The study of the structure of old-growth forests in the Southern Apennines as a basis for defining sustainable silvicultural approaches

Abstract

This review, following a brief summary on the importance and meaning of old-growth forests, presents an analysis of management practices that have led to the structural simplification of forests along the Southern Apennines. Based on the results of studies found in the literature, the structural characteristics of beech and Calabrian pine forests managed using traditional methods is compared with forests of the same physiognomic types but exhibiting old-growth characteristics. From these studies, it emerges that in both cases, the structural typology is stratified into small groups. The age difference between the groups in old-growth forests is determined by the time interval between the death of old trees, while in forests managed using the “small-group selection felling”, it depends on the interval between interventions. The review highlights: a) how the structural dynamics induced by the traditional silvicultural approach resembles that which occurs in the absence of anthropic intervention; b) to what extent traditional forms of forest use effectively reproduce natural dynamics; c) the importance of studying old-growth forest to derive indications for sustainable silvicultural treatments.