A Sanctuary of Trees

ONE THIRD OF ITALY NOW COVERED BY FORESTS

According to a recent report released by PEFC Italy, in collaboration with several environmental and regional organisations, trees have been doing their own travelling and for the first time since the Middle Ages, forests now cover more than one-third of Italy's land, surpassing 100,000 square kilometres!

The report, 'Foreste in Comune or Forests in Municipalities' released earlier this month (June 2026) reveals how forests have overtaken agricultural land in total areas, since 2020. Largely driven by nature itself, this is an example of ecosystems regenerating on their own as trees have naturally reclaimed the landscape in regions where some farmland and pastures had been abandoned as people moved into towns.

As well as providing important habit for countless species of plants and animals, this expansion has important environmental benefits from the absorption of carbon dioxide to the regulation of water supplies, the protection of soils from erosion to the reduction in the risk of landslides. The wooded areas now also create opportunities for sustainable forestry, eco-tourism, and outdoor recreation, whilst improving air quality for nearby communities.

The report combined forest mapping with social and economic indicators to understand not just where forests exist, but what they mean for communities and how demographics, economics and environmental outcomes are increasingly connected. They have also discovered that some highly forested municipalities where people had been drifting away over the decades, are beginning to attract new residents attracted to the way of life and 'green benefits'.

In terms of 'Nature Capital', one area highlighted in the research is Marcetelli in central Italy, which although it only has a tiny population, is estimated to generate ecosystem benefits valued at approximately €8 million annually through carbon storage, air purification, water regulation and soil protection.

There is a famous Italian phrase "Il dolce far niente," which literally means "The sweetness of doing nothing." In this instance as the land has lacked human intervention, we're reminded of the wonder of nature's extraordinary ability to recover when given half a chance.