How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe

452 Val di Susa – Management of multifunctional forests in the heart of the western Italian C 21 L. Caffo1, A. Dotta1, A. Bottero2 1 Consorzio Forestale Alta Val di Susa CFAVS, , 2 Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, SwissForestLab, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

The Upper Susa Valley Forest Consortium (Italian: has responded to the changing social and adminis- Consorzio Forestale Alta Val di Susa, CFAVS) was trative context by maintaining the key objective of established in 1953 with the purpose of managing managing the forest–pastoral resources, and pastures and forests owned by the municipalities in expanding its competences to the management of the Upper Susa Valley (fig. C 21.1). The socio-eco- safety and the environment, thus responding to nomic context in the 1950s was considerably differ- current needs and opportunities. ent from nowadays, and so over time, the CFAVS

Italy

N km 0 2,5 5 10 15 20 Sources: Esri, Airbus DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, N Robinson, NCEAS, NLS, OS, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, Rijkswaterstaat, GSA, Geoland, FEMA, Geoland, GSA, Rijkswaterstaat, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, OS, NLS, NCEAS, Robinson, N CGIAR, NASA, NGA, USGS, DS, Airbus Esri, Sources: Community User GIS the and contributors, OpenStreetMap © USGS, NOAA, FAO, Garmin, HERE, Esri, Sources: community; user GIS the and Intermap

< Fig. C 21.1. View over the Gran Bosco di Natural Park and the Alps in the Upper Susa Valley (Photo: CFAVS).

453 Timber/Biomass

Groundwater Non-timber products

Statement Climate Erosion “Production and protection forests in a changing environment.” Landscape Protection

Recreation Biodiversity

Table C 21.1. General information on the forests of the Upper Susa Valley Forest Consortium.

Total forest area 18 600 ha Total volume Up to 500 m3/ha Annual growth Up to 2.2 m3/ha Annual cutting rate 3000 m3 Main management types Group and single tree selection cutting, group cutting Deadwood Up to 20 m3/ha Elevation 600–2400 m a.s.l. Climate Mean annual temperature 7.4°C (range 2.9–10.1 °C), annual precipita- tion 960 mm (range 650–1350 mm) Soil Predominantly brown soils, generally slightly evolved Ownership 70 % public, 30 % private Protected areas 3985 ha Natura 2000 areas 9232 ha Protection forests 4500 ha

Context archaeological findings, but also by the morphol- ogy of the territory, characterised by large areas Geography enclosed by dry stone walls to allow cultivation, The Susa Valley (Italian: Val di Susa) lies within the and the presence of ancient villages with typical boundaries of the Metropolitan City of , in the local architecture (Giordano et al. 2016). region of , located between The Susa Valley is a transversal endo-alpine val- the in the north and the in ley characterised by low precipitation. The weather the south (fig. C 21.2). It is one of the longest val- systems that bring precipitation to the valley origi- leys of the Italian Alps. The valley is of glacial origin nate from the encounter of cold air masses of with an east–west course, characterised by the North-Atlantic origin with hot-humid air masses of presence of two important and historical natural North African origin. During winter, warm and dry Alpine passes, Montgenèvre (1854 m a.s.l.) and foehn winds blow from the west. Winds coming Moncenisio (2083 m a.s.l.), which over the centuries from the east bring more humid air masses but, have made the valley a preferred connection after the first stretch of the valley (up to ), between and Italy (Marincioni and Appiotti they reach the upper valley with reduced humidity 2009; Gras and Tonini 1991). (Brun 1989). The anthropic presence in the valley has always These climatic features determine numerous been quite intense, as evidenced not only by the environmental peculiarities, such as habitats of

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Fig. C 21.2. Protected species of particular interest within the areas managed by the CFAVS: alpine ibex (left) and bearded vulture (right. Photos: Davide Pittavino).

