Production forests in Italy

The outputs from production forests can be divided into two groups:

• woody products: for energy production and for industrial use;
• non-woody products: such as game, small fruits, mushrooms, nuts, aromatic essences and medicines.

The land covered by forests in Italy accounts for 39% of the total surface, approximately 11.4 million hectares. However, managed forest surface accounts only for 2% of the total woody surface. It has been estimated that the rate of forest growth each year exceeds the rate of uptake, resulting in an increase of forested surface: the annual uptake is 1/3 of the increment (estimated around 36 million cubic metres per year).

The forest tree species more cultivated are beech, Mediterranean and temperate oaks, conifers and poplar. The latter in particular is very relevant for the energy sector and also for the possible recovery of abandoned soils: Populus spp. accounts for 1% of the total forested area in Italy, however it represents the 50% of the wood arboriculture and it is suitable for the cultivation on floodable areas.

Challenges for this land type

Managed forestry is not an important economic sector in Italy, however wood is a versatile material: it can be used in construction sites, for the creation of furniture and design objects and also as a fuel domestic heating.

The majority (90%) of the wood used in Italy is imported from other countries, resulting in “wood insecurity” as the price is determined by the global market. 
The greatest challenges for the forestry sector in Italy are the relevance of Italian wood and the organisation of its supply chain. 

The Italian wood valorisation can happen for the furniture sector and the design manufacture, which are not incisive on the market, through the creation for example of quality labels. Anyway, the main issue is the cost of production and management operations in forests: companies that operate in the forest sector are usually small in Italy and mechanisation is low, which means that many operations are still done manually by workers, increasing production costs. Moreover, there is lack in specialised workers, connected to the small-fragmented type of companies operating in the sector, therefore it is usually imported from other countries.

Forests are a consistent part of the Italian landscape, which is strictly connected to the country’s culture; therefore, their valorisation should involve citizens and increase the knowledge of its importance for the ecosystems and their resilience through farmers, who are the main actors on the landscape.

Possible solutions

Possible solutions to the current scenario could be found through:

• Valorisation of the wood sector through certifications and quality labels;
• Increasing the specialisation of workers;
• Creating a network of forestry companies, in order to solve the fragmentation issue, that could reduce the production costs;
• Improved training for farmers about the possibilities of forestry;
• Implementation of agroforestry and agro-sylvopasture systems: farming systems that pair forestry with crop production and animal management, through holistic approaches that have the potential of increasing biodiversity, resilience and sustainability of the ecosystems and the market at the same time, thanks to the production of multiple goods.