In Italy, over one-third of the territory is covered by forests, but many of them are now abandoned. Small, fragmented properties—often in remote areas and owned by elderly or untraceable proprietors—make effective forest management difficult. This leads to environmental, social, and economic consequences: forests become more vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, the risks of fires and hydrogeological instability increase, and the natural and productive heritage is gradually impoverished.
To address these challenges, the LIFE ClimatePositive project promotes models of sustainable and cooperative forest management, highlighting the experiences of those who work every day to regenerate and keep forests alive.
In a new video created in collaboration with Etifor | Valuing Nature, we showcase some of these first-hand experiences in forest associations—a model that brings together public and private owners, businesses, and local communities to share resources, knowledge, and common goals.
Watch the video “Forest Associations: The Key to Sustainable Forest Management.”
Featured in the video:
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Luca Colombo, from ASFO Valli delle Sorgenti, explains how the association was born as a concrete response to fires and storms that hit the area in 2017.
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Marina Paolucci, from the Valle dell’Aterno Model Forest, describes how a network of over 100 members—including 15 municipalities, institutions, and associations—enables shared and participatory management.
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Giacomo Bergese, from Walden Srl, highlights the technical and territorial value of collaboration: from maintaining rural infrastructure to jointly applying for funding calls.
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Gianni Tarello, from the Valli del Canavese Cooperative, tells how cooperative work has restored economic and social value to abandoned forests.
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Stefano Berti, from the Montagne Fiorentine Model Forest, stresses the importance of building shared territorial management processes from the ground up.
Their stories share a common message: unity is the key to the future of forests. Forest associations represent a community of care and innovation, capable of valuing forests not only as economic resources but as common goods to be managed and protected together.
If you want to learn more and discover how to create or strengthen a forest association, visit the project’s dedicated section and download the LIFE ClimatePositive Toolkit—a practical 10-step guide that helps landowners and managers establish and improve forest organisations.