Forest@ (May 2008)
Dynamics and management of silver fir stand in Tuscany: a review of long-term research
Abstract
The paper aims to outline the guidelines for the management of silver fir stands in Tuscan Apennines, according to a review of research activities carried out by the Silviculture Institute of Florence, nowadays Department of Forest Environmental Technologies (DISTAF), from 1960 up to today. The study cases are placed in the Vallombrosa Forest Reserve (province of Florence), in the National Park of Foreste Casentinesi Monte Falterona e Campigna (province of Arezzo) and in Amiata Mountain (province of Siena). The main research activities concern different issues linked to the dynamics of silver fir stands: 1) ecology of natural regeneration, 2) stands dynamics in time, 3) sapling growth rates in relation with different canopy cover, 4) impact of wildlife on regeneration storey, 5) forest typology according to vegetation dynamics. As regards management aspects, the decrease of the importance of silver fir pure stands for timber production, as well as the increase of their role from naturalistic, recreation and landscape point of view, encourage close-to-nature sylviculture interventions aimed to promote stand dynamics towards mixed forest. Selective cuttings are proposed in order to progressively reduce the tree canopy cover and to favour the growth of regeneration layer. Nevertheless, wherever silver fir artificial stands play an important role from an historical point of view, the conservation of pure stand by means of clear cutting and artificial regeneration is recommended. Finally, the paper outlines the necessity to face the interactions between forest regeneration and wild ungulate populations, which currently represents one of the most dramatic problems of sustainable management.
