Updates from the Val di Mello Nature Reserve | September 2024

In the Val di Mello Nature Reserve, the trees are growing healthy and are already visibly taller than last year, and the results are promising. The protective measures put in place, such as closures and shelters that have safeguarded the seedlings from animals such as hares, deer and roe deer, which could eat or damage the seedlings, have proved particularly useful.

The project does not stop at reforestation alone: other land maintenance and management activities are also in place. One example is the containment of the Budleja, an invasive species that has colonised part of the stream banks. The autumn will see new interventions, in particular the thinning of some spruce forests in the lower part of the valley. These forests, which have reached a stage of maturity, are in need of renewal to encourage the growth of new trees and improve local biodiversity. Thinning is a management practice that, if done correctly, allows the forest to regenerate, creating space for the growth of young plants and increasing the ecosystem’s overall resistance to adverse natural events.