There is a before and after Vaia and there are still those who remember the strong whistle of that wind. Just one night was enough to completely change the face of the woods of north-eastern Italy. Between 28 and 29 October 2018, winds of up to 200 km/h swept away an area the size of 60,000 football pitches. The passage of Vaia storm he left behind him a cemetery beyond 14 million trees, shot down in a few hours. A combination of exceptional atmospheric factors has caused winds of intensity comparable to that of a hurricane and extraordinary rainfall in the Alps. The consequences of Vaia were very serious: landslides, overflowing rivers, landslides, damage to water networks, electricity cuts for days in many places. After the storm, however, there was no respite for the woods of the Dolomites.
That extremely intense meteorological phenomenon left deep wounds on the territory of Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardy and Friuli Venezia Giulia. But that dramatic event was the beginning of a story of rebirth, made possible also thanks to the intervention of WOWnature, the Etifor initiative | Valuing Naturea spin-off of the University of Padua and certified B Corp, which works tirelessly to protect and grow forests.
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After Vaia, the silent threat of the bark beetle
As if that wasn’t enough, the territories affected by Vaia found themselves facing a new silent emergency: the epidemic typographer bark beetle, a parasite that mainly attacks spruce (Picea abies). Despite its small size of just around 4.5 millimetres, this beetle – belonging to the Bark beetle family – proved to be a huge threat and in some areas the bark beetle caused more than 200% damage compared to the trees felled by the storm.
This insect plays a very useful role for Alpine forest ecosystems in conditions of ecological balance (the so-called endemic phase) by colonizing and decomposing weak trees and contributing to the natural cycle. But in the presence of large quantities of felled or suffering plants, the insect begins to proliferate in an uncontrolled manner, becoming infesting (epidemic phase). And this is precisely what happened following the Vaia storm.
But what happens to the trees targeted by the bark beetle? This beetle initially colonizes weakened or stressed plants and as it proliferates, it also attacks healthy plants. He acts digging small tunnels under the bark similar to imprints or writings (hence the name bark beetle typographer). This system of intricate tunnels interrupts the flow of sap, leading the plant to dry out and die quickly.
The infestation can initially be recognized thanks to the emission of reddish rose from the entry hole; another characteristic symptom is the loss of resin, produced by the plant in an attempt to defend itself from the attack of the parasite. Finally the foliage of the trees changes colour, going from green to reddish tones, then dark red and finally grey, until the needles fall. The bark beetle emergency, unfortunately, has taken on even larger proportions due to the periods of drought (which increase the stress condition of the plants and therefore make them more subject to attack by the bark beetle), increasingly recurring due to the climate crisis.
WOWnature at the forefront for the rebirth of alpine forests
7 years after that unforgettable October, how are those Alpine woods devastated by storm Vaia today? They are slowly being reborn also thanks to human intervention, given that nature is not always able to recover on its own. A recent study conducted by the University of Padua demonstrates, in fact, that in some mountain areas, factors such as altitude, the inclination of the slopes and hydrogeological risk make the spontaneous rebirth of the forest more difficult and therefore the hand of man proves invaluable in triggering and accelerating this process.
At the forefront for the recovery of the Dolomite woods is WOWnature, an initiative by Etifor | Valuing Nature, which involves citizens, organizations and companies in growing new forests and protecting existing ones. Since 2018 WOWnature has intervened in the areas most affected by storm Vaia planting over 150,000 trees to restore forests and make them more resilient to extreme weather events, which unfortunately are increasingly recurring. Among the areas where WOWnature is making a difference, one of the most affected areas of Trentino-Alto Adige stands out: the Val di Fiemmewhere as many as 90,000 trees have been planted, from spruce to larch and stone pine, through reforestation interventions carried out together with the Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme, the body that owns and manages the woods.
After the Vaia storm and the bark beetle epidemic, our territory has become much more fragile. Both erosive phenomena and hydrogeological risk in general have increased. – explains Ilario Cavada, forestry technician of the Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme – In addition to the constant monitoring of the territory and the recovery of the wood deriving from felled or dried trees, we have started a series of reforestation interventions, primarily in the areas most subject to landslides. We at MCF believe that the artificial reforestation interventions, which we are carrying out in some areas with the support of WOWnature, are fundamental for the future of our forests.
They are from the point of view of all-round sustainability: environmental, to restore ecosystem services such as biodiversity, water quality, oxygen production, soil protection and landscape value. This environmental importance is also accompanied by a social and economic one: in Val di Fiemme, in fact, the responsible management of the woods has its roots in a nine-century historical tradition linked to the production and trade of valuable wood, now carried out in a sustainable way, taking into account the natural growth rate of forests”
WOWnature is intervening in Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto, on an area covering 300 hectares and divided into 13 areas:
The reforestation carried out by WOWnature follows a scientific approach to yield the woods most resistant to extreme meteorological events and the spread of parasites and increase biodiversity, promoting natural regeneration.
The species chosen – including spruce, larch, maple, birch, stone pine, ash, beech and rowan – are all native and are selected based on the specific conditions of each area, i.e. exposure, altitude and climatic conditions. In the event that the forest has survived but is damaged, the WOWnature team takes steps to implement management improvement actions. While, in cases where significant tree losses have occurred, the aim has been to diversify the specific composition of the forests to make them more resilient.
You too can help the woods with WOWnature (and plant your tree)
Planting a tree is not just a symbolic gesture: it is a concrete action against the climate crisis and in favor of biodiversity. If you want to actively contribute to the rebirth of the woods affected by storm Vaia, you can do so thanks to WOWnature, which allows you to adopt a tree and come and plant it yourself. And the nice thing is that you can also give it as a gift to a friend or someone you care about, an idea to consider for example for Christmas and which will make nature lovers happy.
For years, WOWnature has been organizing days in spring and autumn that involve citizens to discover wonderful places and contribute to the birth of new forests. How to participate? It’s a lot simple: just adopt a tree (choosing the species you prefer from those proposed) with WOWnature or send it as a gift. A few weeks before the appointment, you will receive an invitation email with the link to register and then just fill in an online registration confirmation form (totally free). To keep up to date you can consult the calendar of events organized by WOWnature. Nature needs the hand of each of us.
