Il patrimonio bio-culturale alpino: un approccio geografico-storico al pascolo alberato di larici in Trentino (XVIII-XXI sec.)

Recently, the UNESCO has invited scholars to focus on the historical and environmental dynamics that resulted in the development of specific ecosystems and landscapes, defined as ‘bio-cultural heritage’. Following this wake, the paper deals with an historical approach to the alpine wooded pastures of larix decidua: grounding on the bibliography on the history and ecology of larch, two case studies of past and present larch forests in Trentino are explored using a geo-historical method that combines analysis of documentary sources and field observation. As a result, the larch woods appear to be the product of practices of use and management of pasture and forest resources, capable of providing various ecosystem services, and currently at risk of disappearance.