Introduction

Ladymarian is one of the subprojects co-financed by the Liguria Region and by the European Commission of the Interreg III C South Program of the Robinwood Project.

Objectives and target audience

The project has the objective of searching the possible specific aspects of the wood energy weaving factory in the Apennine area.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

The project is co-financed by the Liguria Region and by the European Commission.

The partnership is composed of the following:-
•    Mountain Community Stura and Orba Valleys- Campo Ligure – GE
•    Mountain Community Alta Val Polcevera – Ceranesi –GE
•    Mountain Community Argentea -Arenzano –GE
•    Mountain Community of Giovo – Savona
•    Park of Beigua
•    Municipality of Genoa
•    Province of Genoa
•    OZ Pre edukáciu Sabinova C.A.PES Sabinovgen. Svobodu 4 SK – SLO.
•    University of Wales Bangor -School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences – Bangor Wales – UK
•    BRE Wales – ECM2 Port Talbot – Wales – UK

Process

Action 1: Mountain Community Stura and Orba Valleys

The Action 1 coordinated the activities of the subproject. In the development of wood weaving factories came out the importance of the management aspect regarding the coordination among the different activities and criticalities of the territory.
The development of an activity which acts on the territorial components earth-vegetation-water-air has to consider the various aspects of the impact of the action and the consequences in the long period which remain as maintenance requirements of the territory.
The simple statement became in the Apennine mountain territories awkward question of balance among the productive needs and those of profitability of investments and the needs of safeguard of environmental and local socio-economic components.
With regards to this aspect, the Ladymarian project developed single actions upon the theme of which knowledge would enable to improve the approach to the entire system of energetic wood weaving factories that are being developed within the region.

Action 2: Mountain Community Valli Stura e Orba. GIS

Action 2 had the objective of developing a  hydro geological simulation model which was able to integrate the planning, management and monitoring of the wood works and to compare the instruments of consolidated and innovative planning (Plans of cuts) through a dedicated GIS system.
The GIS system had to obtain information about the susceptibility to the upheaval of the sides subjected to wood uses and to simulate the hydrogeological impact of the cuts previsions of various instruments of wood planning, including the Plan of Cuts, a innovative planning document for Liguria, which was adopted up until now only by the Mountain Community of Stura and Orba Valleis within the limits of competence.
The territory of research chosen was the left bank of the low basin of Ponzema, in the Municipality of Campo Ligure (GE).
The country surveys for the collection of territorial data started, the archive of the Mountain Community was consulted to collect information and bibliographic data, the vector digitalizing of the perimeters cadastral parcels, of the wood cuts, of the brooks, the works of hydraulic and wood arrangement.
All collected alphanumeric datasets were enclosed in the databank of the SIBE (Information System Wood-Energy of the Stura and Orba Valleys) and maps of the susceptibility to the upheaval of the sides and of the index of hydrogeological risk were drawn.

Action 3: Municipalità of Genoa. GIS.

Action 3 consisted of the organisation of a work table among partners with regards to the criticalities of the implementation GIS according to the laws and the effectiveness of the wood-energy weaving factory. The objective of the work table was to analyse the situation according to the predisposition of the GIS instruments by the territorial and not the authorities that acted on the territories of the Province of Genoa, the evaluation of compatibility and interchangeability of the data among various systems, the simulation of alternative scenarios of management in the long period of the wood-energy weaving factories in the Apennine and the propose of inherent norms that the earlier communication of cut (for the preventive valuation of the impacts and the redaction of the Plans of the CUTS).  In addition, research about the obligations of law and planning kind which interacted with the wood weaving factories was planned.

Action 4: Mountain Community of Giovo. Guiding lines for the application of good practices of realisation of wood practicability

This activity is related to the analysis of the problems with regards to the coordination among punctual urban and landscape norms and operative exigencies, for the wood practicability in the energy-wood weaving factories. This activity has the objective of starting a path of homogenisation of the various punctual norms to adequate them to the peculiarity of wood management with the condition of the respect of the criterion of the wood sustainable condition GFS.

Action 5: Wood association of Woods of Stura’s and Orba’s Valleis certificated and the valorisation of the manufactures

Action 5 had the objective of the valorisation of the manufactures realised with the wood of the Ligurian Apennine. In particular, it developed a scheme for the valorisation of the manifactures made of wood which comes from the woods managed according to the standards of the Sustainable Wood Management. The activity had the objective of promotion of green purchases by the public authorities (GPP Green Public Procurement) which consider positively during the offer, the characteristic of sustainability of the cycles of production.
The ecological mark of a wooden manufacture is linked to the sustainability of the wood management, of the works, of the transportations. This activity is developed with the collaboration of the Wood Association Stura’s and Orba’s valleis.

Action 6: Mountain Community of Stura’a and Orba’s Valleys. New propositions for the recognition of the value of the wood.

With the adhesion to the Kyoto Protocol and to the Marrakesh Accords Italy committed itself to calculate the balance among the emission and the absorption of carbon produced not only by the new plantations but also by the wood management of the pastures, of the agricultural lands. The legislative course which conduce to the creation of the National Registry of the Tanks of Carbon and to a full work of it are underway. Moreover, there are the volunteer canals of adhesion to initiatives for the neutralisation of the emission, where quotas of carbon confiscated from activities of reforestation are evaluated.
The action has the task of valuating the opportunities of the organisation of the wood owners for the actuation of the national norms, considering that the difficulties of adhesion of a single little owner, in the landed situation of the Apennine, could be neutralize in reality the potentiality of the system of recognition.

