3D-CMCC-FEM

The 3D-CMCC-FEM is biogeochemical, biophysical forest model that simulates the dynamics occurring inhomogeneous and heterogeneous forests with different plant species, for different age, diameter andheight classes. The model can reproduce forests from simple up to forests with a complex canopystructure (i.e. constituted by cohorts competing for light and water resources). The 3D-CMCC-FEMsimulates 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 soilevaporation and the overall forest water balance. In the recent versions, nitrogen fluxes and allocation, inthe same carbon pools, are also reproduced. The 3D-CMCC-FEM also takes into account managementpractices, as thinning and harvest, to predict their effects on forest growth and carbon sequestration. The3D-CMCC-FEM is written in C-programming language and divided into several subroutines. To run themodel, some input data are required. The meteorological forcing variables, on a daily time step, arerepresented by average, minimum and maximum air temperature, shortwave solar radiation,precipitation, vapor pressure deficit (or relative humidity). The model also needs some basic informationabout soil, such as soil depth and texture (clay, silt and sand fractions), as well as the forest standinformation referred to plant species, ages, diameters, heights and stand density. An additional input isrepresented by species-specific eco-physiological data for the model parameterization.