Effetti dell’attività mineraria sul paesaggio forestale del vallone del torrente Chalamy nel Parco Naturale Mont Avic

Land use change is one of the main drivers of forest landscape dynamics. Temperate mountain forests are facing a synergic effect of climate change and land abandonment that is hard to disentangle. Chalamy valley in the Mont Avic Natural Park (Aosta Valley) is characterized by steep slopes and a complex lithology that disadvantaged pastures and common forest utilizations in favor of intense mining activities until XX century. We combined different ecological samplings and analytical tools to assess the role of land use legacies – particularly mining legacies – on the current forest structure and composition. Our results suggest a role of land use legacies on the forest composition, where European larch is more abundant on abandoned meadows and pastures, due to biological legacies. Mountain pine, the main forest species of the park, was probably favored by the lithology and the continuative clearcut treatment for charcoal production and dominates the valley, especially in the lower forest layers. Relic charcoal hearths show a time-lag of 50 years from the abandonment to tree recolonization and a higher herbaceous cover, probably due to light availability and biochar concentration in the understory. The integration of land cover maps, remote sensing and field surveys allows a comprehensive historical investigation of forest landscape dynamics, highlighting key factors for conservation and management.