National Academy of Agriculture and the Bolognese Entity for Protected Areas and Biodiversity united for the protection of one of the most important chestnut heritages in the Emilia-Romagna Region.
The Monte Sole Regional Historical Park is a protected area established in 1989 in the municipalities of Marzabotto, Monzuno, and Grizzana Morandi. It extends almost entirely into the area of the Monte Sole massacre of 1944, and has the dual purpose of protecting its rich environmental biodiversity (with over 900 plant species and varied fauna) and preserving the historical memory of the war events, promoting a culture of peace.
The Bolognese Entity for Protected Areas and Biodiversity and the National Academy of Agriculture have signed a collaboration agreement aimed at the recovery and valorization of abandoned chestnut orchards in the Historical Park of Monte Sole. This involves several hundred hectares of private property, mostly of small and very small size, in a state of maintenance and management neglect and which, as such, are a source of degradation and increased risk of plant disease spread and forest fires, especially in the face of changing climate conditions—namely, prolonged periods of drought and temperatures ordinarily higher than seasonal averages. The goal is to create the technical and operational conditions for the restoration of active management of the chestnut orchards that is economically and environmentally sustainable and which, in doing so, can contribute to preserving intact an important habitat for forest biodiversity and for local history and culture.
The agreement entrusts the National Academy of Agriculture with the task of analyzing, also through the use of satellite images, the health status of the chestnut orchards, the suitability of the areas, and the fruit and timber cultivars. Once the analysis phase is completed, the Bolognese Entity for Protected Areas and Biodiversity, supported by the Academy's experts, will take action toward willing owners to promote the technically most appropriate silvicultural renewal actions and related feasibility plans, also in light of the active public aid in the sector. The Bolognese Entity for Protected Areas and Biodiversity finances the project with resources made available to the Bolognese regional parks by the recent agreement between the Entity itself and the Fondazione del Monte di Bologna e Ravenna.
