A little history – The forest where the sea used to be
The Tombolo Forest extends from the village of San Piero a Grado to the coast, in an area once occupied by the sea. The name San Piero a Grado derives from Gradus Arnensis, the river port of the ancient Pisan port in Roman times. Tombolo takes its name from the dune system parallel to the coast where the accumulation of sand and silt, called tomboli, was alternated with deposits of brackish water, called lame. This marshy area, on the border between the sea, land and the mouth of the Arno River, was reclaimed in the Medici era and subsequently in the 1700s and early last century. Between the two world wars, a draining network of channels was dug along the larger lame, connected to water-pumping plants which still ensure the continuous drainage and removal of surface waters. The current forest belongs to Pisa University, and covers an area of about 700 hectares within the protected natural area of Parco di Migliarino – San Rossore – Massaciuccoli (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2004) and represents the southern area of the Foresta del Parco (about 900 hectares), once called Selva Palatina
Naturalistic aspects: soil, topsoil, flora and fauna
The forest is made up of several plant associations formed by ecological succession, in different soil conditions and following the alternation of the dune formations with a course parallel to the coast: xerophilous species (holm oak) in the tomboli, and mesophilic and hygrophilous species (ash and poplar) in the lame. Parallel to and mixed with these formations, there are pine forests of stone pine, planted by humans. The first plants date back to the Medici era and follow the path of hydraulic reclamation
The environmental and social value
The Tombolo Forest represents an invaluable reservoir of animal, vegetable and microbial biodiversity. In fact, there are:
- 587 species of vascular plants including the cork oak, characteristic of the Tombolo wood, and the Periploca graeca, rare liana of the tropical type, a relic of the Tertiary era
- 1400 species of invertebrates, including 15 species of dragonflies and 21 species of Scarabaeoidea coprophage beetles
- 90 species of nesting birds and 105 of wintering birds
- 14 out of Italy’s 34 species of bats
Trees and the environment, the importance of the peri-urban forest
The Tombolo Forest, like other woodland, plays an important role in mitigating the microclimate. It functions as a “green lung” for the nearby cities of Pisa and Livorno, and helps to contain their ecological footprint and greenhouse gas emissions. It also plays an important role in improving people’s quality of life, thanks to the creation of spaces for socializing, leisure, and physical activities
Humans and the forest: forest management
The plain of Tombolo was shaped by human activity. The forest of stone pine (Pinus pinea) is maintained both for its impact on the landscape and its historical and economic importance: this area is in fact traditionally linked to the production of pine nuts. The mixed forests of conifers and broad-leaved trees are managed with silvicultural criteria to support the natural evolution: from coppice to mesophilous broad-leaved forest