high environmental value and several endemic ani- to the tops of the mountains that touch 3500 m mal and plant species present in the Susa Valley a.s.l., with pioneer subalpine forest stands reaching (fig. C 22.2). The Susa Valley hosts three regional 2400 m a.s.l. natural parks (Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural The bottom of the valley is urbanised and Park, Orsiera Rocciavrè Natural Park, Val Troncea affected by linear infrastructures (highways, state Natural Park) and one provincial park (Lake Borello roads, railways), with limited portions of land still – Oulx Pond), as well as 15 Special Areas of Conser- used for agriculture. Forests occupy large areas vation (SAC, Italian: Zone Speciali di Conservazione, along the slopes, while alpine pastures and rocks ZSC) established within the EU Habitats Directive are found at higher elevations. Nowadays, glaciers (Natura 2000). occupy very limited parts of the territory. The CFAVS manages the properties of the 14 The prevalent endalpic context of the upper municipalities in the westernmost part of the Susa Susa Valley favours the presence of European larch Valley: , , , (Larix decidua) woods, which makes up 66 % of the , , , , , forests, followed by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) for- Moncenisio, Oulx, Salbertrand, Sauze d’Oulx, Sauze ests (15 %), which dominate the south facing slopes di Cesana, and . The managed properties (fig. C 21.3). Other forest formations of significant account for approximately 18 600 ha of PEFC (Pro- interest are those dominated by silver fir (Abies gramme for the Endorsement of Forest Certifica- alba), present in cool sites of the mountain plain tion) certified forests, in both mesalpic and endal- (<10 %), and mixed maple–linden–ash (Acer pseu- pic zones, distributed from the bottom of the Dora doplatanus and A. opalus–Tilia platyphyllos and T. Riparia Valley to the upper limit of trees and vege- cordata–Fraxinus excelsior) stands and chestnut tation. The public (municipal) property covers (Castanea sativa) groves that characterise the low about 70 % of the territory and interfaces with elevations. The remaining limited and fragmented small patches of private property. The state/dema- forest areas are extremely varied, including chest- nial property is very limited (<1 %). nut, beech (Fagus sylvatica), alder (Alnus viridis and A. incana), Norway spruce (Picea abies), oak (Quer- Landscape context cus petraea and Q. pubescens), riparian formations The landscapes of the area covered by the CFAVS and reforestation. Some of these, however, repre- are diverse, as they cover a climatically and mor- sent sites of high interest and importance, and are phologically varied territory that develops on slopes in some cases protected by the Natura 2000 Net- with prevailing north–south exposures and more work (fig. C 21.3). limited portions on the remaining quadrants and The forest stands are managed as high forests. altitudes, which range from 600 m a.s.l. near Susa Coppice stands, which have always been poorly

455 How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe represented on municipal properties, are in the 2. Mountain basins: planning and management of process of active or passive conversion into high land management works, maintenance, disrup- forests. tions, naturalistic engineering, and forest road network. Ownership structure 3. Forest construction sites: implementation of The CFAVS is a company owned by the 14 member works and interventions for the ordinary and municipalities. It does not receive public financial extraordinary maintenance of the territory. contributions, but participates in calls for projects 4. Surveillance: originally a fundamental service of and works that guarantee the annual functioning the CFAVS; currently the surveillance function in of the CFAVS, and supports the technical sectors of the strict sense is in decline, in favour of technical the mountain communities (Italian: Unioni Mon- roles in the territory. tane) and municipalities. 5. Administrative area: economic, financial, and The CFAVS is administered through: the Assem- personnel management. bly of Mayors, which dictates the political and insti- tutional guidelines; a Board of Directors, which The CFAVS manages about 66 300 ha of total munic- updates and coordinates the decisions taken; and a ipalities areas, of which about 47 700 ha are munic- Technical Director who coordinates the personnel ipal land other than forest (mainly pastures, rocks, and the specific work. and screes), and about 18 600 ha are municipal for- est areas. The CFAVS employs about 35 people and is divided into five functional areas that meet the different Forest history and cultural heritage needs of the territorial management: The Susa Valley is an historical transit route of inter- 1. Forests: active forest management, forest plan- national importance for trade, war, and people ning, pasture management, trail network, Nat- (Marincioni and Appiotti 2009). ura 2000 Network, fires, Rural Development Pro- The war events until 1700 had a major impact grammes (Italian: Programma di Sviluppo Rurale, on the extension and management of the forests, PSR) and Interreg funding. with strong pressure on the whole rural complex, while from 1800 the territory and the environment of the valley were mainly influenced by the indus- trial development (transportation system, metallur- gical industries, textile industry, and mining). In this context, the CFAVS was founded in 1953 to manage a natural heritage in need of strong protection and that was still an important economic resource.

