The double face of the wind, like Jekyll and Hyde

Abstract

We talk shortly about negative and positive effects of the windstorm (Vaia) that swept the forests of the North-East in Italy last October. In addition to short-term economic and infrastructural damages, the most negative effect was on the local people, who feel the forest as their home, and see it as the result of hard work done by parents and grandparents. The positive effect is the wind opened the way to the natural regeneration and the formation of more stable forests. A piece of news spread by the media is denied: the famous forest of Paneveggio in the province of Trento, from which the resonant wood used for the violins is obtained, has not been destroyed by the storm.

Keywords

• Windstorm
• Eastern Alps
• Forest Recovery
• Natural Regeneration