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Intercropping landscapes characterised by the presence of certain plant features (i.e. old-century olive trees) are usually considered traditional landscapes, extremely important for their biocultural heritage. Olive agroforestry systems were widespread in the past throughout Sicily. Recent evolution processes involving intensification have switched to olive grove monocultures. Here we present ongoing work on the application of geo-narratives to interpret transformation dynamics of land use practices in a rural landscape of inner Sicily. Based on the assumption that spatial patterns are the expression of transformation processes, where the spatial variation of human activities is a significant element in driving different temporal trajectories of change in a landscape, we applied geo-narratives to interpret results from change detection analysis of aerial images spanning over 65 years. As georeferenced oral histories, geo-narratives open a window on the spatial relationality of people and places over time, allowing us to interpret contemporary observations of spatial patterns in light of past practices. The result is a deeper understanding of landscape change processes, in which the apparent progression from agroforestry spatial arrangements to nearly monoculture, followed by a reduction or even loss of high nature value features, hides ecological drivers and social motivations that only from the ground could be understood. We conclude advancing new conceptualisation of what traditional cultural landscapes could be, and proposing new integrated methodological approaches for their investigation

Around 40% of the ice-free terrestrial surface is under desertification risk, and the Mediterranean is one of the most sensible regions. Concomitantly, most areas occupied by agriculture suffer from lack of organic matter in the soil, as well as very low tree cover, making them more vulnerable to climate change. The LIFE (Desert Adapt) project aims to develop a desert adaptation model to enhance resistence and resilience of farms, both public and private, to desertification by appliyng an integrative sustainable land management in Italy, Spain and Portugal. In Italy three sites in Sicily are involved, two private areas in Caltanissetta and Catagirone and the municiaplity of Lampedusa.The model comprehends the assignement of functions and the application of adaptation measures, in order to diversify the production, increase soil organic matter, enhance biodiversity and guarantee a solid economical output, appliyng concepts of agroecology and agroforestry. All farms in the project are increasing the woody cover, buth as woody crops, hedgerows and forest/machis patches, appliyng no-tillage or conservative tillage, increasing soil cover throug perennial crops and mulching, as well as using prunning residuals and organic compost to increase organic matter in the soil. Desertification is mentioned in economical mehcanisms such as the Rural development Plan and might be a central point in the European Green Deal, but still few effective actions are being implemented in the field, and the LIFE project is creating models that can be replicated by every kind of farmer.

Many traditional agricultural systems show different limits both in ecological and economic terms. These limits are exacerbated by the increasingly extreme climatic conditions which in the southern regions are manifested essentially in a concentration of rainfall and in increasingly intense dry periods. As part of the LIFE (Desert Adapt) project, some companies involved in the project are modifying their cultivation systems without changing the land use destination. This appears possible by introducing elements of diversification which make the system more resilient as a whole but which guarantees safer economic resources. In particular, in the case of a "classic" agricultural company Caltagirone (Sicily, Ct) (prickly pear and fruit orchard), the farmer accepted spread of woody forest species for the production of firewood. Furthermore, the spread of brambles and asparagus allows you to have supplementary productions of great commercial value because the fruits are collected and sold. Generally these plants are eliminated during the normal operations of managing the prickly pear. The company is also spreading Bamboo, which is increasingly appreciated today as a “wood”. More complex are the interventions to be implemented in the cereal-zootechnical farms where the practice of burning stubble has led to the total elimination of arboreal and shrub vegetation (Fig. 1). In this case there is also a cultural problem related to the fact that shepherds do not adequately consider the advantages deriving from the presence of wood species. The projects, which will be implemented within the Rural Development Plan of the Sicilian Region but with the support of the LIFE Desert Adapt in the dissemination phase, foresee a total paradigm shift. In fact, the creation of arboreal bands presupposes that these are defended from the action of the animals in the early stages of growth and subsequently actively from fires. The latter, as already mentioned, are hanged to eliminate residual straw and this guarantees an immediate but ephemeral advantage in terms of soil fertility. The adequate management of the residues allows, in the long run, to increase the content of organic substance in the soil and therefore to achieve lasting advantages in terms of fertility. Also for these companies one of the main objectives remains to diversify production. This goal is not easy to achieve because often these companies have soils with pedological limits (excess clay) which reduces the possibility of choice. However, choices are being made that are already determining advantages including, for example, the breeding of bees and the creation of multifunctional riparian vegetation. The presence of riparian vegetation or lines of vegetation or small woods also reduces the effects of erosion and loss of surface soil. In the future, the possibility of using the trees (Popolus, Salix) for the production of wood will be evaluated. The spread of vegetation along the margins has no impact on animal species (especially birds and plants) linked to open systems. These plants and animals are those at greatest risk at European level due to the intensification of crops. In both cases, however, organic farming techniques that reduce the impacts of agrochemicals will be used.

