History and Traditional Management of Italian Wood Pastures

Abstract

The series intends to act as a link for ongoing researches concerning the historical interrelationships between man and the natural world, with special regard to the modern and contemporary ages. The main commitment should be to bring together different areas of expertise in both the natural and the social sciences to help them find a common language and a common perspective. Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity are needed for more and better understanding of the environment and its history, with new epistemological frameworks and methodological practices. The links between human activities and flora, fauna, water, soil, are examples of the most debated topics in EH, while established discipline like forest history, agricultural history and urban history are also dealing with it. The human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes over time, the preservation of cultural heritage, studies of historical trajectories in pattern and processes, as well as applied research on historical use and management of landscapes and ecosystems, are also taken into account. Other important topics relate to the history of environmental ideas and movements, policies, laws, regulations, conservation, the history of immaterial heritage, such as traditional knowledge related to the environment.

What is the future for agroforestry in Italy?

“…The areas of wood pasture that remain in the Italian Alps (Rackham and Grove, 2003) are typically semi-extensive and grazed by cattle (Ronchi 2009). The structure includes both lowdensity tree populations, and mosaics of small woods amongst pastures and shrubland (Emanueli and Agnoletti, 2016). On the mountains of Piedmont and Aosta Valley, a traditional system of great landscape and ecological value, although in decline, is the thin larch wood pasture (Garbarino et al, 2011).…”

“…The deciduous larch facilitates the spring regrowth of the pasture and provides shelter to livestock from the summer heat. There are over 1000 ha of larch wood pastures at Salten, Bolzano on the Mazzoccolo upland, one of the largest grazed larch woodland in Europe (Emanueli and Agnoletti 2016). Often, the Alpine wood pastures form part of wider transhumance system involving valleys or lowland areas, and in recent years, herds are moved from the Mediterranean climate zones of Tuscany up to the Piedmont Alps to spend the summer months on mountain pastures, called alpeggi (Pardini 2009).…”