SVILUPPO DI SISTEMI DI MONITORAGGIO DELL’INTERAZIONE VENTO-ALBERO. ANALISI DETTAGLIATA DEI CRITERI E REQUISITI CHIAVE

Winds exert significant mechanical loads on trees, influencing their growth, morphology, physiology, and ecology. The interaction between wind and trees is a dynamic and complex process involving different mechanisms to manage and dissipate energy. Although trees have adapted to wind loading, strong wind can provoke significant damage. Wind damage can have significant economic, ecological, social, and environmental impacts in forest areas and urban environments. In this context, the frequency and severity of windstorms are expected to increase due to climate change, increasing the probability of wind damage. Tree management based on risk assessment is crucial to minimise and prevent potential damages. Reliable risk assessments can be developed only by a deep comprehension of the process of wind damage and the factors that influence tree failure. Biomechanical studies of trees offer a deep comprehension of tree dynamic behaviour, considering trees as mechanical objects that behave according to engineering and physical principles. Tree biomechanical studies have expanded considerably, providing new information on how trees adapt and survive, especially in strong winds. Nowadays, tree biomechanical studies find applications in guiding tree management in forest and urban areas. Measurement methods and technologies are continuously being developed to monitor trees from a biomechanics perspective, providing experts and stakeholders with various tools and methods. This wide range of options for planning a wind-tree interaction monitoring creates indecision in identifying benefits and applications of specific technologies, inconsistencies in datasets and evaluations across different monitoring campaigns. Smoothing out the lack of best practices and standards for wind-tree interaction is currently fundamental for consistent characterisations of dynamic behaviour and developing robust models that can be used effectively by stakeholders and practitioners in forest and urban green management. This thesis aims to define the technological criteria and key requirements to develop real-time monitoring systems for wind-tree interactions by exploring the potentialities of existing sensors and technologies for monitoring tree response to wind. Initially, a Systematic Literature Review was conducted to describe the current level of research regarding methods and technologies currently used in wind-tree interaction monitoring. The review's findings have highlighted the main gaps and challenges in wind-tree interaction, laying the foundation for three specific research activities. The shared objective of the activities is clarifying the pros and cons of existing technologies through comparative studies and proposing standards that can be the basis for developing reliable and standardised monitoring systems for wind-tree interaction. Firstly, different sensitivity and accuracy of different technologies were estimated in field measurements of tree response to external forces by developing a methodological protocol. Secondly, advantages and disadvantages of a replicable monitoring system based on high-sensitivity sensors from civil engineering were tested to estimate the dynamic parameters of living trees. Thirdly, a detailed workflow based on numerical simulation and observation analysis was developed to estimate wind-tree dynamics from existing methods and technologies for tree geometry simulation and operational modal analysis. This thesis's innovative methodologies and findings represent critical steps towards establishing standardised protocols for monitoring wind-tree interactions. By addressing existing challenges and providing robust frameworks for future research, this work significantly advances the understanding and practical application of wind-tree interaction monitoring.