The soil microbiota is recognized as key player in both diversity and productivity of terrestrial ecosystems and it is mandatory to include its role in soil quality evaluation. The bacterial communities in soils vulnerable to desertification can undergo perturbations by various human activities, such as unsustainable land use and management, and by climate change. Alteration in microbial diversity and composition are sentinels of the impact of environmental changes on soil quality. Within the LIFE Desert-Adapt project we analyze the soil bacterial diversity and composition across European Soils threatened by desertification in the southern Mediterranean regions (Italy, Spain and Portugal) and evaluate the influences on soil bacteria communities of five different land use type (Broad-leaved agroforestry, conifer forest, cropland, pasture-grassland, shurubland). Bacterial diversity was analyzed by the Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA), Microbial Biomass was estimated as total extracted dsDNA. The Illumina MiSeq sequencing technology was applied to determine the community composition. The bacterial diversity was related with land-use, Richness and Shannon index varied across land uses, although only croplands and shrublands significantly differed. The microbial biomass was also affected by land use and were highest in the conifer forests land and lowest in the cropland soils. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi and Verrucomicrobia phyla were detected in all countries with relative abundance variable across land use type. The firmicutes was abundant in cropland and grassland soil with low C and N content and neutral pH 7, the Chloroflexi was most abundant in shrubland soil with high C content and acid pH. Actinobacteria was abundant in conifer, shrubland and cropland with basic pH, and a high CEC and carbon content, while the Proteobacteria was abundant in all land use type. Within the same phyla, the genera abundance was influenced differently by soil chemical- physical variables. We analyze relationships between land use and the soil microbiota, and create the baseline for the monitoring of European soils facing climate change and desertification phenomena. The identification of soil management-sensitive bacterial taxa could have great potential as bioindicators for soil quality and loss of functionality associated with land use.

The traditional agro-silvo-pastoral system is characterized by wooded grasslands derived from human-induced transformation of forests by tree clearing and tillage. One of the most common tree species of agro-silvo-pastoral systems in Sicily is cork oak (Quercus suber L.). According to the regional inventory these species cover 18830 ha (Camerano et al., 2011) from sea level up to 600 m a.s.l. in siliceous and volcanic substrates. Traditional management of cork oak forest is an example of integration of sustainable land use and biodiversity conservation. Cork oak woodlands are ecologically sensitive and maintained by active human management. Currently, this ecosystem in the Mediterranean Basin is decreasing and it is threatening by poor or non-existent land-management practices. Especially, the Sicilian cork oaks are in decline and most cork oak forests are not managed, overexploitation of the land led to soil degradation and a lack of natural regeneration of cork oak trees. But the cork oak forest presents great potential, indeed cork is a multipurpose material used in many sectors, first the production of cork stoppers for the wine industry and other use as building materials (e.g. architecture, ship, fashion) moreover cork oak has other functions for example landscape value, improve the biodiversity. In recent years, land abandonment is generally widespread throughout most of Mediterranean Basin, in particular the abandonment of practices of management conducts an invasion of shrubs and other oaks increasing the competition that also increases the vulnerability to wildfire. Sustainable forest management is the most important asset for cork oak conservation because this is maintained only through human use. The aim of this work was evaluated the effect of recovery of degraded cork oak forest through sustainable management practices. The objective of management is to generate a stable structure for producing high quality cork with vigorous trees and promoting regeneration; the management strategy combines cork production with fire preventions. The practices for the recovery were selectived thinning, removing disease trees, scrubs management and the selective cutting of other trees (e.g. ash and other oaks). The products obtained from thinning, shrub clearing, and sanitary felling were used for firewood and woodchips. In some cases it is necessary to plant new trees of cork oak, and also it is necessary to defend by grazing. The role played by shrubs is controversial, it is important to understand the relative importance of competing or facilitating effects of shrubs on cork oak for the successful regeneration. Also it is very important for the recovery of degrade cork oak, the stripping, this first obtained product will be poor quality but the next cork produced it will be better grade. In this work we evaluated the ecological effects and the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of these practices. The LCA is a tool for the analysis of the energy balance and environmental impacts of a process from production to extraction of cork. The elimination of the shrub layer as well as favoring the development of the cork oak reduce the fire risk and the residues extracted are chipped and reused in the transformation process of the cork. LCA was carried out to assess the environmental impact of management practices

Over the last 40 years, we have been regularly conducting observations in a typical hinterland area of Sicily around the inhabited centre of Roccapalumba. The heterogeneity of the territory made up of strips of natural woods, reforestation, cultivated areas (especially arable lands and small orchards), pastures, bushy areas, isolated rocks, a river and many small artificial lakes has created suitable habitats for almost all species of hilly environments in Sicily. During the study period, no substantial changes have occurred in the landscape at the level of land‐use macro‐categories, with the exception of new pine afforestation. Major changes have been observed, however, within agro‐ecosystems (with the disappearance of almond groves) and in the management of agro‐ecosystems and marginal areas. Changes in birdlife are due either to changes in the status of a given species at local or global level, or to the above‐mentioned reasons.

The wildcat (Felis silvestris), the pine marten (Martes martes) and the weasel (Mustela nivalis) are key members of the mammalian community in Sicily, actually performing the role of top predators and consequently influencing the trophic chain both in natural and agricultural areas. However, despite their protected status, very little information is available regarding their occurrence and ecology. Here, by verifying published studies, collecting personal observations and analyzing novel field data obtained by camera traps, we update their spatial distribution in Sicily, contributing to a better understanding of their habitat use and suggesting future research to improve our knowledge of these carnivores and to ensure their conservation.

Increasing scientific evidences indicate that agroforestry is a land use that can support economic, social and environmental sustainability, thus promoting resistance and resilience towards ongoing climate changes. The implementation and management of agroforestry systems still face social, economic and political barriers. Mediterranean agroecosystems suffer from increasingly negative climate change effects and urgent measures are needed to improve their rural economy while protecting soils and the environment. In this context, the LIFE Project Desert-Adapt: “Preparing desertification areas for increased climate change” (http://www.desert-adapt.it), aims to demonstrate the feasibility of innovative climate adaptation strategies and measures, based on the agroforestry concept, over 1000 hectares at risk of desertification in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The core of the project is the Desert Adaptation Model (DAM), an integrative development model fitted to the specific requirements of each farm which guide the implementation of sustainable agroforestry systems (e.g. montado, dehesa). The results will be evaluated through an array of multidisciplinary social, economic and environmental indicators. The project will deal with the most common conceptual, technical, and legal constraints encountered along the implementation and management of agroforestry systems in marginal lands and its results will fill the gap between farmers’ needs and policy makers at local and global level.

Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) is an ornamental tree native to different regions of South America (Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay). Here we report from Sicily the first case of natural regeneration in Europe.