Invertebrate BD Fungal BD Silviculture Vertebrate BD Trade-offs Remote Sensing Plant BD Soils Fire Science Fig. C 21.3. Species composition of the forests managed by the CFAVS (left) and their location within the consortium (middle); sites of the Natura 2000 Network (in green) in the Upper Susa Valley (right).

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Over time, the economic value of wood as a tive compared to traditional forest management. raw material has gradually decreased, while aspects New technologies, such as remote sensing (includ- related to the safety of the territory, guaranteed by ing satellite and Lidar data) are used to address important maintenance works on roads, water- these problems. courses, and the forest stands themselves, and the Extensive disturbances caused by Storm Vivian externalities guaranteed by the forest (i.e. land- (February 1990) occurred in the Susa Valley; the for- scape, tourism, wildlife management, environmen- ests have shown a remarkable ability to recover, tal protection and biodiversity, carbon credits) have even if the recovery has been slow because of the assumed an increasingly important role, refocusing local climatic characteristics. The observations forest resources in relation to human activities related to the recovery of forests after Storm Vivian (fig. C 21.4). have helped forest technicians to contextualise the At the same time, the wood market has been most recent disturbances related to tree falling greatly reduced in terms of volume and economic caused by avalanches (2008), heavy snowfalls value. There has also been an increase in interven- (2012–2016), strong winds and, in the territory of tions with multiple purposes associated with the the middle Susa Valley, large forest fires (2017). production of raw materials after disturbances (e.g. avalanches and wind), and the maintenance and Demand for forest products improvement of the externalities offered by the The active forest management responds on a local forests (e.g. biodiversity, resistance and resilience, scale to the demand for larch timber to make shin- fire prevention, and water regulation). gles (a typical roofing material in the Susa Valley) Undoubtedly, climate change, whose effects on and load-bearing structures for flagstone roofing, forests are not immediately evident and quantifia- in addition to the supply of different carpentry ble, requires consideration and the development of assortments of larch. Parallel to the management new strategies to address climate threats to forest of larch stands, silver fir and pine forests offer dis- ecosystems. The increase in frequency and magni- crete quantities of wood, suitable for the produc- tude of natural disturbances recorded in recent tion of packaging. The silvicultural interventions decades calls for a substantial change of perspec- for the production of these assortments are techni-

Fig. C 21.4. Nature-based tourism and outdoor recreation are important ecosystem services in the Upper Susa Valley (Photo: CFAVS).

