A Tale of Three Forests
Oases Along the Italian Po River Valley
Forest Oases
In the north of Italy, along the Po River Valley, large swathes of farmlands - once planitial woods - stretch out in every direction; rice-fields, corn fields, and long expanses of open road.
But nestled in between farming and industry, there are still pockets of thriving forests.
When most of the surrounding land is reserved for agriculture, these forests become havens, both for nature and the communities living in the villages that dot the landscape. They are green oases of biodiversity, and their importance is not lost on the people who live around them.
Watch the trailer of the Tale of Three Forests then scroll to continue your journey
Po River Valley
The Po River springs in the Alps and is the longest river in Italy. The inscription engraved in the rock says: Here the Po is born. Known in times of ancient Greece with the name of Eridanós, originally it indicated a mythical river, roughly to the south of Scandinavia, which had been formed after the last glaciation. It runs across the largest lowland of Italy, today intensively used for agriculture and densely populated.
The valley is divided into an upper, drier part, not particularly suited for agriculture, and a lower, highly fertile, and well-irrigated section, known as la Bassa, "the low (plain)".
The Bassa Padana was settled and cultivated starting from Etruscan and Roman times. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, the lack of maintenance of irrigation systems caused the Po Valley to become waterlogged, a condition that persisted until the 10th century and affected both local agriculture and settlement patterns. The natural depressions on the right side of the river gradually turned into swampy basins. Historical and archaeological evidence suggests that these wetlands were utilized mainly for fishing as well as for transportation by boat.
The Po Valley has been fully transformed into agricultural land since the Middle Ages. The land reclamation efforts in the valley peaked during the Renaissance (15th–16th centuries) and continued into the Modern Age (17th–18th centuries). The last remaining marshy areas were reclaimed in the 20th century through major land reclamation and canalization works, of which large pumping stations scattered across the territory are still traces today.
The valley has a subtropical climate with high humidity. Air pollution tends to be particularly high in the winter, when cold air settles close to the ground. This is due to a combination of heavy traffic, industrial activity, the valley's almost enclosed geography, and weak winds. These factors make the Po Valley one of the most air-polluted regions in Europe, leading to 9% of premature deaths .
The potential natural vegetation of the Po basin is a mixed broadleaf forest, composed of species such as pedunculate oak, poplars, European hornbeam, alder, elderberry, elm, willow, maple, ash and other trees of Central Europe. However, of the wide, planitial forest that for centuries completely covered this area only small fragments remain today.
The demographic rise and the economic benefit from agriculture once made investment in agriculture a really good return, so the forest got neglected and wiped out. With the slow realization of the exceptional value of these ecosystems for groundwater and soil preservation, biodiversity and recreation, clean air to combat pollution, preserving or planting new forests has also emerged as an option. But the forests need to also give an economic value to compete with agriculture.
800 Years of Community Care
Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza di Trino is FSC® certified with verified positive impact on biodiversity conservation, and carbon sequestration; contributing to the restoration of natural forest characteristics, species diversity and forest carbon stocks in the forests.
In Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza – about 70 km west of Turin – the local community of Trino has cared for the forest since the 1200s. There are over 800 community members, all of whom are co-owners of the forest and have a hand in its management. The forest name is an apt descriptor – its translation referring to the way the community draws lots to decide which members can harvest from designated parts of the forest.
A small council of members oversees the forest management operations on a day-to-day basis. This council operates from headquarters in the village, a 5 minute drive from the forest. Inside, there are quiet offices and a nice, large room where meetings are held.
At 9am on a Tuesday the meeting room is empty, but one can sense it is well-loved; the walls are lined with photos of community members, taxidermy of local species found within the forest, and shelves of record books documenting this place’s history.
Ivano Ferrarrotti, Chief of the Community, opens a leather-bound book, scrolling a finger down its page. “Ferrarotti, Ferrarotti, Ferrarotti,” he says, reading out a list of community member surnames. There are over 200 Ferrarottis; a testament to how generational this forest is. In 1275, a marquis of Monferrato, William the Great, donated the forest to the town of Trino and granted the inhabitants the right to come to the forest to get their firewood. Even today, the descendants of those historic families come to Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza to harvest their wood.
The Bosco delle Sorti della Partecipanza council is constantly looking to improve their forest and enhance the benefits to their community. Since 2021 they have Verified Impact claims for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration. They’ve explored creating a dedicated “forest-bathing” path, and have even had requests from some community members to have their ashes spread in the forest after their passing. From the playgrounds of childhood to the final resting place – this forest is loved through the ages.
On the way out of the forest is a small restoration patch, where trees had been planted after a harvest. There are plaques beside a few, detailing who planted it and what year. All it takes it one glance to read a familiar surname – Ferrarotti, 2020."
Growing Up With The Forest
Bosco Limite (Gruppo Foreste Sostenibili Etifor) is FSC® certified with verified positive impact on all five ecosystem services: biodiversity and soil conservation, carbon sequestration, watershed and recreational services; contributing to the restoration of natural forest characteristics, carbon stocks, capacity of watershed to purify and regulate water flow, reduction of soil erosion and maintenance of areas of importance for recreation.
Further east in the Veneto region, lies a much younger forest: Bosco Limite. Planted only 12 years ago, it has become just as much a beloved part of the landscape.
In the middle of FSC-certified Bosco Limite lies Raìse, a forest school for children ages 2-6, where lessons are dictated by the natural world and bambini (Italian for ‘little children’) spend most of their day outdoors. The name Raìse is a local form of radice (Italian for 'root'), whose pronunciation also evokes the English verb rise.