In Sicilia la pianificazione forestale ha avuto di recente una svolta resasi necessaria sia per motivi richiesti dall’autorità europea e da quella nazionale, sia per un’oggettiva necessità del territorio. Dal punto di vista normativo la storia degli ultimi decenni ha visto la Sicilia dotarsi di norme e giuridicamente all’avanguardia e lungimiranti dal punto di vista della conservazione del patrimonio naturale. Si fa infatti riferimento ai piani di assestamento forestale per la gestione del patrimonio boschivo isolano dalle leggi regionali del 1989, del 1996, del 2004 con l’emanazione di linee guida regionali e della LR 14/2006. Quest’ultima in particolare richiamava anche alla necessità di predisporre “…il piano forestale regionale sulla base degli elementi di conoscenza desumibili dall’inventario forestale regionale e della carta forestale regionale», e introduceva, a livello aziendale, il concetto di piano di gestione forestale sostenibile. A tutt’oggi le normative in materia di pianificazione aziendale infatti sono state disattese: sono pochissime le aree forestali siciliane in cui è stato redatto un piano di gestione, per quanto riguarda le proprietà pubbliche che costituiscono la parte più rilevante del patrimonio forestale siciliano. Per quanto riguarda la pianificazione a livello regionale, la travagliata redazione del primo piano forestale regionale è terminata nel 2010, priva del supporto dell’inventario e della carta, redatte in seguito per motivi contingenti. Il primo PFR è risultato un documento di ampio respiro, con una descrizione del territorio nei suoi vari aspetti, e degli strumenti tecnici e finanziari. Tuttavia l’analisi sia pur dettagliata si basava su elementi in parte datati e in parte di non sufficiente dettaglio, proprio per le carenze informative illustrate. Gli obiettivi ed attuazione del Piano erano peraltro chiari e ben articolati, mirati soprattutto all’aumento della superficie forestale e alla corretta gestione di essa attraverso piani di gestione aziendali, proponendo anche esempi di pianificazione a livello territoriale. Dotato di un rapporto ambientale condiviso e di documenti d’indirizzo pratici operativi, fu redatto per il periodo programmatorio 2009-2013. Già in fase di approvazione della VAS si sottolineò peraltro la necessità di un aggiornamento sulla base dell’inventario forestale e della carta forestale regionale che nel frattempo avevano visto la luce. Infatti emergevano i limiti sia legati alle carenze della descrizione delle risorse forestali del territorio regionale, che comunque è piuttosto approssimativa poiché basata sull’INFC – quindi con dettaglio insufficiente, sia alla mancanza di strumenti esecutivi per una chiara impostazione riguardo la pianificazione e all’assestamento. La mancanza degli strumenti sopracitati non ha consentito la definizione di interventi specifici per il patrimonio forestale siciliano. La regione ha predisposto una proposta di aggiornamento del PFR con significative innovazioni. La parte conoscitiva è stata aggiornata sulla scorta del nuovo sistema informativo al dettaglio regionale, e soprattutto dell’adozione del sistema tipologico forestale. Sulla base di quest’ultimo per ogni tipo sono state redatte linee guida per la gestione colturale specifica delle formazioni dell’isola, con dettaglio per i boschi di maggior importanza ecologica e produttiva. Nell’aggiornamento del Piano Forestale Regionale, in particolare per la redazione delle linee guida di gestione a livello di tipo forestale, si è tenuto conto dei risultati acquisiti con il progetto Life 11+ RESILFORMED- RESILienza al cambiamento climatico delle FOReste MEDiterranee, (2012 – 2017) volto a trovare le migliori risoluzioni tecniche per aumentare la resilienza dei sistemi forestali al cambiamento climatico in corso in area mediterranea. Un obiettivo perseguito nella proposta di aggiornamento del PFR è l’incentivazione della pianificazione forestale, oggi ancora molto carente, a livello sovraziendale/territoriale e aziendale. Un processo volto a definire una pianificazione su più livelli coerenti ed interagenti tra loro. I Piani di Indirizzo Territoriale redatti per ambiti forestali omogenei in termini di indirizzi gestionali possono contribuire a una visione integrata delle opportunità del territorio, mentre a livello aziendale il piano di Gestione Forestale realizza gli indirizzi di gestione sostenibile volti a favorire le attitudini multifunzionali del bosco. A completamento del PFR occorre ancora una nuova definizione di alcuni strumenti cartografici fondamentali: la Carta delle Aree Ecologicamente Omogenee e la carta delle Priorità d’Intervento. Questi due strumenti, già prodotti nella precedente versione, devono esser aggiornati tenendo conto di nuove basi informative, quali la carta forestale (in luogo della precedente classificazione Corine su cui era basata la Carta delle Aree a Priorità d’Intervento) e altri fondamentali, come ad esempio la nuova carta geolitologica, le carte IV Congresso Nazionale di Selvicoltura - Torino, 5-9 Novembre 2018 Il bosco: bene indispensabile per un presente vivibile e un futuro possibile 237 dei piani stralcio di bacino idrografico, entrambe in scala 1:10.000 e la nuova edizione della carta della sensibilità alla desertificazione. A corollario dell’iter di aggiornamento del PFR ancora