457 How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe cally managed by the CFAVS by means of forest specific needs of a given territory does not compro- plots assigned to mainly local forest owners by pub- mise the productivity or the quality of the assort- lic auction, the revenues of which remain at the dis- ments provided. These aspects must be linked to posal of the municipality owning the forests. careful forest planning and continuous evaluation The forests of the Upper Susa Valley also supply involving all stakeholders who interact with the small quantities of high-quality timber such as work of the technicians and the forest managers. assortments of Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra), much appreciated in small carpentry, or sporadi- Main products and other ecosystem services cally very high-quality larch beams for specific pro- The main wood products of the CFAVS are: cesses, such as ship masts, and Norway spruce spe- – Timber wood from larch; cially selected for the trial production of violins. – Swiss stone pine for fine carpentry (fig. C 21.6); Assortments of larch of lower quality are often – Larch for specialised carpentry uses (e.g. beams, used for naturalistic engineering works (e.g. crib matchboards, and shingles); walls, barriers, and tripods) that use local materials – Larch for naturalistic engineering (e.g. crib walls, and specific operating techniques for the realisa- barriers, and tripods); tion of highly functional works, which are well – Scots pine, Norway spruce and silver fir for pack- inserted in the territorial context under the ecolog- aging; ical, landscape, and environmental aspects (fig. – Beech and other broadleaves for firewood; C 21.5). – Assignments of wood for civic use (mainly beech, Residents in the Upper Susa Valley are also enti- ash and larch, but also Scots pine, silver fir and tled to request small quantities of wood for domes- other species are assigned as needed). tic heating. The CFAVS, as manager of the munici- pal forests, identifies suitable trees considering that The multifunctional forests of the Upper Susa Val- the operators, in this case, are not highly qualified ley offer other services and goods in addition to to carry out the cuttings. Therefore, the timber timber production: allocated must be relatively easy to cut. These oper- – Protective function of forest stands that directly ations allow the thinning of stands that do not pro- protect towns, infrastructures, and human activi- vide valuable assortments. ties from natural disturbances (e.g. avalanches Finally, the management of forests in tourist and rockfalls); areas (e.g. ski slopes) and in natural parks requires – Ecological function, protection of biodiversity, and particular attention to the social and environmen- conservation of particular habitats and species tal context in which such stands are located: analy- (Natural Parks, Natura 2000 Network, fig. C 21.7); ses conducted by the CFAVS have shown that the – Tourist-recreational function linked to the tourist application of silvicultural criteria that respect the vocation of the Upper Susa Valley, with the

Fig. C 21.5. Larch crib wall (left) and tripods (right) (Photos: CFAVS).

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Fig. C 21.6. Wood pile of Swiss stone pine, Piccolo Bosco di Salbertrand, Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural Park (Photo: CFAVS).

presence of ski resorts, areas of public use adja- sure (listed in Annex V of the EU Habitats Direc- cent to the villages owned by the municipalities, tive, but also protected by the Bern Convention); forests located along high traffic roads; – Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), present in – Landscape function that characterises the moun- the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural Park (listed tain and alpine context of the Susa Valley. in the EU Birds Directive, the Bern Convention, CITES, and the EU regulation of trade of fauna Specialities and rarities and flora). – 3 regional natural parks (Gran Bosco di Salber- trand, Orsiera Rocciavrè, Val Troncea, belonging The CFAVS does not do and is not responsible for to the Cottian Alps Protected Areas Management wildlife management. The conservation of the pro- Authority); tected species is, however, an integral part of the – 1 provincial park (Lake Borello – Oulx Pond); applied forest management system. – 15 sites of the Natura 2000 Network; – 11 veteran trees (fig. C 21.8). Applied management system The main silvicultural systems applied are: – Group cutting: in pure mono-layered larch for- Numerous protected species, of which of particular ests (fig. C 21.9), mature beechwoods. interest: – Group and single tree selection cutting: in larch – Wolf (Canis lupus), living in the Susa Valley in woods, Scots pine forests (fig. C 21.10), mixed and three stable packs (listed in Annex II of the EU multi-layered stands with silver fir and Norway Habitats Directive, but also protected by the Bern spruce, beech woods, pure silver fir stands, subal- Convention, CITES, and the EU regulation of pine woods, maintaining large margins within trade of fauna and flora); the forest stand. – Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), present in the Upper – Thinning: applied during the juvenile phases of Susa Valley on rocky slopes with southern expo- forest stands.

