ranged from 790.90 M€ to 2.85 B€ of capital value (i.e. 255–869 € ha−1, on average) depending on the interest rate. The annual damage ranged from 31.6 to 57.1 M€ (i.e. 10–17 € ha−1 per year, on average). There was also a 1.1% reduction in the profitable forest areas, i.e. with a positive Forest Expectation Value (FEV), with significant declines of the annual national wood production of firewood (− 7.5%), timber pole (− 7.4%), roundwood (− 5.0%) and paper mill (− 4.8%). Results were significantly different in the different Italian regions. We recommend our combined approach for further studies under different economic and phytoclimatic conditions.

Highlights

Worldwide, tropospheric ozone (O3) is a potential threat to wood production, but our understanding of O3 economic impacts on forests is still limited
Among the many ecosystem services provided by forests, only wood production losses have been estimated so far to assess the economic impact of O3 pollution on forests[9,10,11], because experimental dose–response relationships are available for estimating biomass losses[12,13,14]
Given the limited knowledge on the economic value of O3-induced wood production losses, in particular according to a flux-based approach, the aim of this study was to develop a combined modelling approach for realistic estimates of the economic impacts of POD1-based wood losses, by using Italy as a case study

Summary

Introduction

Tropospheric ozone (O3) is a potential threat to wood production, but our understanding of O3 economic impacts on forests is still limited. A flux-based approach is recommended e.g. by the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution of the United Nations[6] and by the National Emission Ceilings Directive of the European Union[7], where the stomatal O3 uptake is estimated through models integrating the effects of climatic factors and vegetation characteristics on stomata (e.g. the DO3SE m odel[8]) Such flux metric is called Phytotoxic Ozone Dose, defined as the amount of O 3 absorbed into the leaves or needles through stomata over the growing season, and above a threshold Y of uptake (PODY). We expect that this approach and results stimulate further studies by using a harmonized methodology for a better economic understanding of the global impacts of O 3 pollution on forests and the forestry sector

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion