OLD-GROWTH FORESTS IN ITALY: RECENT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENTS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

In Italy there are no truly primeval forests because forest exploitation has been very pervasive since Roman times. All along the centuries intensive silvicultural systems have heavily modified forest composition and structure. Nevertheless, in particular situations there are forest stands that have not been impacted by utilization for very long periods of time and show old-growth characters. The contribution recall the main projects dealing on characterization and monitoring of old-growth forests in Italy starting from the activities of Prof. Pavari in 1954. It then introduces the papers presented in this special issue resulting from the activities of different recent research projects funded by national authorities. Most of these contributions were presented in a national congress held in Prati di Tivo (TE) from 25 to 26 of June 2010 titled “Old-growth forests in Italy: identification, characterization, management”, organized with the support of the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park. Key words: old-growth forests; sustainable forest management; monitoring; Italy. Parole chiave: boschi vetusti; gestione forestale sostenibile; monitoraggio; Italia. Mediterranean-type ecosystems rival tropical regions for biological richness, particularly in plant species (MOONEY, 1988). Integrated research efforts in forests in the Mediterranean region, combining ecosystem functional observations with silvicultural management L’ITALI