459 How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe

Fig. C 21.7. Fall colours in the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Natural Park (Photo: CFAVS).

– Conversion to high forest: in beechwoods previ- ously managed as coppice woods. – Controlled evolution: typical of protection for- ests where there is no active management but a periodic monitoring followed by possible inter- ventions aimed at maintaining and improving the protective role of the forest.

Aims of the enterprise What are the preconditions? Being a Consortium of Municipalities, the CFAVS must meet the technical needs of the municipalities for territory manage- ment. Additionally, the CFAVS must coordinate its activities with other territorial administrations, such as park authorities, the region, the Metropoli- tan City of Turin, and other associations acting on the territory.

What are the tasks? The main tasks of the CFAVS are the management of the municipal forest–pas- toral properties and the maintenance of the terri- tory.

Fig. C 21.8. Veteran beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Moncenisio, Upper Susa Valley (Photo: CFAVS).

460 Fig. C 21.9. Group cutting and natural regeneration (right) in the Gran Pertiche larch forest (Photos: CFAVS).

Fig. C 21.10. Group (left) and single tree (right) selection cutting in Scots pine forests (Photos: CFAVS).

461 How to balance forestry and biodiversity conservation – A view across Europe

What are objectives and trade-offs? The silvicul- Policy tural management in itself is not sufficient to The reference legislation for the CFAVS is primarily ensure the functioning of a structure such as the at the national and European level; specific regional CFAVS, and is thus subordinate to the management regulations also apply. The region is the legal entity of other more remunerative activities. The forest with which to interface to respond to all technical management, however, remains the objective of and management needs, sometimes also with pro- the CFAVS, and is also an efficient way to support posals and special agreements in support of deci- local supply chains and to contribute to land man- sion-making. agement in different ways, providing multiple eco- system services. Science The CFAVS mainly plays a technical role. However, the staff often contributes to scientific and material Strengths and weaknesses support into research projects. The CFAVS collabo- rates with the , the Institute for Management Wood Plants and the Environment (Italian: Istituto – The presence of extensive larch forests producing per le Piante da Legno e l’Ambiente, IPLA S.p.A.), wood assortments is the strong point of the the Piedmont region, and sometimes the Polytech- active forest management of the CFAVS; nic of Turin and various French Institutions and – The higher revenue is provided not by silviculture Associations (e.g. Centre Regional de la Propriété but by the ordinary maintenance of the territory Forestière–CRPF, Office National des Forêts–ONF, (Italian: Autorità d’Ambito Torinese, ATO Funds) Restauration des Terrains de Montagne–RTM) on and the participation in the Rural Development experiments and studies, also of innovative nature, Programmes (PSR); to develop new technologies and empirical models. – Every activity must safeguard the protection goals of the protected areas in the territory (Parks Communication and Natura 2000 Network); Communication is a time-consuming task that – In the last 10 years the CFAVS has followed pro- requires specific skills to be effective. The CFAVS is a grammes to improve the local hiking network structure supporting municipalities that also oper- through the creation of hiking trails, the mainte- ates in the management of private properties, sup- nance of trails, the preparation of signs and rest porting citizens through the Forestry Desk (Italian: areas, in compliance with PSR calls; Sportello Forestale). Through this service, inter- – The forests affected by the natural disturbances ested citizens can request, free-of-charge, advice in the Upper Susa Valley have shown good resil- and support for the management of their own for- ience, although in some cases climatic and local ests, also for commercial purposes. In particular, the factors determined a slower forest recovery. In CFAVS promotes the associated management of certain conditions (xeric or particularly cold forests, acting as a mediator between managers, slopes) the forest dynamics are particularly slow. owners (public and private), local users and citizens The CFAVS integrates principles of close-to-na- in order to coordinate time, area, objectives, and ture silviculture into management plans, to results of the active forest management. favour, in the medium- and long-term, the pres- ence of mixed and multi-layered forests that are Existing and required tools to support the work of more resilient to biotic and abiotic disturbances; the enterprise – The policy generally intervenes on issues that The CFAVS has been involved in active forest man- from a technical and management point of view agement for decades, constantly updating its forest are known, by providing and standardising rules management plans and databases. Today there is a and methodologies. The scientific information need to optimise and standardise the data that are available on many topics, and the rapid evolution transmitted to different offices following different of tools and technologies to address problems, procedures that comply with current regulations. In require that professionals update their knowl- this regard, the CFAVS collaborates with other insti- edge and skills; this is difficult to guarantee and tutions to optimise procedures that link the forest maintain, even by the administrators. management plans of the CFAVS to the related

