Can This Forest in Northern Italy Be a Model for the Management of Natural Resources?

This month and the next, we are offering our readers excerpts from two books that have caught our attention. We begin with “Imaginary Mountains” (“Montagne Immaginarie”) by journalist Michele Sasso — published by Edizioni Ambiente as part of their VerdeNero Inchieste series — whom we thank for their support. Next month, we will dive back into the waters of the Mediterranean, following the trail of the monk seal thanks to a photographic book created as part of a project that deeply resonates with us: The Wild Line. This format of the Lapilli+ newsletter is a bit of an experiment for us and the result of proposals and contacts received over the last few months from readers like you. As usual, we’d love to hear your thoughts — feel free to reach out or support us with a donation.

Editor’s note: The following excerpts from the book “Imaginary Mountains” have been slightly shortened, edited and translated from Italian.

While Italian forests are becoming increasingly dense, logging decreases due to the gradual abandonment and lack of management of wooded areas. This creates a paradox: Even though the demand for wood remains high, the absence of a well-developed domestic supply chain means that most raw materials come from abroad.

As forested land expands across the Italian peninsula due to depopulation in mountainous regions, logging and timber-processing do not emerge as viable economic alternatives for sustaining these areas. And though proper forest management and planned logging across the country might represent a significant economic opportunity for industries that rely on wood and paper products sourced from sustainably managed forests, within the sector, opinions diverge between those who advocate for preserving forests intact and those who push for their exploitation through the construction of roads and logging operations.

According to Giorgio Vacchiano, professor of forest management and planning at the University of Milan: “Using wood instead of high-impact materials like concrete, steel, plastic, and fossil fuels provides significant benefits in the fight against climate change. However, timber harvesting must not come at the expense of other equally important ecosystem services: The forest must remain a vital and functioning ecosystem.”

A prime example of sustainable forest management in the country is the Tarvisio Forest, 23,300 hectares in the far northeast of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where Italy borders Austria and Slovenia.