Materials towards a classification of Sicilian forest and pre-forest types. Part two: description of categories

Abstract

This work provides a first-hand survey of Sicilian forest types including the shrubland, garrigue and xerophpic prairie types, widespread in the insular territory and which very often play an important role on its landscape diversification. Within those units, some emphasis is put on floristic, structural, sylvicultural and ecologica1 features. With this first attempt, the authors try to link the sylvicultural and coenological major traits of Sicilian perennial vegetation. Moreover, this sketch partially fills the nearly total lack of previous regional literature on this argument. Further investigations in this field will allow to stress the sylvicultural options for each type. A deeper and more updated knowledge is particularly needed for artificial implantations, to allow their modern management and eventually to suggest the best way to convert them into natura1 forest formations.