doi: 10.4129/ifm.2010.6.02

Citazione - Citation
Marchetti M., Blasi C., 2010 - Old-growth forests in Italy: towards a first network. L'Italia Forestale e Montana, 65 (6): 679-698.

Autori - Authors

Marco Marchetti: Department of Science and Technology for Environment and Territory, University of Molise, Pesche (Is), Italy.

Carlo Blasi: Department of Plant Biology, University of Rome ‘‘Sapienza’’, Rome, Italy.

Title: Old-growth forests in Italy: towards a first network

Titolo: I boschi vetusti in Italia: verso un network nazionale permanente

Key words: National Biodiversity Strategy; Italian National Parks; old-growth features; vegetation series; forest types; old-growth forests network.

Parole chiave: strategia nazionale per la biodiversità; parchi nazionali italiani; caratteri di vetustà; serie vegetazionali; tipologie forestali; rete di boschi vetusti.

SUMMARY

Although the forest systems in Italy have been subjected to the influence of human activities ever since thousands of years, some remote areas maintained a high degree of naturalness, representing an important legacy both in terms of resources and biological diversity. In recent decades, the increasing costs of silvicultural practices has led to the concentration of timber exploitation in the most easily accessible zones and, consequently, to the abandonment of several stands. As a result, the interest in woodlands driven by predominantly natural dynamics has been growing considerably. These general observations provided the starting point for the project Old-growth forests in Italian National Parks, which is promoted by the Nature Protection Directorate in collaboration with the Biodiversity, Plant Sociology and Landscape Ecology Interuniversity Research Centre of the Sapienza University of Rome. The first phase of this project was conducted between 2006 and 2009. It was aimed at gathering information on Italian forests with old-growth features, selecting those that satisfy the old-growth forest definition drawn up for the purposes of this project. The selected forests have been mapped, classified according to an old-growth scale and included in a geodatabase that stores structural and vegetation data. Although Italy does not boast forests that have never been touched or have not been disturbed for several centuries, numerous forests with old-growth features were identified and studied. The considerable variety of vegetation types that characterize these forests makes this sample an important starting point for a nationwide Old-growth Forests Network, which may become the object of important monitoring initiatives, taking into account also persistent woodlands.

RIASSUNTO

In Italia, nonostante gli ecosistemi forestali abbiano siano stati oggetto di interventi antropici da migliaia di anni, alcune aree forestali localizzate in contesti difficilmente accessibili sono ancora caratterizzate da un elevato grado di naturalità, rappresentando un’importante eredità in termini di risorse e diversità biologica. Negli ultimi decenni, l’incremento dei costi delle attività selvicolturali ha indotto a concentrare la pianificazione dei tagli nelle aree più facilmente accessibili, causando molto spesso l’abbandono dei territori più remoti. In parallelo, aumenta l’interesse della comunità scientifica nei confronti di quei popolamenti dominati prevalentemente da dinamiche naturali. Queste constatazioni sono il punto di partenza del progetto Old-growth forests in Italian National Parks, promosso dal Dipartimento Protezione della Natura del Ministero dell’Ambiente, in collaborazione con il Centro di Ricerca Interuniversitario Biodiversity, Plant Sociology and Landscape Ecology dell’Università “La Sapienza” di Roma. La prima fase del progetto è stata realizzata dal 2006 al 2009, con l’obiettivo di raccogliere informazioni sull’eventuale presenza di popolamenti forestali con caratteri di vetustà nell’ambito dei parchi nazionali, selezionando poi le realtà che soddisfacessero la definizione di vetustà alla base del progetto. Le aree forestali individuate sono state poi mappate, classificate in relazione ad una scala di vetustà ed inserite in un geodatabase in cui sono stati registrati gli aspetti strutturali e vegetazionali dei siti. Anche se il territorio nazionale non vanta la presenza di popolamenti mai influenzati dalle attività umane o che comunque da secoli non sono stati in nessun caso oggetto di disturbi antropici, i risultati ottenuti hanno permesso di identificare e studiare molteplici realtà forestali con caratteri di potenziale vetustà. Inoltre, la considerevole varietà di tipologie forestali che le caratterizzano rendono lo studio effettuato un sostanziale punto di partenza nell’ottica della realizzazione di una rete nazionale di boschi vetusti, considerando anche l’occorrenza dei popolamenti persistenti.

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