This year, the Royal Belgian Forestry Society invites you to explore Piedmont, an Italian region characterised by contrasting landscapes and a wide range of forestry challenges. From the poplar groves of the Po Valley to the deciduous forests on the hills, once managed as coppice, and the mountain forests that protect the valleys from landslides and avalanches, Piedmont forms a veritable forestry mosaic, rich in history and diverse management experiences.
The Piedmontese forest covers nearly one million hectares, or around 40% of the region’s territory. It is predominantly privately owned — accounting for nearly 70% of the land — and highly fragmented, with properties averaging barely one hectare in size, which makes any coordinated management extremely difficult. Long focused on firewood and food production, particularly chestnuts, the forest has expanded significantly as a result of the decline in agriculture.
As regards the timber sector, Italy imports around 80% of the timber it consumes and has only limited local timber processing capacity, with the notable exception of poplar, which benefits from a dynamic and well-structured sector. Furthermore, forestry in Piedmont has long been part of a broader approach, placing significant emphasis on ecosystem services: honey, mushrooms, truffles, firewood, protection against natural hazards, and so on. Against a backdrop of climate change and growing environmental demands, the region’s foresters are therefore focusing on the sustainability of wooded areas and on promoting the services provided by the forest, particularly through new economic tools such as carbon credits and biodiversity certificates. Our trip will provide an opportunity to explore these realities on the ground, whilst enjoying the cultural richness of Piedmont through a series of visits that will punctuate our programme.
Program
(subject to change)
We will travel together by coach from Barchon. On both the outward and return journeys, we will spend the night at the French-Italian border. The rest of the trip will be based at a hotel east of Turin, an ideal base from which to explore the region.
After a day’s journey, we will reach the Maurienne Valley and spend the night in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
Nous rencontrerons le Consorzio Forestale Alta Valle di Susa (Groupement forestier de la Haute Vallée de Suse) dont les représentants nous guideront dans une forêt de haute montagne. Ils nous présenteront leurs projets de gestion du risque incendie sur les versants sud, une préoccupation récente depuis l’incendie de 2017 qui a ravagé plus de 4.000 ha dans le bas du Val de Suse.
A day dedicated to chestnut groves in the Cuneo region.
On the agenda: a visit to Silvateam, one of Italy’s leading producers of natural tannins, and a tour of the public nursery specialising in the many varieties of chestnut trees grown for fruit production.
Nous serons accueillis par l’IPLA (Istituto per il Legno e l’Ambiente), institution publique chargée notamment des plans d’aménagement des forêts publiques. Ils dresseront un panorama du secteur forestier piémontais avant de nous emmener sur des sites de reboisements périurbains et de production de truffes dans les collines autour de Turin.
Cette journée sera consacrée au peuplier. À Casale Monferrato, l’Istituto di Pioppicoltura nous présentera la filière du peuplier en Italie ainsi que sa vaste collection de cultivars. Les chercheurs évoqueront également les enjeux environnementaux liés aux nouvelles réglementations, ainsi que le développement de cultivars mieux adaptés pour répondre à ces exigences, tout en faisant face aux effets du changement climatique. Nous visiterons plusieurs parcelles expérimentales, notamment en agroforesterie.
Nous parcourrons le Bosco della Partecipanza, la plus vaste forêt de plaine du Piémont, gérée collectivement depuis le Moyen Âge selon un modèle unique.
In particular, we will discuss the introduction of carbon and biodiversity certificates in Italy – several of which have been generated in this forest – as well as research carried out by the University of Turin into the effects of climate change on oak trees.
The day will end with a guided tour of Susa, a village steeped in history with Roman ruins, where we will spend our final night.
We’ll be heading back to Belgium after a week packed with discoveries of the forest and local culture.
A moderate adjustment to the fares could occur if the rise in fuel prices were to be passed on by transport providers.