Douglasiete Naturali Toscane (DO.NA.TO.)

Geographical location	Italy
Main geographical location (NUTS3)	Firenze
Other geographical locations (NUTS3)	Arezzo Pistoia
Keywords	Forestry Supply chain, marketing and consumption
Additional keywords	wood timber cost-efficiency added value product knowledge exchange training product design
Main funding source	Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups (in the sense of Art 56 of Reg.1305/2013)
Project type	Operational group
Starting date	2019
End date	2021
Project status	Completed

Title (in English):

Natural Tuscany Douglas woods (DO.NA.TO.)

Objective of the project (native language):

Obiettivi del progetto:
- Ridurre i costi (ambientali, economici, paesaggistici)
- Creare una filiera toscana del legno di douglasia
- Valorizzare il legname di douglasia individuando forme d’impiego alternative e più remunerative, favorendo la qualificazione del legname tondo, incrementando a lungo termine la disponibilità del legname
- Qualificare la filiera vivaistica del postime di douglasia
- Incrementare a lungo termine la disponibilità di legname di Douglasia
- Stimolare l’acquisizione delle conoscenze e la professionalità degli operatori
- Promuovere una pianificazione sovraziendale

Objective of the project (in English):

Aims:
- Reduce the costs (environmental, economic, landscape, social)
- Enhance the Douglasia timber supply chain
- To valorize the wood of douglasia by identifying alternative and advantageous forms of use
- Qualify the nurserical supply chain of Tuscany for the production of the planting stock
- To increase the disponibility of douglasia timber in order to increase of surface
- Stimulate the acquisition of knowledge and enhance the professionalism of forest operators operating in the public and private sectors

Description of activities (native language):

- Realizzazione degli interventi dimostrativi
- Monitoraggi sull’andamento della rinnovazione dei soprassuoli e messa a punto dei protocolli di gestione
- Diffusione delle informazioni in merito ai risultati conseguiti
- Restauro della parcella comparativa IUFRO e dell’arboreto di discendenze di Faltona-AR e realizzazione di due nuovi Campi Catalogo
- Progettazione della filiera del legno di douglasia toscana
- Individuazione di forme di impiego del legname di douglasia più Remunerative
- Formazione degli operatori

Description of activities (in English):

- Implementation of demonstration interventions in the experimental areas
- Monitoring the growth of the regeneration of the stand and development of management protocols
- Dissemination of information on the results achieved
- Restoration of the experimental parcels at Faltona and construction of two experimental arboretums
- Identification of advantageous forms of use of douglasia timber and classification of the same
- Training of operators

Total budget:

361621.5

Project coordinator

Contact person:

Massoni Paolo Pompeo

Address:

Società Agricola Futuro Verde s.r.l. Via Sottopoggio n. 4 Capannori - 55060 (LU)

E-mail:

futuroverdesrl@virgilio.it

Phone:

+39 058394453

Partner category:

Farmer

Practice summary

Practice abstract 1

Short summary for practitioners (in English):

Part of the objectives that the GO had set itself with the implementation of the strategic plan have been achieved. We think of the dissemination of knowledge on Douglas fir and its enormous potential as a forest species with multiple values, the promotion of natural renewal, the installation of demonstration areas on innovative silvicultural treatments for Italy but already extensively tested abroad (subsequent cuts and irregular high forests), the professionalization of operators, the identification of additional areas to be used for the cultivation of Douglas fir, the promotion of supra-company planning, the conservation of the genetic collections of Faltona and Vallombrosa-Spedalinga, the creation of a relational network between the partners we believe it will go beyond the term of the PS keeping the GO at least ideally alive.

The foundations were then laid for the achievement of other objectives, which by their nature escape the possibility of direct control by our GO, such as the structuring of a stable Tuscan Douglas wood supply chain over time, the enhancement of timber, the qualification of the nursery supply chain, the effective reduction of costs (economic, environmental, landscape) and social conflicts (related to the execution of level cuts) of the cultivation of Douglas fir.

The GO closes by highlighting how the Douglas fir can represent a great opportunity for the enhancement of Apennine forestry, favoring, with a careful management of the stands, the creation of non-ephemeral job opportunities and ideally projected towards the future, given the growing demand for timber of quality and the climate neutrality objectives of anthropogenic activities that Europe has set itself to achieve by 2050

Short summary for practitioners (native language):

Sono stati raggiunti solo parte degli obiettivi che il GO si era prefissato come ad es. la diffusione delle conoscenze sull'abete Douglas e sulle sue enormi potenzialità quale specie forestale dai molteplici usi, alla promozione del rinnovamento naturale, all'installazione di aree dimostrative sui trattamenti selvicolturali innovativi per l'Italia ma già ampiamente sperimentati all'estero (tagli successivi e forestali), la professionalizzazione degli operatori, l'individuazione di ulteriori aree da destinare alla coltivazione dell'abete di Douglas, la promozione della pianificazione sovraaziendale, la conservazione delle collezioni genetiche di Faltona e Vallombrosa-Spedalinga, la creazione di una rete relazionale tra i partner.

Sono state poi poste le basi per il raggiungimento di altri obiettivi, che per loro natura sfuggono alla possibilità di controllo diretto del nostro GO, come la strutturazione di una filiera del legno di Douglas toscano stabile nel tempo, la valorizzazione del legname, la qualificazione del filiera vivaistica, l'effettiva riduzione dei costi (economici, ambientali, paesaggistici) e dei conflitti sociali (legati all'esecuzione dei tagli di livello) della coltivazione dell'abete Douglas.

Il GO chiude evidenziando come l'Abete Douglas possa rappresentare una grande opportunità per la valorizzazione della selvicoltura appenninica, favorendo, con un'attenta gestione dei popolamenti, la creazione di opportunità lavorative non effimere e idealmente proiettate verso il futuro, vista la crescente domanda per il legname di qualità e gli obiettivi di neutralità climatica delle attività antropiche che l'Europa si è prefissa di raggiungere entro il 2050

Further details

Links to other website(s):

Partenr web page

Audiovisual material:

Do.Na.To. Project

Description of the context of the project:

The cultivation of Douglasia in Tuscany is about 3.400 hectares of pure woods and another 4.000 hectares of mixed forests, of which about a quarter is in possession of the Operating Group partners. This species is able to offer the grower large productions in a short time potentially of high technological quality.
For the renewal of the stands you can refer to cultural models that provide for the natural renewal, already implemented in France and Germany, which involves a saving on the costs of planting, does not require additional costs for protection systems against damage from wildlife, guarantees the improvement of the bioecological conditions of the stands. Putting to natural renewal even only half of the douglasia stands present in Tuscany would lead to significant savings for companies, while at the same time obtaining more efficient and stable stands than those obtainable with artificial renewal. Tuscany could also represent a model of management of douglasia in temperate areas in relation to the effect of climate change on forest ecosystems.
Another fundamental issue is the need to enhance the wood that is underutilized in Italy. In fact, experiences beyond the Alps indicate a vast and continuous use of the trunks of douglasia for the production of beams, profiles, laminated wood, unlike what is found in Italy, where most of our local douglasia is destined for packaging.