Consistency among forest structure and biodiversity potential index (IBP): an assessment of stand structural complexity for floodplain poplar woodlands

doi:10.3832/ifor4945-018

Consistency among forest structure and biodiversity potential index (IBP): an assessment of stand structural complexity for floodplain poplar woodlands

Giovanni Trentanovi⁽¹⁾ , Anna Corli^(2-3), Simone Orsenigo^(2-3), Pietro Ghirelli⁽⁴⁾, Pier Mario Chiarabaglio⁽⁵⁾, Maria Laura Traversi⁽¹⁾, Silvia Traversari^(3-6), Francesca Vannucchi^(3-6), Alessio Giovannelli^(1-3)

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 18, Issue 6, Pages 335-343 (2025)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4945-018
Published: Nov 04, 2025 - Copyright © 2025 SISEF

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Forest structural complexity arises from several attributes whose combined effects make it difficult to disentangle their single contributions. Such contributions may vary substantially across different ecosystems and management types, requiring the development of fast and effective forest structural evaluation indices for simplified, highly managed systems, such as poplar plantations in riparian areas. With this aim, the suitability of the Index of Biodiversity Potential (IBP) to catch the stand structural variations was tested in three different types of poplar forests (cultivated, semi-natural and natural) along the Po river (Northen Italy) in contrast with quantitative structural parameters (e.g., deadwood biomass, diameter diversity) and synthetic structural complexity indices (Index of Structural Heterogeneity - SHI, Forest Structure Index - FSI). The IBP consistently assessed stand structure complexity using structural parameters and synthetic indices. The Gini coefficient for diameter was generally low among sites, but the IBP identified slight variations in vertical structure enabling differentiation between cultivated and non-cultivated stands. The SHI showed the strongest correlation with IBP, likely due to its context-related features and its ability to describe structural differences within a relatively homogeneous forest stand. Although data on the presence of large woody elements in IBP allow distinctions among stand types, the lack of their quantification may lead to an overestimation of their actual role in forest biogeochemical cycles. In conclusion, the IBP, with some site-specific refinements, could represent a suitable and rapid method for implementing management plans to enhance woodland stand complexity in riparian areas.

Keywords

Poplar Plantations, Stand Structure, Structural Indices, Biodiversity, Po River, Nature-based Solutions, Correlations

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0001-8236-4163
0009-0006-7170-6918
0000-0002-7217-7177
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems - IRET, National Research Council - CNR, v. Madonna del Piano 10, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, FI (Italy)

(2)

0000-0003-0672-4969
0000-0003-0348-9115
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, v. Sant’Epifanio 14, I-27100 Pavia (Italy)

(3)

0000-0003-0672-4969
0000-0003-0348-9115
0000-0003-2814-7218
0000-0002-2661-214x
0000-0002-7217-7177
NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, I-90133 Palermo (Italy)

(4)

v. San Bonaventura 13, I-50145, Florence (Italy)

(5)

0000-0002-3610-5395
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre for Forestry and Wood - CREA-FL, strada Frassineto 35, I-15033 Casale Monferrato, AL (Italy)

(6)

0000-0003-2814-7218
0000-0002-2661-214x
Research Institute on Terrestrial Ecosystems - IRET, National Research Council - CNR, v. G. Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa (Italy)

Corresponding author

Giovanni Trentanovi
giovanni.trentanovi@cnr.it

Citation

Trentanovi G, Corli A, Orsenigo S, Ghirelli P, Chiarabaglio PM, Traversi ML, Traversari S, Vannucchi F, Giovannelli A (2025). Consistency among forest structure and biodiversity potential index (IBP): an assessment of stand structural complexity for floodplain poplar woodlands. iForest 18: 335-343. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4945-018

Academic Editor

Marco Borghetti

Paper history

Received: Jul 21, 2025
Accepted: Oct 27, 2025

First online: Nov 04, 2025
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2025
Publication Time: 0.27 months

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