Context

Historical pine tree forest planted in the second half of fhe 19th century by the last grand Duke of Tuscany, bordering with a touristic urban area developed in the 1960s by the sea.

In summer 2012 a wildfire destroyed the entire pine tree forest, as the fire brigade focused on saving the urban areas full of tourists.

What the owner needed help with

Pine nuts of Pinus Pinea were planted straight away by the owner but the trees needed help to emerge from the undergrowth competition.

What we did

Our project consisted in helping the biodiversity thrive and give more space to the pine trees so they could emerge.

In order to allow young trees to have access to more light and space , we selectively mowed the undergrowth under the pine trees shoots during two consecutive winters, as such operation is not possible in summer due to fire risks.

We also strategically placed beehives to naturally enhance pollination capabilities which contributed to triggering significant natural regeneration.

The wet weather conditions during winter 2022-2023 helped further growth. 

Our objective was to have about 2,000 shrubs per ha but at that point we had about 20,000 and a lot of biodiversity so additional planting was not necessary to complement the natural regeneration which exceeded expectations.

When did the project take place

Winter 2021/2022 and 2022/2023

Size of the project 

52ha of naturally assisted regeneration.