Workshop - The management of robinia and other invasive species

Land management is a topic of current interest: to operate properly on complex issues such as the vegetation teams along the waterways banks is a real challenge.

In fact, they perform important ecological functions such as the role of buffer zone, ecological corridor and stabilizing element for river banks, hosting local species within them, sometimes rare or subjected to protection, which often are interspersed with an alien species invasive behavior, creating a mix difficult to disentangle.

The meeting was organized at the end of the design phase and before the start of activities for the implementation of the planned measures, it has been addressed primarily to technicians and sector specialists, wanted to be a moment of discussion on the practical experiences, on problems encountered and opportunities related to the presence, containment and management of these vegetable essences, thus providing useful suggestions for the implementation of the LIFE RII Project.

After the greetings of the local authorities, represented by the Deputy Mayor and the Environment Councillor of Albinea Municipality, it was first exposed to presents an overall picture of the LIFE RII Project, the problems faced off and the strategies undertaken.

Then they were shown the interventions, in the final design, provided in the basins of Arianna, Bertolini, Bottazzo, Enzola, Lavezza and Quaresimo streambeds, rushing with torrential regime in localized areas at the boundary between the Apennines foothill and the Reggio Emilia plain, in highly urbanized and infrastructured context and in areas of high value for agriculture and fittings. It is, therefore, interventions that are of particular importance for the soil protection and to the regional economy.

Finally, the first part of the morning ended with a presentation summarizing the characteristics of the different invasive species along the banks of the rivers and on the techniques and strategies available to date, to ensure their proper management.

In the first case the team is made up of Robinia vegetation and native hardwoods. In particular, plants of Robinia appear all of the same size and age (about 30 - 40 years), in part already senescent. On this training, already structured, is expected to implement thinning very modest aim to promote the development of the finest woods.

The second situation is more complex, with almost exclusive presence of Robinia on the edge of the roof dammed section of Rio Enzola. In particular, certain specimens are locally compromising the brick walls that surround the stream here. These trees must necessarily be eliminated by carefully assessing the various methods of action. It is also to be kept in mind that in  this t side of the dammed section, the presence of Robinia can play an important role in the levee consolidation. The workshop participants were thus able to observe directly the two situations proposals, discussing direct "hands on" the possible operational strategies.

The workshop attracted over 40 appearances, distributed among public administration regional technicians, Freelancers and technicians of some institutions for waterways protection, as well as representatives of several environmental associations. To note also the presence of many college students.

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