Alpine and subalpine forest, grasslands, debris, settlement

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alpine snow,
snow cover period nov-may,
~1.5m mean snow depth

The Torgnon site, active since June 2008, is an unmanaged subalpine grassland located a few kilometers from the village of Torgnon in the northwestern Italian Alps (Aosta Valley) at an elevation of 2160 m asl. In the past the site was used for domestic livestock grazing and was abandoned in late 1990s. Vegetation is mainly composed by matgrass (Nardus stricta) with other graminoids and forbs as co- dominant species (Festuca nigrescens, Arnica montana, Carex sempervirens, Geum montanum, Anthoxanthum alpinum, Potentilla aurea, Trifolium alpinum). The peak value of leaf area index (LAI) is on average 2.2 m 2 m 2 and maximum canopy height is 0.2 m. The site is characterized by an alpine climate with strong seasonality. The mean annual temperature is 3.1 ◦ C and mean annual precipitation is about 880 mm, however growing season cumulative precipitation can show huge variations (from 160 to 630 mm). On average, the site is covered by a thick snow mantle (90-120 cm) from the end of October to late May, which limits the growing season length to four-five months.

https://www.icos-italy.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/torgnon.pdf