Roots for future
Next to my bedroom was my brother’s room, a room in such a permanent state of chaos and disarray that out of sheer desperation, my mother stuck a sign on the door which read: “a child’s bedroom to be tidied up is a life to be built”... a famous quote by French author Daniel Pennac, which was supposed to encourage my brother to keep his room a little tidier, and thus maybe help him become a little more responsible.
Vaia was a terrible storm, a one-of-a-kind natural disaster that in just a few minutes spread chaos and fear through several Dolomite valleys, wrecking the landscape. It caused havoc wherever it went. To make matters worse, it happened in autumn, a season when night falls early, so that even the experts were initially unable to gauge just how severe the situation was. Wind, thumping noises, everything breaking – and then silence. Vaia shattered towns and brought destruction to vast swathes of forest, including the protected area of the Paneveggio Natural Park in Trentino. Following the initial despair, the calculation of the damage, and the reorganisation of resources, arose a desire and an imperative need to “put things right”.
With the smiles, strength and generosity of so many, we are working hard to restore the area, and above all to redevelop it, because the forest is a resource for everyone and a valuable ecosystem for the future. The collaboration between Dolomite 1897 and Trentino Tree Agreement has resulted in a wonderful project where we may get our hands dirty, but we do it from the heart. In selected zones, a planned assortment of trees is planted within fenced-off areas, creating a more varied forest to withstand extreme natural events. Stone pines, larches and spruce firs thus create a mix whose individual characteristics help to support each other. Numerous different trees together, each speaking a different language yet nonetheless able to communicate in order to look further afield, united and strong, towards the mountains and above the mountain villages.
As soon as we come into contact with nature, we must learn to find our bearings and train the eye: in this case, we have a broken and wounded area, which only the gentle pace of nature itself can revive. Although the initial impression may be the bitter taste of disaster, it can be transformed into a wonderfully sweet landscape, with faithful patience and cooperation.
It also has the scent that only the forest can offer throughout the seasons: leaves, pine needles, pinecones and mushrooms. And the sounds to be experienced, sitting in silence under a tree, listening to the forest: trunks creaking and knocking, branches stretching out and animals scampering. Not to mention taste, because you can really get a taste for planting trees – just ask the guys at Dolomite!
As well as clearing your head of everyday matters, it lets you dream big. Wondering if one day that little tree really will become as big and tall as the others. We dream, but our feet are firmly planted on the ground in the right shoes, as we look at this damaged slope among the roots, logs and soil. In the east, the Pale di San Martino mountain group emerges from the green pines, while further south is the deep purple volcanic rock of the Lagorai chain.
Digging a small hole, choosing a small sapling, gently positioning it, tamping down the soil first with the hands, and then with the feet. A simple gesture, but carried out with friends or colleagues, because as we know, a shared victory is double the joy. In the end, you can’t help but touch that small tree, and all you want is to wish it good luck and to enjoy the view without leaving the ground. Who knows what wonders await it. The hope is to come back and visit it when it has grown, and maybe give its roots a tickle.
Time has proved even my brother right. He has found order in his own daily chaos, and is a strapping young man, tall and strong like a tree, handsome and tousled with a head of curls. When he can, he gladly leaves the city and escapes to the woods, running happily through the trees, aiming for the peak, and trying to remember which animal he imagines he wanted to be as a child: a nimble deer, a sleepy marmot, or a sharp-eyed golden eagle. When we were young explorers, we turned everything into a game, and now as adults, even though our outlook has changed, a forest is still a playground for all ages, a huge asset for the community, and as such it is vital that we continue to take care of it each and every day.
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