in corso è comunque stato emesso il Decreto Assessoriale n° 85 del 14/12/2016 rafforza l’importanza della pianificazione a livello aziendale definendo linee guida dettagliate per la redazione dei piani, di cui si definiscono metodi e tecniche esecutive. In Sicily, forest planning has recently had a significant evolution, required both for reasons requested by the European and national authorities, and for an objective necessity of the territory. From a regulatory point of view, the history of the last decades has seen Sicily adopt laws and juridically avant-garde and far-sighted from the point of view of the conservation of the natural heritage. In fact, reference is made to forest management plans for the management of the island's forest heritage from the regional laws of 1989, 1996 and 2004 with the issue of regional guidelines and of Regional Law 14/2006. The latter in particular referred to the need to prepare "... the regional forestry plan on the basis of the elements of knowledge inferable from the regional forest inventory and the regional forest map", and introduced, at company level, the concept of a sustainable forest management plan. The troubled drafting of the first regional forest plan was completed in 2010, without the support of the inventory and the forest map, drafted later for contingent reasons. The first PFR was a wide-ranging document, with a description of the territory in its various aspects, and technical and financial instruments. However, the analysis, although detailed, was based on elements that were partly dated and partly insufficiently detailed, due to the shortcomings illustrated. The objectives and implementation of the Plan were also clear and well-articulated, aimed above all at the increase of the forest area and the correct management of it through company management plans, also proposing examples of planning at the territorial level. Equipped with a shared environmental report and practical operational guidance documents, it was drafted for the 2009-2013 program period. The approval of the SEA also underlined the need for an update on the basis of the forest inventory and the regional forest map which in the meantime had seen the light. In fact emerged the limits related to the shortcomings of the description of the forest resources of the regional territory, which is rather approximate because it is based on the INFC - 2005 therefore with insufficient detail, both the lack of executive tools for a clear planning and settling approach. The lack of the aforementioned tools did not allow the definition of specific interventions for the Sicilian forest heritage. To date, the planning regulations have been disregarded: there are very few Sicilian forest areas in which a management plan has been drawn up, regarding the public properties that make up the most important part of the Sicilian forest heritage. The region has prepared a proposal to update the PFR with significant innovations. The knowledge part was updated on the basis of the new regional forest information system, and above all the adoption of the forest typological system. On the basis of the latter, for each type, guidelines have been drawn up for the specific crop management of the island's formations, with details for the forests of greater ecological and productive importance. In the update of the Regional Forestry Plan, in particular for the drafting of the management guidelines at forest level level, the results obtained with the project Life 11+ RESILFORMED- RESILIENCE to climate change of the MEDiterranean FORestry have been taken into account, (2012 - 2017) for finding the best technical resolutions to increase the resilience of forest systems to climate change in progress in the Mediterranean area. The proposal hs also pursued the updating of the RFP in fostering forest planning, which is still very lacking today, at a territorial and local level. A process aimed at defining a plan on several levels that are coherent and interacting with each other. The Territorial Guidelines drawn up for homogeneous forest areas in terms of management guidelines can contribute to an integrated vision of the territory's opportunities, while at the local level the Forest Management Plan implements sustainable management guidelines aimed at favoring multifunctional forest attitudes. To complete the FRP, a new definition of some fundamental cartographic tools is still needed: the Charter of Ecologically Homogeneous Areas and the Priority Charter. These two tools, already produced in the previous version, must be updated taking into account new information bases, such as the forest map (in place of the IV Congresso Nazionale di Selvicoltura - Torino, 5-9 Novembre 2018 Il bosco: bene indispensabile per un presente vivibile e un futuro possibile 238 previous Corine classification on which the Priority Areas Map was based) and other fundamental, such as for example, the new geolithological map, the maps of the drainage plans, both in scale 1: 10,000 and the new edition of the map of sensitivity to desertification. As a corollary of the update of the plan, the Assessment Decree No. 85 of 14/12/2016 reinforces the importance of planning at the local level by defining detailed guidelines for the preparation of plans, which are defined as executive methods and techniques.

