SESSION 3

SILVICULTURE, SOIL CONSERVATION, WATER RESOURCES, DESERTIFICATION
(Coordinators: Francesco Iovino, Marco Marchetti)

Forest activities, if oriented towards avoiding wrong management of natural resources especially in highly vulnerable lands, play a central role in soil conservation. Today the role of forests on soil conservation must be considered within the wider framework of sustainable forest management. This should be aimed at increasing the forest’s role in controlling floods, enhancing soil water availability, preserving water quality, contrasting soil degradation and erosion.  

Integrated management of water resources, disaster mitigation, actions against desertification are very important issues in the national and international debates, as recently underlined during the fifth MCPFE meeting, held on 5-7 November 2007 in Warsaw. Resolution 2 on “water and forests” highlights the need for a better policy coordination in the field of forest and water resources both at the local and international level, because forests not only afford protection from floods and soil erosion, but also provide for clean drinkable water.

The Italian National program on drought and desertification considers the following forest measures as central for soil protection: sustainable forest management, increasing the total forest area, fire prevention and control.

Moving from this point and taking into account the long tradition of the forestry sector in soil conservation, this session is divided into three themes which deal with forest soil processes, water resource management and desertification.

 

Themes

1. Soil conservation

Forest influence on water floods and soil erosion control

Forest activity, water balance and soil erosion

Forest role in floods mitigation

2. Water resources

Forest and water cycle

Forest management and water resources

Role of silviculture in mountain catchment basins

Role of silviculture in river settlement

3. Desertification

Risk areas and forest canopies

Deforestation and desertification

Role of silviculture in desertification fight