Flora and Fauna

THE DOMINANT NOTE OF THE TARVISIO FOREST LANDSCAPE

OUR FORESTS

For the most part, these are mixed consortia of spruce and beech, with variations to white spruce; larch, lodgepole pine, and Austrian black pine as the extreme eastern Italian offshoots are widespread in the less developed soils.
These are formations of high naturalness that in composition, structure and density are reminiscent of the original forests of the Alps.

Above 1700 m a.s.l., forest formations give way to shrublands with mountain pine, rhododendron and other minor species, followed by polyphytic alpine meadows, and higher up, increasingly prohibitive environmental conditions lead to more sporadic rock vegetation (edelweiss, raponzolo, etc.).

There are many endemic species of alpine flora that enrich Val Canale, the most important among them being Zoys bellflower at the highest elevations on limestone rock and Wulfenia carinthiaca that flourishes in the Carnic sector of the forest.

the varied flora of gemonese area

In the Gemona region, the Holm oak (Quercus ilex) is widespread despite being a typical Mediterranean shrub species. Here, warm interglacial periods have favoured its northward expansion. Mount San Simeone is the northernmost point in the distribution of the Holm oak in Europe.

Surrounded by the waters of the Fella and Tagliamento rivers and Lake Cavazzo, Mount San Simeone remains isolated from its surroundings, creating an ideal radiation for the holm oak forests. The holm oak is particularly present on the south-eastern slope, we also find it on the rocky slopes of Mount Brancot and near Cornino.

In addition to the holm oak in these areas, we find the Dittamo (or Frassinella), a rare medicinal plant with a lemon scent, and the Scotano (Cotinus coggygria), which is typical of the Karst.

A HERITAGE OF IMMENSE VALUE

THE FAUNA OF THE TARVISIAN

Valcanale is home to many animals typical of the alpine environment, including species that have almost disappeared elsewhere. Good conservation of the environment itself and proper management of the wildlife stock are the main reasons for this favorable situation. Excluding the valley floor area, the environment is undisturbed and basically intact. Moreover, hunting activity is prohibited or exercised in certain cases, in a regulated manner and only in small portions of the forest. The fauna of the Tarvisian, besides some of its representatives of undeniable spectacular value, stands out for its general characters determined partly by its very origin, partly by the unique alpine environment and finally by the events of human colonization. All the major ungulate species such as roe deer, chamois, deer and ibex are present in the Tarvisian.

FAUNA of GEMONESE area

The distribution of various animal species is favoured by the extreme variability of the landscape that characterises the area.

All the Alpine ungulates are present: roe deer, red deer, chamois, ibex and wild boar; as well as other important mammals including the wild cat, various species of mustelids, rodents and insectivores.

In recent years, the presence of brown bears and lynxes has been repeatedly confirmed by numerous reports of tracks and sightings in the area. Amphibians, reptiles and insects are also well represented.

Among the avifauna, 100 species have been counted, including several birds of prey (eagle owls, tawny owls, tawny owls, golden eagles, goshawks, buzzards, griffon vultures), all the tetraonidae of the Alps (capercaillie, black grouse, ptarmigan, hazel grouse) and various species of corvids, picids and passerines.

The rock partridge, symbol of the Julian Pre-Alps Nature Park, is well distributed, favoured by the numerous suitable habitats on the southern slopes of the mountains.

Likewise the griffon vulture, reintroduced in the 1980s with the ‘griffon vulture project’ within the Cornino Lake Regional Nature Reserve. This project led to the creation of a nesting colony with a minimum of 200 presences in winter and a maximum of 300-400 in summer.