Il vasto complesso forestale indicato come Bosco della Ficuzza ebbe origine quando Ferdinando IV di Borbone, costretto dagli avvenimenti tumultuosi del 1798 a fuggire da Napoli si trasferì in Sicilia. Essendo un grande appassionato di caccia, il sovrano fece costituire diverse tenute di caccia; così sorsero le tenute reali della Favorita a Palermo e quella di Ficuzza. Il Re migliorò la viabilità per giungere a Ficuzza, e poi quella interna al bosco. Nel 1802 diede l’incarico prima all’architetto palermitano Venazio Marvuglia e poi all’architetto Carlo Chenchi di edificare la Real Casina di Caccia, dove dimorò per lunghi anni, praticando, tra tutti i suoi preferiti svaghi, la caccia e la pesca. A Ficuzza, Ferdinando IV si adoperò a costituire una delle sue più grandi riserve di caccia. Così vennero riuniti i feudi di Lupo, Ficuzza e Cappelliere, costituiti i confini con “muracche” (muraglie in pietra) e pilieri recanti la scritta “R.R.“, Reali Riserve, impose norme restrittive alla libera caccia. Altresì, il re dotò il bosco di una ben distribuita rete viaria e si adoperò alla cura dei boschi, al ripopolamento della selvaggina, facendo arrivare da fuori cinghiali, daini e cervi. Inoltre, fece costruire in vari posti del bosco rifugi per i guardiacaccia, masserie e ricoveri per gli armenti, avendo costituito grossi allevamenti di bovini e ovini, abbeveratoi e altre “infrastrutture” al servizio della caccia come il “pulpito del re”, ricavato in un grosso masso di arenaria dove il re si appostava per sparare a lepri, cinghiali e daini che i battitori stanavano. Altra struttura degna di menzione è la “pescheria del Gorgo del Drago”, uno stagno alimentato da una sorgente perenne dove il re, durante il riposo venatorio per il ripopolamento della selvaggina, si dilettava a pescare, ospite nella adiacente casa, oggi ridotta ad un rudere. Le muracche erano state costruite con massi di varia dimensione accatastati in modo da formare dei parallelepipedi di larghezza di circa 1 m, e alte fino a 2 m, a formare estese muraglie lungo i confini delle tenute di caccia reali. Una sorta di recinzioni che servivano a proteggere le aree destinate al ripopolamento della selvaggina ma anche i boschi, tanto cari al re, soggetti agli interventi selvicolturali. Infatti, il re al suo primo sopralluogo a Ficuzza, scrisse nel suo diario di bordo “... i boschi sono ampi e ricchi di selvaggina, ma mal tenuti e troppo sfruttati”. Ecco perché, appena stabilitosi a Ficuzza, il Re iniziò ad adoperarsi per ricostituire i boschi degradati e troppo sfruttati, proteggendoli dal pascolo e da ogni pericolo con le muracche. Lungo le muracche erano presenti dei passaggi delimitati da cancelli, usati per il transito dei boscaioli e della selvaggina. Nei vertici delle muracche erano presenti i pilieri in pietra che, oltre alla scritta “R.R.”, riportavano sopra quest’ultima il simbolo della corona reale. L’opera meritoria di Ferdinando IV di Borbone è stata decisiva nella destinazione della “Foresta nazionale inalienabile di Ficuzza” come “Stazione climatica” ai sensi della Legge n. 535 del 1901 del Regno d’Italia. Delle muracche originarie oggi sono rimaste solo le vestigia coperte da muschi e intrigate nella vegetazione. L’Ente gestore della Riserva ha ripristinato solo una piccola parte degli antichi manufatti a scopo dimostrativo della originaria forma strutturale. L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è stato quello di realizzare un inventario dell’attuale consistenza e stato di manutenzione delle muracche e di tutte le altre infrastrutture ancora esistenti al fine di ricostruire il loro originale sviluppo all’interno della foresta. Tale inventario, oltre ad essere importante dal punto di vista storico, culturale e paesaggistico, può contribuire alla ricostruzione storica della gestione forestale dei boschi di Ficuzza e, al tempo stesso, può avere un ruolo chiave nella definizione del particellare ai fini della redazione del piano di gestione forestale della riserva. Può inoltre essere la base per avviare un serio progetto di recupero di questo patrimonio indissolubilmente legato alla storia umana e naturale di Ficuzza. The vast wooded area known as “Bosco Ficuzza” originated when Ferdinando IV Borbone, forced by the tumultuous events in 1798 to escape from Naples, moved to Sicily. The King, being a great hunting enthusiast, established several hunting estates; thus the royal estates of the Favorita in Palermo and that of Ficuzza rose. The King improved the viability to reach Ficuzza, and then those inside the forest. In 1802 he was commissioned to the venetian architect Venazio Marvuglia and then to the architect Carlo Chenchi to build the “Real Casina di Caccia”, where he lived for many years, practicing, among all his favorite leisure activities, hunting and fishing. In Ficuzza, Ferdinando IV worked to constitute one of his largest hunting reserves. Thus the fiefs of Lupo, Ficuzza and Cappelliere were reunited, the boundaries constituted with “muracche”" (stone walls) and “pilieri” (stone stacks) bearing the inscription "R.R.", Reali Riserve (i.e. Royal Reserves), and he imposed restrictive rules to free hunting. Also, the King endowed the forest with a well-distributed road network and he worked to the care of the woods, to repopulate the game species, by bringing out wild boar, fallow deer and deer. Moreover, in various places of the forest, he had it built shelters for the keepers, farms and shelters for livestock, having formed large cattle and sheep farms, drinking troughs and other infrastructures at the service of hunting such as the "The King's pulpit", obtained from a large sandstone boulder where the King used to shoot hares, wild boars and fallow deer that the beaters used to drive out. Another structure worthy of mention is the “fishmonger of the Gorgo del Drago”, a pond fed by a perennial spring where the King, during the hunting rest for the repopulation of the game species, was delighted to fish, guest in the adjacent house, today reduced to a ruin. The muracche had been built with boulders of various dimensions stacked so as to form parallelepipeds with a width of about 1 m, and up to 2 m tall, to form extensive walls along the boundaries of royal hunting estates. They were a kind of fences that served to protect the areas destined to the repopulation of the game species but also the woods, so dear to the King, subjected to silvicultural interventions. In fact, the King at his first visit to Ficuzza, wrote in his logbook “... the woods are wide and rich in game species, but poorly managed and too much exploited”. This is why, as soon as he settled in Ficuzza, the King began to work to recover the degraded and over-exploited forests, protecting them from grazing and from any other danger with the muracche. Along the muracche there were passages delimited by gates, used for the transit of woodcutters and game species. At the top of the muracche there were stone stacks which, in addition to the inscription “R.R.”, had the symbol of the royal crown above it. The meritorious work of Ferdinand IV of Bourbon was decisive in the destination of the "Inalienable National Forest of Ficuzza" as "Climate Station" in accordance with the Law n. 535 of 1901 of the Kingdom of Italy. Of the original muracche today there are only the remains covered by mosses and intrigued in the vegetation. The managing body of the Reserve has restored only a small part of the ancient artifacts for demonstration purposes of the original structural form. The objective of this work is to create an inventory of the current consistency and state of maintenance of the muracche and of all the other infrastructures still existing in order to reconstruct their original development within the forest. This inventory, in addition to being important from an historical, cultural and landscape point of view, can contribute to the historical reconstruction of the forest management of the Ficuzza woods and, at the same time, can play a key role in defining particles for the purposes of drawing up the forest management plan of the reserve. It can also be the basis for starting a serious project to recover this heritage inextricably linked to the human and natural history of Ficuzza.

The present work was carried out to evaluate the lactic acid bacterial biofilms formation on wooden vat produced with seven different woods, derived from trees species grown in Sicily. The biofilm formation on the wooden surfaces was performed as reported by Gaglio et al. Microbiological and scanning electron microscopy analyses did not show differences in terms of microbial levels and composition within the neoformed biofilms (Fig.1). The specific investigation of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli and positive-coagulase staphylococci did not generate any colony for all vats before and after microbial activation. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations dominated the surfaces of all vats and the highest concentration of approximately 7.63 Log CFU/cm2 was registered for thermophilic cocci. All colonies of different morphologies were isolated and characterized for their physiological and biochemical characteristics before being investigated genetically at strain level by RAPD-PCR and species level by a polyphasic approach consisting of 16S rRNA gene sequencing. As reported in a preview investigation conducted on wooden vat surfaces. we found species within the genera Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Streptococcus. The species most frequently present were Lactobacillus fermentum and Lactococcus lactis. The technological characterization of the LAB found at high numbers on to the surfaces of the wooden vats showed interesting dairy properties. In order to deeply investigate on the safety of the wooden vat, a test of artificial contamination on new Calabrian chestnut vats was carried out showing that the acidity and the bacteriocin generated by LAB represent efficient barriers to their adhesion. This study highlights the importance to use the wooden vats for traditional cheese production and provides evidences for their safety in terms of bacterial community evolution.

