Forest@ (Jan 2006)
Analysis of the protective function of forests: a study case in the Aosta Valley (Italy)
Abstract
The Aosta Valley is a densely populated mountainous area in which interaction between natural hazards and human activities has been shaping the development of settlements and infrastructure for centuries. The forests cover almost 30% of the totals surface (326088 ha) and have been providing protection against avalanches, rock fall and floods. During the past decades, the importance of the forests as a protection against natural hazards in Aosta Valley, and more in general in the whole European Alps, has increased. Remote valleys, that were formerly avoided during winter, are now expected to be permanently accessible for tourists, settlements have been spreading into areas that were considered unsafe and transports crossing the Alps have strongly increased. The forests that directly protect settlements, railways, main roads and socio-economical infrastructures represent a priority in the forest and landscape management at the regional scale since the direct prote ctive role of forests needs to be efficiently and continuously effective. Protective forest mapping is the first step of a sustainable long-term silvicultural management. Starting from a digital terrain model (DTM) in a raster format with a spatial resolution of 10 m, other numerical maps and forest information, a regional map (1:10000) of the forests that play a direct protection has been developed. The forests that potentially play a protective role and the forests that play a potentially direct protective role cover represents respectively 79.8% and 42.7% of the forest cover.