462 C 21 Susa Valley, Italy documents transmitted to the region (e.g. forest References management authorisation documents, data Brun, F., 1989: Ecologia e rimboschimenti del Pino cembro related to cuttings and harvest plans). The update (Pinus cembra L.) in Alta Valle di Susa (English: Ecology and implementation of internal procedures of the and reforestation of Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) CFAVS serve as a blueprint for the management of in the Upper Susa Valley). Master’s thesis, Faculty of such issues at the regional level. Agriculture, University of Turin, Italy. Giordano, E.; Giardino, M.; Perotti, L.; Ghiraldi, L.; Pal- The management of authorisation procedures omba, M., 2016: Following the tracks of for interventions on sites within the Natura 2000 in the Cottian Alps. The cultural and geological herit- Network requires the compilation of environmen- age of the Trail (Susa Valley, Piemonte, NW tal assessments of the interventions and of the for- Italy). Geoheritage 8, 4: 293–300. est management plans themselves. These do not https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-015-0158-8 yet follow a clearly defined structure, and thus, still Gras, P.; Tonini, V., 1991: Le valli di Susa. Il bacino della (English: The Susa Valleys). Il Capitello, require to make evaluations and comparisons with Turin, Italy. the management bodies of the protected areas. In Institute for Wood Plants and the Environment (IPLA this context, it is still necessary to find strategies S.p.A.), with the collaboration of the Upper Susa Valley and documents able to meet the needs of the dif- Forest Consortium (CFAVS) and the University of Turin ferent stakeholders in respect of their institutional (DISAFA), 2016: Indicazioni tecnico-metodologiche per roles. la redazione dei piani forestali aziendali – PFA (English: Technical and methodological guidelines for the draft- ing of local forest management plans). Marincioni, F.; Appiotti, F., 2009: The Lyon-Turin high- Conclusion speed rail: the public debate and perception of environ- mental risk in Susa valley, Italy. Environmental Manage- The objectives of the CFAVS are achievable with the ment 43, 5: 863–875. commitment and cooperation of other administra- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-009-9271-2 tions. The main challenges derive from the continu- Regione Autonoma Valle d’Aosta, Regione Piemonte, ous, constant and rapid changes in the areas of 2006: Selvicoltura nelle foreste di protezione. Espe- rienze e indirizzi gestionali in Piemonte e in Valle work (i.e. regulations, technologies, scientific d’Aosta (English: Silviculture in protection forests. Expe- aspects and climate change) which must be riences and management guidelines in the Piedmont promptly tackled to maintain levels of performance region and the Aosta Valley). Compagnia delle Foreste, appropriate to the needs. Arezzo. 224 p. The CFAVS needs to remain faithful to its terri- Regione Piemonte, Regione Autonoma Valle d’Aosta, torial management objectives. However, the con- 2012: Foreste di protezione diretta. Selvicoltura e valu- tazioni economiche nelle Alpi occidentali (English: Pro- sortium has a strong need to renew itself and adapt tection forests. Silviculture and economic evaluations in once again to the changing social, economic, tech- the western Italian Alps). Compagnia delle Foreste, nological and natural scenarios, also through the Arezzo. 144 p. support of new personnel with specific and -tar geted skills and assignments.

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