In October 2018, storm Vaia felled 14 million trees across the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the following years, a bark beetle epidemic damaged even the trees that had survived. The loss of forest cover left the area visibly scarred, but it also exposed, more clearly than ever before, the starry sky above the valley – turning a wound in the landscape into an opportunity for regeneration and learning.

Employee Foundation of the VKR Group, through its Reconnect with Nature programme and with the support of VELUX Italia employees, launched “From wounds to wonder: rebuild, reforest, reconnect” in the heart of Val di Fiemme, giving rise to the Forest of Stars. The project involves planting 15,000 native and diversified trees and shrubs, selected to strengthen the forest’s resilience to climate change, in partnership with Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme, the centuries-old body that manages the valley’s woodlands. It also includes restoring roughly 800 metres of the historic path between Valmaggiore and Lago di Moregna, enriched with educational panels and a dedicated astronomy trail developed with “Chi ha paura del buio?” and researchers from the University of Padova.

Two wooden shelters will also be installed along the trail: THE TABLE, a resting point for those walking the trail, and THE HIDEOUT, designed for sky and local wildlife observation. The timber to build them is provided free of charge by Magnifica Comunità di Fiemme, which also runs the local sawmill: it is short-supply-chain timber from trees felled by Vaia and the bark beetle, FSC certified, giving a second life to the wood brought down by the storm.

Etifor, together with WOWnature, conceived the project and coordinates it from start to finish, from design to on-the-ground delivery. Our contribution includes:

• overall project conception and coordination;
• designing and delivering the educational trail along the restored path, to tell the story of both Vaia’s and the bark beetle’s impact on the landscape, and the value of the night sky now visible above it;
• engaging VELUX Italia employees and communicating the project, both internally and externally.

The long-term goal is to grow the forest to 20,000 trees. To get there, the Forest of Stars remains open to contributions from other people and organisations through WOWnature, which allows the reforested area to be progressively expanded.