Viote's spruce forest

Structural improvement actions of the stand

The Network of Bondone Nature Reserves, in collaboration with Azienda Forestale Trento-Sopramonte, has promoted the structural improvement actions of the spruce forest (European spruce forest - Picea Abes) within the "Viote peat bog" Provincial Nature Reserves.

Below you can find some information that will help you understand the reasons for this apparently invasive action in a protected area. 

What is a Nature Reserve?
A Provincial Nature Reserve is a protected area set up by an act from the Autonomous Province of Trento, it is defined by precise borders and it is provided with conservation measures for biodiversity preservation. 

What is a peat bog? 
A peat bog is a natural ecosystem that is particularly rich and important due to the great quantity of water contained in the ground. It is an environment of exceptional naturalistic interest that during the years has become rarer and therefore must be protected. In the past the peat bog was a lake that during the centuries has been slowly filled in becoming a precious habitat, especially from a botanical point of view. 

What is a secondary spruce forest? 
A secondary spruce forest is principally made by Norway spruces. The Viote spruce forest is not naturally made, but it is artificial because planted by men on ancient meadows or either pastures at the beginning of the last century in order to make up for the lack of wood in the forests. 

Why do we cut trees?
The actions under the measures of Provincial Nature Reserve - Natura 2000 site - Viote peat bog have the aim to diversify the flat structure of the spruce forest improving the ecological stability and creating a favourable habitat for a richer flora and a more diversified fauna. 

How to choose which trees need to be cut
The trees that are going to be cut down have been chosen on the basis of forestry evaluations, as required by the management plan of the forest and also by the ecological-naturalistic plan. For that reason dry and decaying trees that can't be turned into timber have been left there because they are extremely important for some faunal species (mainly birds and insects). The intervention consists in the opening of some "holes" of 400-600 min order to allow the entrance of sunlight and trigger processes of soil improvement and help the natural renewal of the forest. 
 

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