Managing Forests For Multiple Purposes: carbon, biodiversity, socio-economic wellbeing
LIFE09 ENV/IT/000078
Object
Realization of Islands of Aging Forests through interventions aimed at increasing the amount of standing and on the ground dead wood and of habitat trees.
Objective
Create a forest area where the presence of various types of dead wood and microhabitats can promote the conservation and increase of biodiversity for the benefit of the entire forest.
Good Practice Description
On a part of the forest (about 2-3 hectares) we worked on about 30% of the basal area. Half of the plants of this percentage are cut down and left on the ground, while the other half is girdled and left to die standing. Before the intervention, a selection of the largest plants are left to an indefinite aging, serving as "habitat trees" in the future. The total area of the various IAF should be approximately 5-10% of the total forest area (5-10 ha per km2) to guarantee the function of "biodiversity reservoir".
Territorial Context
Cansiglio Forest (BL), on public property, in even-aged beech forests traditionally managed through successive uniform cuttings.
Replicability conditions
The good practice is applicable in all late-successional and mature forests where there is a need to increase biodiversity. It is appropriate to provide forms of compensation for owners for the lack of income resulting from the implementation of the IAF.
Dissemination material
In the final part of the LIFE GoProFor database sheet it is possible to download material relating to the project, including a manual describing all the good practices implemented.