DIVAS – PRIN

DIVAS – Developing of Innovative Methods to Assess Tree Vitality After a Wildfire Through Analyses of Cambium Sugars Metabolism

The DIVAS project arose from the need to rapidly define the physiological state of plants under stress. Early detection of plant health, irreversible physiological damage and functional adaptations can help inform decisions for future management of degraded environments for their conservation. In this context, the project aims to develop a biosensor capable of non-destructively measuring metabolites produced by plants under stress in the field. Particular attention will be paid to the damage caused by forest fires.  The biosensor will also provide information on the likelihood of the plant going into latent death, which can usually occur a few years after the fire.

Fires are a recurrent phenomenon in Mediterranean areas and must be considered as a key issue for forest management and local and global environmental restoration. The biosensor will be developed to identify healthy trees and those damaged by fire. The development of an easy-to-use tool will allow the rapid quantification of tree vitality in areas where silvicultural intervention is required for post-disturbance conservation.

A major benefit of this application is the recognition of plant ‘viability‘, which defines ecological and economic importance in terms of both forest carbon balance and ecosystem restoration.