The forest management of Vallombrosa from 1876 to 2006: analysis of forest maps

Abstract

The Vallombrosa forest (Florence, Italy) has a long management history. From 1876 to 1970 seven forest management plans were draw-up which prescribed various silvicultural systems. In 2006 a new forest management plan was prepared by the University of Florence and the forest type maps of past management plans were digitally acquired to create a historical geodatabase of the forest. This paper examines the influence of past forest management choices on forest type distribution in the Vallombrosa forest. To do this a multitemporal analysis was performed using a GIS to compare the forest type maps. Results show that pure silver fir forests expanded as a consequence of forest management choices while broadleaved forests (e.g., beech) were largely replaced by fir.