Mappatura di un'infestante arborea in aree extra-agricole: il caso dell'Ailanto in Puglia

Among the arboreal and shrubby weeds colonizing non-crop areas in the Apulian Region (South Italy), Ailanthus altissima (tree of Haven) an exotic invasive species, is one of the worst, because of its fast growth and root-sucker production. It reaches the heart of protected areas and spreads everywhere in urban and sub-urban areas creating dense stands. As there are no official monitoring protocols for weed mapping, A. altissima distribution, spread and harmfulness in the wide urban area of Bari and within Alta Murgia National Park were assessed by mapping all single plants and areas of plants with GPS in real time on satellite maps; plant size and density were estimated and mapped too. In Bari, along 76 km of roads, 170 very large (diameter > 18 cm), 231 large (diameter 8-18 cm), 130 medium (diameter 3-8 cm), 53 small (diameter < 3 cm) single plants and 70 high, 63 medium and 13 low density areas were detected; in the Park along a 126 km path, 18 large, 76 medium, 33 small single plants, 60 high and 30 low density areas were measured. Moreover, 34 kinds of damages were classified.