«Silva Lab One”, laboratorio intelligente per gestire il bosco dei Monti Alburni

"Silva Lab One" is the inaugural Natural Forest Laboratory established on the southern slopes of the Monti Alburni, within the Cilento National Park. This pioneering endeavor leverages satellite technologies and drones, showcasing an advanced system for forest and woodland management. The project emerged from a public-private partnership between the Municipality of Ottati and Società Aerospaziale Mediterranea, a long-standing player in Earth observation satellite platforms, aerial drones, and more.

The laboratory's mission focuses on understanding, measuring, and capitalizing on the myriad benefits of Sustainable Forest Management through an integrated, verifiable, and updated data-driven approach. The intricate nature of forest systems necessitates a combination of geographic, agroforestry, climatic, and ecosystem information, complemented by digital systems used in situ and remotely.

Silva Lab One will operate on a portion of Ottati's extensive forest estate (over 1,000 hectares), examining around 500 trees of various species, geographical distributions, and ages. This methodology enables the assessment of sustainability services, such as carbon storage and biodiversity, wood characteristics (fiber, biomolecules) for bioconstruction and, indirectly, energy applications, and fire prevention testing via 24/7 surveillance of high-risk zones.

The fire prevention system relies on programmed drone patrols of forested areas to detect temperature anomalies from the ground, even through vegetation. In summary, an integrated digital infrastructure is being developed to gather, organize, and update satellite and drone data, field forest surveys, IoT sensing, climate information, and GIS tools, moving beyond traditional periodic campaigns and isolated observations.

Initial funding of 100,000 euros came from private sources, and there are ongoing efforts to attract public and private investments, particularly Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), to support environmentally protective projects. The ultimate goal is to preserve and enhance the green areas that are among the primary resources of Regional and National Protected Areas.