Maria Giulia Cantiani

Stakeholders' Perception as Support for Forest Landscape Planning

Social sustainability is a key concept introduced in recent decades by international environmental and forestry policies. The paper illustrates the process of stakeholder consultation for the definition of the objectives of the forest landscape plan conducted in a district of the Italian Apennines. Special attention was given to the farmers group, by reason of the great importance of wood pasture in the management system of this area. The results show that the majority of the interviewees feel a strong bond with their territory and with the traditional activities still carried out there, such as forest grazing. However, there are internal differences within the group, mostly linked to age and territory of origin. The multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) supported the investigation of these differences and the analysis of the relationship between farmers and their territory. Information emerged from the interviews with farmers allowed a better understanding of the dynamics of the territory and was revealed to be useful for the development of the forest landscape plan.

Public Participation in Forest Landscape Management Planning (FLMP) in Italy

In the early 1990s, public involvement in forest planning was recognized and implemented both at a political and technical level in Europe, whereas in Italy, the participatory approach in forest planning, particularly at landscape level, has become widespread over the last decade. Several actors have been involved and the need to consider the objectives and targets expressed by different stakeholders has progressively increased. More consideration has been given to the outcomes of this involvement for the decision-making process. In the first part of the article, the forest-planning framework in the Italian context is presented, illustrating the role of the different levels of planning: the National Forest Programme (NFP), the Forest Landscape Management Plan (FLMP), and the Forest Unit Management Plan (FUMP). In the second part, the public participation process model, developed by the authors in Italy for the landscape scale, is analyzed by underlining four key attributes: procedure, moment of participation, learning interaction, and delegation of power. Regarding procedure, the five stages of participation adopted—communication and information, stakeholder analysis, first consultation stage, synthesis and preparation of the scenarios, and second consultation stage—are presented in order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approach.

Balancing wood market demand and common property rights: a case study of a community in the Italian Alps

Common property rights have a long tradition in the Italian Alps, dating back to the Middle Ages, when alpine village communities managed common forests. On these properties, in accordance with rules aimed at regulating the collective use of resources, shareholders have the right of common use of the land. As many mountainous areas still rely on firewood for the heating of homes, the right to gather firewood from common forests is the most important common property right. In the last few decades, renewable bio-energy production based on forest woody biomass has undergone significant development. In Italy, in communities where the right to gather wood still has economic, social, and cultural relevance, decision makers and community members have a different vision about the use of firewood. This paper focuses on this issue by presenting a case study located in the Italian Eastern Alps, characterised by a historical tradition of common property management. In order to define the optimal strategy to manage the common forests, taking into consideration the local community’s needs, a semi-structured questionnaire was submitted to the administrators of the common forests and to the shareholders. Different scenarios of wood use were developed to support managers and decision makers in identifying on-going trends in firewood demand. The results show that the economic scenario for the development of the bio-energy supply chain cannot be reconciled with the historical tradition and social needs.

Integrated Green Cities: Urban Meets Forest—A Case Study of the Town of Trento

A smart city is one which is liveable both from the natural and human-environment points of view and is also one where citizens are involved in the realization and management of an attractive urban environment of high quality. This requires an effective dialogue between citizens and institutions, which means, among other issues, that the planners’ conception of urban, peri-urban and rural spaces is coupled with the inhabitants’ perception of them and their sense of place. In light of the process of urbanization occurring in many towns of the Alpine Region, managers and planners need to know the new order of priorities in values expressed by the population with regard to forests. This paper illustrates a case study of the town of Trento, in the north-eastern Italian Alps, a typical medium-sized alpine town which, despite recent urbanization, is still in close proximity to forested areas. The research, carried out by means of a self-reporting questionnaire, was aimed at investigating the relationship between citizens and their forests. The data collected were analyzed statistically with special regard to sociodemographic characteristics. In particular, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), applied to some questions investigating people’s perception, made it possible to highlight visitors’ preferences for forest features and the main functions attributed to the forests. The results show that urbanization and socioeconomic changes, with the introduction of an urban lifestyle, are producing a radical transformation in people’s behavior and attitudes in relation to forests. A survey of this type may be a useful tool in helping future management and planning.