The uneven presence of the cork oak (Quercus suber L.) within its distribution range seems to be affected not only by its climatic requirements but also by rather specific edaphic needs. In fact, most of the known populations throughout the Mediterranean area thrive on acidic soils deriving from metamorphic or volcanic rock outcrops. However, some Italian populations of this species behave as if they were independent on the chemical and physical characteristics of the substrate, e.g. growing on calcareous soils, which are considered less suitable. This is the case of some populations in central Italy (Latium) and NW Sicily (Trapani Mts. and Palermo Mts.). A multidisciplinary investigation carried out on Palermo Mts. allowed: 1) to update the knowledge on the distribution of Q. suber in NW Sicily; 2) to verify that those populations are autochthonous; 3) to analyze and describe the soils and the plant communities linked with cork oaks; 4) to detect the ecological factors which could explain their local adaptation to calcareous soils; 5) to show the ecological, structural and dynamic role played by this species within the natural vegetation of Palermo Mts. The local presence of Q. suber stands may depend on three (perhaps synergic) factors: 1) the high fire frequency, which indirectly favours Q. suber by biasing the progressive succession towards the most common patterns of woodland, i.e. Q. ilex/Q. pubescens s.l. mixed forests; 2) the peculiar biogeochemistry of local soils; 3) the erosion that intermixed different parent materials.

Afforestation and reforestation activities in Sicily have been widespread in the last century, in order to increase the forest cover that was seriously reduced in the former centuries. Notwithstanding this, Sicily is still characterized by only the 12% of the regional surface covered by woods and forest. The reforestation in the last century was carried out using conifers and eucalypts, just in order to ensure a quick protection of slopes and pastureland, coping diffuse erosion events, and those intervention had a remarkable success. Nowadays, the target of enlarging the forest areas in the island is still compulsive, but the use of species, considering the actual knowledge and nature consciousness has been completely reassessed basing on the indigenous species. In this view, in order to develop an useful tool for forest plantation planning, in the last regional forest plan the entire regional area was analyzed and ecologically homogeneous areas have been identified to join and target arboriculture and/or forestation plantation activities, to choose tree and shrub species for different environments. The resulted tool was a map of ecologically homogeneous areas and a selection of species suitable for reforestation. After ten years of implementation and operative use it is useful to enhance those tools by completing the analysis with a specific study aimed to detail the correct use of indigenous species of trees and shrubs. In this work we examined the above described Regional Plan tools and considered the most recent studies on indigenous flora in order to develop a more detailed and locally suitable guide lines to use species both in reforestation and in restoration activities. This last topic is actually compulsory, because of the need of renaturalisation of conifers and eucalypts plantations, that is one of the main target of forestry in Sicily.

Over the last decades many areas have been reforested along Europe, with great proportion been made with exotic species. Very often these reforestations do not evolve in more diverse configurations, where some kind of management can be necessary to try to enhance this evolution. The hole is a silvicultural technique consisting in open small gaps to create favourable conditions for the establishment of other species changing the former structure, microclimate and competitive conditions mirroring this natural processes that occurs in structured and mature forests. The best size of the hole seems to be around 500 m², as small holes may not change significantly the conditions and larger holes seems to favour degradation processes like soil erosion and loss of organic layers. The afforestaion of the Santa Ninfa Natural Reserve (Trapani Province, W-Sicily) were made using essentially Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus camaldulensis. Particularly, this last specie occur in high density monospecific forest structure covering 19 ha (8% of the reserve), where practically no kind of management has been made until now and very few natural regenerations is observed. The aim of the study was to verify the effectiveness of the restoration actions combining the hole technique and planting native species with different management levels.