Introduction Second World War, had as a direct consequence the worsening of the condition of the hydrogeological
1. Introduction Second World War, had as a direct consequence the worsening of the condition of the hydrogeological
In the second post-war of the last century, there were upheaval, which in plenty southern areas took on a profound social and economical changes, as the direct catastrophic nature coinciding with exceptional rain consequence of the processes of industrial
events (Fig. 1).
transformation which interested lots of areas of At the same time, in that period there was an northern Italy. The contemporary evolution, which the increasing internal timber demand, which was faced entire agricultural sector went through, determined a turning to onerous importations from abroad [2]. deep crisis which involved great southern areas, both
hills, mountains and plains [1]. There were widespread and often irreversible migratory flows towards the mainly industrialized areas of northern Italy, with the consequent abandonment of wide areas which became marginal for agriculture. This phenomenon, together with the environmental and landscape damage determined by deforestations taken place before and during the
associate of Italian Forestry Sciences Academy, research fields: Fig. 1 Sila plateau (Calabria -Italy). Phenomena of erosion
Corresponding author: Silvano Avolio, Ph.D., corresponded
forestry and environmental sciences. E-mail: before the long interventions of reforestation of the second
post -war period.
Management Guidelines for Calabrian Pine Reforestations
Carried Out in Southern Italy in the 1950s-70s
Therefore, there was the need, at a political and quick covering of the soil; resistance at prolonged technical level, to plan, promote and put into effect
drought periods.
interventions of wood re-establishment which, over the As regards the Calabrian territory, most of the years, would allow:
reforestations of Calabrian pine have been carried out
The conservation of the land in the on the mountain complex of Sila and Aspromonte, morphologically disadvantaged areas;
already abundantly recovered by natural pine-woods. The constitution of forest vegetations able to
After over 50 years from the first establishments it is increase wood production.
possible to analyse the main problems of this typology, The second point, totally innovative in that period,
which presents some aspects common to most artificial found an immediate and real answer also in what was
woods of Conifers realised in the South. defined industrial or intensive or accelerated
Apart from the technical solutions required today in silviculture, initially applied to poplar-growing and to
order to put a stop to them, we must realise that the Conifers with fast growth [3]. It was thought to
aims pursued since the beginning have been achieved. optimize former farmlands, which were abandoned
Not less important as regards social relapse, this would because economically non-profitable, but provided
alleviate the employment emergency in many southern with enough fertility to guarantee relatively quickly,
areas, whose only source of income was represented by with the use of appropriate forest species, good mass
the primary sector.
wood productions [4]. The political will to promote and
A further but not secondary aspect has at last bring about extensive interventions of land concerned the landscape requalification and transformation, which among many initiatives valorization of the mountain and submontane contemplate activities of reforestation and of territories (Fig. 2). improvement of existing woods, led to some legislative
The political and social changes, the progress of purviews, last but not least the institution of the South
forest research and the recent opportunities offered by savings bank (Cassa del Mezzogiorno), according to
the agroenergetic sector, open new perspectives for the law n.646 of the Aug. 10, 1950 [5]. Further
these reforestations, which today we have to confront incentives derived from the issuing of Special Laws,
with from a scientific, programmatic, operational point which allowed the allocating of funds to be destined to
of view.
the forestation of areas at elevated erosive risk, but with