Reforestation pivotal to environmental protection and wood consumption

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Faced with climate change, which causes increasingly violent weather phenomena, in a country like ours with a high hydrogeological risk, one of the most effective solutions is forestation. In cities in particular. Moreover, as noted by Conlegno, reforestation and arboriculture for wood are one of the cornerstones to be developed in order to increase wood consumption in Italy, just think of the role of poplar cultivation in Italy. According to the fourth edition of the Atlas of Forests, in 2023 in Italy there were 291 macro-projects of new urban and extra-urban plantations, throughout the national territory, whose overall extension, thanks to the planting of 2,403,866 trees, covers 3,089 hectares of land, between public and private. The survey, carried out by Legambiente and AzzeroCo2 with the technical support of Compagnia delle Foreste for Il Sole 24 Ore, estimates an overall benefit in Italy worth 16,126,937.49 euro per year, for each of the years of life of the tree and shrub plantations planted. The president of Conlegno, Massimiliano Bedogna, emphasises that the data of the research conducted by Legambiente show that 'we can do even better and above all concentrate on a "productive plantation" that creates new added value and jobs in the forest bioeconomy'. In particular, Conlegno values and promotes a systemic and circular vision of the wood industry in Italy: increasing the rate of Italian wood harvesting to 'secure' ourselves by increasing Made in Italy forestry production and thus reducing imports; improving the technological innovation of companies and reducing wood waste; maximising recovery, reuse and recycling to decrease the use of virgin wood in some important applications through 'replacement' technologies thanks to projects with Rilegno; and last but not least, developing automation and digitalisation to make the sector attractive to new generations to bridge the upcoming employment gap.

In addition, the Legambiente study takes a snapshot of a natural capital in continuous evolution, between the challenges of climate change and the opportunities offered by public financial instruments, providing a detailed map of the interventions carried out in the Italian regions, emphasising that planting trees is not a simple symbolic gesture, but a concrete and far-sighted choice with a tangible economic return that extends well beyond the simple recovery of the initial investment, which takes place in just four to five years, against an average project life of more than thirty years. In detail, the positive economic impact generated by the new 'green infrastructures' is evaluated considering several factors. Mitigation of extreme climate events and regulation of air and soil quality contribute EUR 2,202.9 per hectare per year. The impact on sustainable tourism and cultural activities is also significant, estimated at EUR 639.2 per hectare per year. Last but not least, forests ensure the availability of biodiversity and the functioning of forest ecosystems for future generations, with an estimated contribution of EUR 2,342.5 per hectare per year. Geographically, the study shows that, considering both public and private investments, Trentino-Alto Adige, with more than 637,000 trees planted mainly in the autonomous provinces, is the region with the most trees planted in the time period considered, followed by Basilicata, Piedmont and Apulia, which move up in the ranking, together with other regions in the centre south. As far as metropolitan cities are concerned, no less than two southern cities, Bari and Messina, occupy the top positions together with Turin, thanks to forestation measures financed with funds from the Climate Decree and the NRP. In 2023, however, there are no new plantations financed with regional funds in seven regions: Abruzzo, Campania, Lazio, Lombardy, Tuscany, Calabria and Molise. As far as private investments are concerned, 145,868 trees were planted in 2023 thanks to voluntary contributions by companies operating in Italy, a decrease of 14% compared to the projects reported by the report in 2022. The area allocated to planting is significantly reduced from over 192 hectares in 2022 to about 154 hectares in 2023. This confirms less parcelling out of projects, with an increase in the density of plants planted per hectare. But in addition to quantity, it is crucial to consider the quality of the green investment, paying attention to the choice of tree species: climate change requires urgent reflection on the design of forestation projects, both in urban and park areas. In this perspective, the study suggests opening up a reflection on the opportunity of a potential use of non-invasive exotic species, which in certain contexts could strengthen the resilience of territories that are currently under great stress. Subject, of course, to rigorous verification of the impact these uses could have on the landscape and local biodiversity.

Within this framework, Conlegno and Legambiente are strengthening their collaboration. As announced by Sebastiano Cerullo, secretary general of Conlegno, and Antonio Nicoletti, Legambiente's national manager for protected areas, Conlegno will be a partner in the Forum Foreste, Legambiente's campaign on forest ecosystems that includes the organisation of "The Bioeconomy of Forests", the national forum whose eighth edition will be held in Rome on 29 October 2025, and the first edition of Foreste in Tour, which will start next autumn with a series of territorial and regional stops. "The Forum Foreste is organised by Legambiente, in partnership with institutions, organisations and businesses, to encourage discussion on sustainable forest management and the contribution that the sector can make to the ecological transition in our country and to the EU's objectives on climate, biodiversity and forests," explains Antonio Nicoletti, who with Sebastiano Cerullo emphasises how both organisations are proud of this collaboration: "We are proud that three appointments of Foreste in Tour will be organised by Legambiente and Conlegno, and will serve to deepen the knowledge of forest ecosystems and enhance their multifunctional role, but also to promote effective actions for an important sector for the economy and Made in Italy". In addition, "the partnership between Legambiente and Conlegno has produced a further activity with the Urban Sawmills project, which aims to valorise wood-derived products within the circular economy and urban recovery chain of wood-derived products, which will start in 2026," conclude Antonio Nicoletti and Sebastiano Cerullo.