452 How to Balance Forestry and Biodiversity Conservation
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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 Alps C 21 L. Caffo1, A. Dotta1, A. Bottero2 1 Consorzio Forestale Alta Val di Susa CFAVS, Oulx, Italy 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, Rijkswaterstaat, GSA, Geoland, NLS, OS, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, N Robinson, NCEAS, DS, USGS, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, Esri, Airbus Sources: the GIS User Community © OpenStreetMap contributors, and Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, Sources: Esri, HERE, the GIS user community; Intermap and < Fig. C 21.1. View over the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand 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 Turin, in the local architecture (Giordano et al. 2016). Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between The Susa Valley is a transversal endo-alpine val- the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps 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 Condove), between France 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 454 C 21 Susa Valley, Italy 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: Bardonecchia, Cesana Torinese, Chiomonte, (Larix decidua) woods, which makes up 66 % of the Claviere, Exilles, Giaglione, Gravere, Meana di Susa, 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 Sestriere. 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).