Action 7: Mountain Community Alta Val Polcevera. Heating plants of biomass

Action 7 planned the redaction of a scheme of technical and financial support for the correct spread of little heating plants of biomass (public buildings), (users monofamiliar, little block of flats, greenhouses etc.) in connection with local wood resources. In the prevision of development of heating plants stoked by wood chips appears always more that the reference to the small weaving factory cannot be renounced. The local origin of the wood is the necessary condition to assure a positive repercussion on the management of the wood and on the maintenance of the territory. The applicability of a system of heating sale is valuated through the location of the plant with respect of a multiyear contract of heating transfer.

Action 8: Mountain Community Argentea. Subaction a): Ideological model. Subaction b): Compost of quality.

Action 8 was organised in two subactions. The subaction a) had as objective the elaboration of a hydrological model for the valutation of the discharge in the sides with a ophiolitic geological substratum. The subaction b) intended to valuate the use of the compost of quality, added with ashes of virgin wood coming from the heating plants of biomass, for the action of environmental reactivation and recovery in the areas crossed by a fire. For the subaction b), it was completed the redaction of the executive planning for the realisation of four experimental parcels for the valuation of different applicative ways of the compost of quality in burned area or in those subjected to a strong erosion, individuated in the Case Vaccà place, in the Municipality of Arenzano (Ge), in the Regional Wood LERONE.
The modalities of effectuation of the periodical operations of monitoring were arranged, they intend both qualitative observations, and experimental measurements of the solid transport of hydrometeoric waters, intercepted by canals of captation and fed in basin of sedimentation.
The use of ashes coming from the heating powers is a very interesting theme in expectation of the realisation of new powers in the region.

Action 9: Mountain Community of Giovo – Plants.

The Action 9 had the objective of awaking the operators of the sectors of the installation of kind of heating powers able to introduce themselves in the energy-wood weaving factory activated at the local level.
The action was actuated through public initiatives for the plant engineers’ technical-professional update, the presentation of ongoing experiences, the exposition of socio-economic valuation, of machineries and equipments.
With this task the show ENER WOOD EXPO – Biomass, a sustainable resource for the Ligurian hinterland” was organised, in which the following seminars and conventions were planned:
• Installation of modern boilers with wooden fuels (seminars).
• sale of heat for the agricultural-wood operator (seminars).
• Wood-energy: the activation of the weaving factory (convention).

Action 10: Regional Natural Park of Beigua. Conservation of the germplasm

The Action 10 had the objective of development of a pilot project for the creation of a operative model which allowed the identification of ecotype of Mediterranean shrubs which could be used in the operations of renaturalisation and reconstruction of the vegetal cover, the mapping of origins on papery and digital base (GIS system), the collection of the material of propagation and following characterisation, the conservation of germplasm through the collection of mother plants “ex-situ” and the preservation “in-situ”. During the activities the “Operative Protocol for the individuation of the areas of collection of seeds and the following sample of seeds” was redacted, with a Form of campaign for the identification of a single area.
The territory of research chosen was the Regional Wood Lerone and the public properties of the municipality of Arenzano (Ge).
It was individuated a first quota of 40 settlements of target species (firstly alterno, mountain sorb, arbutus, holly, hawthorn and blackthorn) potentially idoneous to the supply of the seed. Each settlement was mapped in cartography and the related form of campaign which include the ecological characteristics pf areas and settlements and the aptitude to the supplement of the seed.
The picked up seeds were submitted to quali-quantitative evaluation in laboratory and they were predisposed for the preservation until the moment of their future sowing in nursery.
The recognized areas fitted, both in the Beigua Park, and in the ZPS “Beigua-Turchino,” a special protection zone. The target species, object of the sampling, are very important and represent a trophic resource for the protected species of birds in this area. The conservation and the future use of the germplasm of this shurbs represent an important conservation measure also for the different species of birds from which derives their nourishment.

Action 11: Province of Genoa. Link with “Agenda 21”

The Action 11 had the objective of increase the value and of spreading with an operating plan the results of the project on the Province territory and the coordination with other initiatives (like the actions of the ”Piano Azione Locale” of “Agenda 21” of the Genoa’s Province) with the organisation of exchange meetings of experiences with the subjects interested to the wood weaving factory.
Part of the activities was already done with the instruments of “Agenda 21” and the expected action result was the contribution to the definition of an Integrated Provincial System. The System had the objective of putting in permanent way the actors of the wood weaving factory on net, and of promotion of initiatives based on good practices.

Results

The results of the project were:

•    Realisation of a model of simulation hydrogeological;
•    Definition of a scheme of technical and financial support of small system of biomass;
•    Start of a pilot project for the promotion of wood in the manufacturing;
•    Redaction of a study about the membership of wood owners;
•    Promotion of the use of the compost of quality obtained of virgin ash of wood
•    Individuation of treatments to improve the duration of wood productions.

Critical Success Factors / Challenges