Woods of Piazza Armerina (ITA060012)
Site type : SCI – Special Area of Conservation
Code : ITA060012 – Hectares : 4610
Description:
The site, extended for 4431.00 Ha, falls within the territories of the municipalities of Enna, Piazza Armerina and Aidone. The soils are sandy with acid reaction. They originated for
washout of arenaceous substrates. In the valley bottoms muddy silty soils form. The climate of the area is lower sub-humid Mesomediterranean, according to the criterion
by Rivas Martinez adapted to Sicily by Brullo & al. (1996) The site, hosting old artificial plants of Eucaliptus sp. pl., shows an accentuated tendency to
reconstitution of natural vegetation. It is observed: 1) The extremely widespread presence of deciduous oak woods (mainly Quercus virgiliana Ten. And Q.
amplifolia Guss., but with significant presence of Q. ilex L.) (code 9340). This means that the vegetation after about 100 years of absence of disturbance is in one
phase of clear reconquest of the characteristic balances of the local climax. In fact, it is observed that these oak woods are made up of peoples of the same age, with all individuals
very young (there are no age pyramids). One of the purposes that the institution of SIC should pursue could consist in safeguarding these processes
developmental and if anything in the implementation of appropriate management strategies aimed at accelerating them. 2) The presence in the less shaded areas of Associations of
sandy soils afferent both to Thero-Brachipodietea (highly widespread species Stipa capensis - code 6220), and to Cisto-Micromerietea (code 5420) (see for
example the significant presence of Thymo-Helichrysetum stoechadis Barbagallo 1983) therefore characterizes the site as potentially having a high
degree of naturalness. 3) The presence of relatively humid parts (of considerable naturalistic interest is the source of Monte Furma La Cara) where
species of the Paspalo-Agrostidion, with tracts of arboreal vegetation in Salici and Olmi. The presence of Cornus is very significant at the source Furma La Cara
sanguinea, a very rare shrub species in Sicily, as well as the presence of Trigonella esculenta Willd. and Lathyrus pratensis L., one herbaceous species rare and mountain
the other that evidently find a suitable niche here. It is probable that the Cucubalus baccifer L. lives in these niches, which in the last hundred years it has not
state more collected. 4) Finally, in the very open parts there is occasionally the Chamaeropeto and Ampelodesmeto (code 5330).
4.2Quality and importance
The species indicated in Chapter 3.2. g. PLANTS listed in Annex II of Directive 92/43 / EEC under the name of Stipa austroitalica of the previous compilation
of the form is not present on the site in any of the publications that have appeared so far at the date of the current compilation, nor has it been found by the current
compiler. In its place there is another species of the genus Stipa and precisely Stipa gussonei Moraldo. The Stipa austroitalica based on the data so far
published is present only in Northern Sicily and exactly in Palermo and in Montalbano Elicona. However, this does not reduce the naturalistic importance
of the Site, given - this - by numerous rare and / or endemic species, and by the ongoing reconstitution processes of deciduous oak forests (Quercus amplifolia, Q.
Virgilian, etc.).
Source: Ministry of the Environment Natura 2000 form
Ministerial data: Natura 2000 Form
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Photo: web
Informational contributions : Ignazio Caloggero, Sicily Region