“We’re making popcorn!” says a smiling Sara Belpinati, one of two educational facilitators at Raìse. She stands at a campfire underneath an all-purpose tarp, next to a small wooden building that serves as the school’s indoor premises. Rain patters overhead, and Giulio, one of the 2-year-old pupils, is clad head to toe in waterproof gear.
“One of the most common questions we get from parents is ‘what about when it rains?’” says Sara. "School goes on, of course, rain or shine. The children don’t mind getting muddy and wet, and a rainy forest presents a great many teaching opportunities".
There is no set curriculum at Raìse. The educators use daily events and the children’s interests to shape lessons. One student, for example, took an interest in thunder, so they spent a day talking about storms and the science behind the rumbling of the skies.
This forest is growing up alongside the children who attend Raìse. Already it is flourishing with life; Sara points out woodpecker nests, the kids find snails in the grass and trees, a mole pokes his head up from a loose patch of earth. These children will become forest stewards of the future.
If I recall the happiest moments of my own childhood, they are those in nature.
Accent images: From right is 1) A girl with snail, 2) Pedagogy book, 3) Geese.
Replenishing Water Resources
Lucio Brotto, Forest Manager and Business Developer for Ecosystem Services, is proud of the transformation his land has undergone. Originally a wheat field owned by his father, Lucio persuaded him to restore the land into a lowland forest, specializing in water capture and conservation. This was a bold response to the high pressure in the area to convert land for agriculture. Since then, Lucio has worked tirelessly to keep his forest thriving. Due to his work, the forest has achieved Verified Impact claims for all five ecosystem services (biodiversity and soil conservation, carbon sequestration, watershed and recreational services) – the first ever forest to do so. "This was a really big breakthrough," he says, referring to the founding of the Ecosystem Services Procedure, which facilitates Verified Impact claims. "Because we were able to certify that the forest captures CO₂, and that in conserves tonnes of soil, as opposed to agriculture that loses it to erosion."
Bosco Limite is not only home to the forest school – family gatherings are hosted at a picnic area with tables and a fire pit, trails throughout are open to the public, and the surrounding towns are supplied with water from the intricate canal system Lucio has overseen.
Bosco Limite is located just next to the Dolomite Mountains, and throughout the year water that springs up from these mountains flows down into the forest and surrounding villages. During the summer months, this water is strategically channeled through irrigation canals so that it can be utilized for agriculture and local communities. But in the off-months, from October to May, the canal system in Bosco Limite is harnessed to replenish the forest ecosystem. The region faces water scarcity driven by low rainfall, excessive irrigation, and soil sealing, which cause the water table to drop. Bosco Limite plays a crucial role in addressing this issue by acting as a natural collector. There are over 5km of irrigation channels within the forest, bringing water to the trees which take up the water through their roots and release it again, facilitating filtration. This process helps replenish the subsoil and maintain stable groundwater levels, ensuring the sustainability of the ecosystem even during drier months.
By replenishing water during the months when it is not being heavily used for agriculture, Bosco Limite has struck a balance between protecting forest land and supporting the economic health of the region. But the forest itself is also a part of this economic value; the aquifer recharge brings in funds that help Lucio further similar reforestation projects in the region.
A Forest Among Fields
Bosco delle Lame (Gruppo Foreste Sostenibili Etifor) is FSC® certified with verified positive impact on biodiversity and soil conservation, water, carbon sequestration and recreational services; contributing to the restoration of natural forest characteristics, carbon stocks, reduction of soil erosion through reforestation and maintenance of areas of importance for recreation.
At first glance, Bosco delle Lame looks just like the other forests here – a line of lush trees rising from the flat soy-fields surrounding it. But once inside, one can see well-maintained, winding paths threaded through the understory. These are not typical hiking routes; they are cycling paths, made for the thriving cycling community of Concordia Sagittaria, Portogruaro and beyond.
Gabriele Ceresatto, a cyclist from the Portogruarese Cycling Association, remembers a time when the area was becoming less and less forested, the trees disappearing as the land was cleared for cultivation. "Luckily now it is moving back to the way it was years ago," he says, referring to the continued growth and health of Bosco delle Lame. This forest was recreated in the 90s and thus requires continuous monitoring and management to ensure it remains strong.
The cycling paths were created and maintained by local cycling groups and are a part of a wider network of cycling routes in the region. They are a unique example of the ways in which forests provide for us: forests are important areas for recreation, connection to nature, relaxation, and community – among others.
In addition to the cycling paths, there is signage throughout the forest with educational information about native plants and wildlife. Roberto Rasera, a forest technician working in Bosco delle Lame, refers to it as an "open-air school."
At the forest edge where a lagoon takes all the way to Adriatic sea is a wooden watchtower, rising above the treeline and offering great views of both the forest and waterways. From this perch, migratory birds and shorebirds are visible in their flocks resting in the nearby humid area, while songbirds call to each other from the surrounding canopy.
Though the forest area may seem small (33 hectares), it offers crucial habitat for a vast and abundant ecosystem. "The climate crisis and the fight against it are of course a global problem," says Roberto. "It may seem that small patches of reconstituted forest can do little in this respect. In reality they are extremely important, because they bring back ecosystems that have disappeared in areas where there has been an extreme simplification in terms of biodiversity."
This is very clear by taking one look at the incredible variety of species seen from the watchtower or featured on the park signage. Not only is this forest important as a recreation area for the community, but it offers connection to this sanctuary of biodiversity, and a haven for all the species that find a home there.
You can play a role too!
In addition to being oases in an expanse of agricultural land, these Italian forests have something in common: they are FSC-certified and obtained Verified Impact claims that monitor, conserve, and improve ecosystem services in forests.
Businesses, financial institutions, and governments can sponsor Verified Impact projects and thus invest in measurable change for our world's forests.
Learn more about how you can support sustainable forestry projects by visiting our dedicated page .
