From devastated forest to an art platform
Daniela Zambelli and Nicola Mattarolo of the Lassú Cooperative Society tell us how they planned to restart from a timber platform made of trees felled by the storm, providing a venue for events dealing with the “after-Vaia” (the name of the storm that in 2018 destroyed parts of the Dolomite forests); to reflect on the consequences of climate change; to strengthen community spirit; and to strengthen the local timber supply chain. “The passage of Vaia left a very deep wound in this territory, one that is still open”, explains Daniela, project coordinator and president of Coop Lassù. “The forest is slowly being reborn and, with Ri-Ambientiamoci. we wanted to involve local people and organisations in this process of rebirth. The platform’s 91 elements range from the first, which is lying and represents the felled trees, to the last, which is standing and symbolises the parts of the forest spared by the storm.”
Hikers among the old fir trees of the forest can see empty areas where trees have been felled, as well as grey patches: these are parts of the spruce forest that have been attacked by the bark beetle (Ips typographus), a tiny insect that in just a few weeks can cause the death of trees over twenty metres in height. This is certainly one of the consequences of the Vaia storm, as the insects found a perfect home in the felled logs; but it is also a result of unsustainable forest management. Bark beetles find fertile conditions in monocultures of spruce and trees of the same age; more mixed forests of uneven age, with numerous plant varieties, are actually more resilient and offer an abundance of biodiversity. Nature is inclined to restore its own balance, but it will take decades or even centuries to restore these plants again. Only by learning from the mistakes of the past can the damage be contained.
Sources and further information: https://auronzomisurina.it/ambiente/foresta-di-somadida/, www.instagram.com/p/C9U4BFUC-PR/, www.facebook.com/cooplassu/?locale=it_IT, www.ilgazzettino.it/nordest/belluno/vai_val_visdende_palco_schianti_concerto-6129643.html
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What: as part of the Ri-Ambientiamoci project, a platform made of timber from trees felled by the Vaia storm, where artists can perform and which is a place to start again.
Who: Società Cooperativa Lassù, a collective of professionals www.cooplassu.eu/
Where: the platform was established in the Val Visdende (Cadore, Veneto) against a backdrop of standing trees and of logs felled by the storm, still lying on the ground.
When: the project was implemented in the years following the Vaia storm in 2018. Other initiatives are still ongoing, such as the construction of an identical platform, made from timber affected by bark beetles, which can also be moved to other locations.
How: in collaboration with the forest managers (Regola [local council] at Dosoledo, Regola [local council] at Casada), Caaf Cgil Nordest [tax advisers], Flai Cgil [farmworkers’ union], Algudnei [Ladin cultural research group] and local sawmills.
Transferability: whenever you do not wish to passively submit to change but instead want to know its causes and be prepared to adapt to them.
Via Alpina Youth – walking the change
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