3D-CMCC-FEM

The 3D-CMCC-FEM is biogeochemical, biophysical forest model that simulates the dynamics occurring in homogeneous and heterogeneous forests with different plant species, for different age, diameter and height classes. The model can reproduce forests from simple up to forests with a complex canopy structure (i.e. constituted by cohorts competing for light and water resources). The 3D-CMCC-FEM simulates carbon fluxes, in terms of gross and net primary productivity (GPP and NPP, respectively), partitioning and allocation in the main plant compartments (stem, branch, leaf, fruit, fine and coarse root, non-structural carbon) and water fluxes in terms of leaf and canopy transpiration, canopy and soil evaporation and the overall forest water balance. In the recent versions, nitrogen fluxes and allocation, in the same carbon pools, are also reproduced. The 3D-CMCC-FEM also takes into account management practices, as thinning and harvest, to predict their effects on forest growth and carbon sequestration. The 3D-CMCC-FEM is written in C-programming language and divided into several subroutines. To run the model, some input data are required. The meteorological forcing variables, on a daily time step, are represented by average, minimum and maximum air temperature, shortwave solar radiation, precipitation, vapor pressure deficit (or relative humidity). The model also needs some basic information about soil, such as soil depth and texture (clay, silt and sand fractions), as well as the forest stand information referred to plant species, ages, diameters, heights and stand density. An additional input is represented by species-specific eco-physiological data for the model parameterization.