Reforestation in Italy

The "Parco della Cellulosa" Natural Monument, established by decree-law of the President of the Lazio Region in 2006, is a 90-hectare area that belonged to the Ente Nazionale per la Cellulosa e per la Carta (ENCC), founded in 1952 and now dissolved, a scientific body of great importance in the agricultural and forestry field, whose aim was to adopt measures to facilitate the production and use of national raw materials for cellulose. The Park, currently managed by CREA - Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria (Council for Agricultural Research and Analysis of the Agricultural Economy), is located in Rome's Municipality XIII, in the Casalotti district, and is an example of a peri-urban park although characterised by areas of considerable population density and still expanding. The park is a place much felt and experienced by the residents of the neighbourhood, who in 2005 created a Committee for the Protection and Safeguarding of the Parco della Cellulosa and obtained its establishment as a protected area, taking constant care of it.

The park needs reforestation and redevelopment of three different types:

1. creation of clearings and woodland edges
2. creation of groves or rows
3. creation of forests on larger areas

With the planting of 1,000 trees and shrubs, Fastweb's aim is to create a green lung within an urbanised environment, improving its usability and at the same time helping to increase the park's biodiversity.

Garbatella Park is located in the southern part of Rome and runs alongside Via Cristoforo Colombo. The park has a long and painful history. About 60 years ago, the area was occupied by a car showroom and it was used as storage for new cars and a layer of concrete was laid. The area was then practically abandoned, besides the temporary occupation of a few passing circuses. In order to make the ground under the main tent level, each circus had truckloads of gravel. The location near the Via Cristoforo Colombo made the area particularly appealing for building and commercial initiatives. Among the various projects that were conceived over time was a car park for visitors to the nearby Fiera di Roma, the construction of a shopping centre or government offices. These plans were opposed by local citizens, who fought for this vast piece of land to remain a public park. On the 11th of March 2011, Japan was devastated by a violent earthquake, followed by a terrible tsunami. It was therefore decided to dedicate the garden to the victims of this tragic event.

By planting of 1,000 trees and shrubs, Fastweb's goal is to create a green lung in an urban context, improving its usability whilst helping to increase the park's biodiversity. Species used: hazel, hackberry, holm oak, downy oak, hawthorn and viburnum.

The area where the forestation work will be carried out is located within the ASI Urban Park (Consortium for the Industrial Development Area of Bari-Modugno and Molfetta), in the industrial area between Bari and Modugno.

The Consortium, created in 1960, involved in its activities, from the very beginning, public entities such as the Provincial Administration, the Municipalities and the Chamber of Commerce of Bari, and as a private entity, the Confindustria Bari-BAT, with the objective of meeting the demands of large manufacturing companies. Therefore, it has been consistently working on the implementation of infrastructure works in the area, becoming an industrial hub with an unprecedented business appeal for its service network and for the consequent external economies. Today, the Consortium area covers about 2,000 hectares and has a network of roads and primary infrastructures; however, it is lacking in green areas which provide protection for the soil, reducing CO₂ emissions and improving the psycho-physical well-being of workers in the area.

Fastweb will therefore contribute to the greening of the area by planting 1,000 trees with the main purpose of increasing the green area, mitigating the effects of heat islands and consolidating the soil thus reducing the risk of erosion caused by rain.

Palese - Macchie is a district in Bari, belonging to Municipality 5. Palese’s urban development has always been rather bumpy. The oldest surviving buildings date back to the last decades of the 19th century and the first three decades of the 20th century. With increasing economic development after World War II, the neighbourhood’s appearance changed. Trulli and haystacks were gradually replaced by blocks of flats and buildings between Modugno and Capitaneo streets (the centre of Palese). This accelerated until the area was almost completely saturated by the end of the 1990s. Having long lost its purely rural vocation, Palese has been the at the centre of a growing increase in the population over the last thirty years and it has become a predominantly residential area. The demand for construction has increased and so the property values, jeopardising Bari's traditional characteristic as a green lung and rural suburb. Amongst other things, it is one of the few districts in Bari where no green areas or public parks were provided in the 1952 Regulatory Plan.

By planting of 1,000 trees and shrubs, Fastweb's goal is to reactivate the process of filling the Apulian capital with greenery. Species used: flowering ash, ash, mastic, myrtle, broom.