Materials towards a classiftcation of Sicilian forest and pre-forest types. I Part: Framework and methodology

Abstract

This work provides a first-hand survey of Sicilian forest types including the shrubland, garrigue and xerophytic prairie types, widespread in the insular territory and which very often play an important role on its landscape diversification. Some emphasis is put on either sylvicultural or ecological features. With this first attempt, the authors try to link sylvicultural and coenological aspects of Sicilian woody vegetation. Moreover, this sketch partially fills the nearly total lack of previous works on this argument within regional literature. Further investigations in this field will dow to stress more precisely the sylvicultural options for each type.