The VITERBO DECLARATION on “Safeguarding functional beech forest ecosystems”
Researchers emphasize the need of implementing scientific knowledge on the complex structure and dynamics of old-growth beech forests worlwide to inspire new models of sustainable management, able to maximize forest contribution to global biogeochemical cycles and maintain their resilience to changing environmental conditions.
The irreplaceability of old-growth beech forests is contingent to their complexity and historical integrity, which make them a unique natural heritage. There is therefore an urgent need for the cessation of logging in old-growth forests, and for legislative powers to safeguard all remaining areas of old-growth ecosystems, and restore them across the landscapes.
An output of the 11th International IUFRO Beech Symposium “Natural and Managed Beech Forests as Reference Ecosystems for the Sustainable Management of Forest Resources and the Conservation of Biodiversity” (18-21 September 2018, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy) attended by 80 scientists from European Union, Switzerland, Turkey, Iran, Japan, USA and Canada.
The complete document has been published on IUFRO Group 1.01.07 webpage
The 11th International Beech Symposium (18-21 September 2018, Viterbo, Italy): Natural and Managed Beech Forests as Reference Ecosystems for the Sustainable Management of Forest Resources and the Conservation of Biodiversity
About 80 scientists from 15 European countries, Turkey, Iran, Japan, Canada and USA joined the conference organized by the IUFRO Group 1.01.07 “Beech Ecology and silviculture” at the University of Tuscia, Viterbo (Italy) to present their research on beech biology and response to environmental factors, beech forest structure and dynamics, beech forest management, biodiversity and its conservation in beech forests. ITALIANO
Three invited keynote lectures (Neil Pederson from Harvard University, USA; Hanns Knapp from University of Greifswald, DE; Jacob Heilmann-Clausen, University of Copenhagen, DK) were accompanied by 43 oral presentations – among which 5 were selected as special talks with extra time – and 32 posters.
At the end of the second day, one hour was dedicated to an open round table discussion moderated da Pierre Ibish (University of Eberswalde, DE) and involving all invited speakers and sessions’ chairmen, focused on future priorities in beech forest research. On the last day, the participants visited the Monte Cimino UNESCO beech forest.
A group of participants remained for a 4-day post-conference fieldtrip to visit the UNESCO beech forests in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, hosting the oldest European beech trees, and the Gargano National Park, with highly diverse refugial mixed beech forests.
The post-conference fieldtrip activities were reported on several newspapers and web media.
A National Geographic Research Project to explore the canopies of the oldest Angiosperms in Europe and enhance their conservation
My Explorer profile published on the National Geographic website alongside with the outline of my research on the conservation of old trees in UNESCO beech forests of Europe
Climbing European Oldest Trees 