Forest research in southern Italy: experiences and perspectives

The paper presents the lectio inauguralis held at the VIII Congress of the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (Cosenza, October 4, 2011). In the first part, the institution of research Centres in southern Italy is analyzed and the main lines of forest research in the Mediterranean area are presented. In the second part, the Author suggests some reflections to foster a new line of scientific research in forestry in the near future