On the evening of Saturday 17 December 2022, the founding members and candidates of the Valle Aterno Model Forest Candidate (FMVA), met to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the International Model Forest Network (IMFN), ratify the registrations of FMVA members, collect ideas and present three projects in the area.
The Valle dell'Aterno Association (Abruzzo, Italy) was born and applied for Model Forest in 2021. The Association brings together private citizens, the administrations of fifteen municipalities, farms and zootechnical companies, artisans, tour operators, associations and organizations of research: in short, the active and dynamic components of the territory. The group is establishing itself as a roundtable for identifying realistic actions for the sustainability and revitalization of the mountain area.
In this venue, where about 70 members have gathered, the "recruitment" of the members of four work commissions was launched which, from January, will be operational: forests and landscape, agriculture, culture and associations, tourism.
After a dutiful reference to the 30° anniversary of the International Model Forest Network and to the many stages of its evolution over the years, three projects were presented to those present that see FMVA at the forefront:
- The forest planning project and start-up of the FMVA, financed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry;
- A project on the relationship between different forest management methods and wild truffle productivity, in collaboration with the University of L'Aquila;
- A final project on the certification of carbon credits from biochar, promoted by the start-up "Aichi objective 20", a member of FMVA.
Thanks to the funding of these projects, the association was able to set up a professional secretariat. Instead, thanks to the contribution of IMFN and MMFN, the Association was able to offer all those gathered an excellent dinner with the products of the farmers of the Aterno Valley, members of FMVA, accompanied by popular music and the gift to all of association pin.