Italian forests are advancing as a result of the abandonment of rural and mountain areas, but they are increasingly fragile, unprotected and threatened by a strong resurgence of extreme events. This is the photograph taken from the new Legambiente report, entitled 'The Bioeconomy of Forests 2026', presented in Rome during the IX Forest Forum. The report highlights four major emergencies that are affecting the national forest heritage: the surge in fires, the advance of the climate crisis together with alien species, the serious delays in prevention and a chronic dependence on foreign timber. This is a paradox for a country in which the green surface has reached 11 million hectares, covering almost 37% of the national territory and feeding a supply chain that invoices over 52 billion euros a year.
The fire emergency: 183 thousand football pitches destroyed
The most alarming data concerns the fires. According to calculations based on European EFFIS/Copernicus data, 2,223 fires broke out on the Peninsula between 1 January and 15 October 2026, with an increase of 20.5% compared to last year. The flames have engulfed 130,858 hectares of territory, the equivalent of over 183 thousand football fields. The protected heart of Italy suffered the greatest damage: almost 29% of the burned areas fall within the territories of the Natura 2000 network, a figure which has increased by 12 thousand hectares compared to 2025. At a territorial level, Southern Italy remains the most affected area, with Sicily in the lead (71,178 hectares destroyed), followed by Calabria and Puglia. In the North there is a critical situation in Piedmont, while the province of Bolzano is the only Italian territory that has remained completely free from the fires. The seriousness of the phenomenon is evident in another figure: the forest area burned every year far exceeds that authorized for commercial cutting.
Slow prevention and the unknown of alien species
The increase in damage is directly linked to the delays accumulated in the prevention and care of the forests. In Italy, forest planning affects just 21% of the total wooded area, while planned sustainable management is stuck at 11%. Delays in land maintenance leave forests defenseless not only against flames and prolonged drought, but also against biological threats linked to climate change. Among these, the invasion of the pine tortoiseshell scale insect, a parasite of Asian origin that is causing the death of entire pine forests along the Mediterranean strip.
The paradox of wood imported from abroad
Another critical point highlighted by Legambiente concerns the lack of sustainable exploitation of internal resources. Despite the growth of forests, Italy continues to import 80% of the wood necessary for its industrial needs from abroad. This strong imbalance exposes the country to strong geopolitical vulnerabilities in the event of sanctions or international trade blocks. In our country, just over a third of the annual forest increase is taken, leaving large portions of territory without any management or economic valorisation of the short 'Made in Italy' supply chain.
The plan for 2030 and the change requested from the government
To reverse this trend, Legambiente has presented a package of proposals addressed to the government, calling for a paradigm shift by 2030. The main objectives include achieving planning for at least 50% of forest surfaces, certifying a quarter of forests and cutting 30% of wood imports from abroad. The association proposes to focus on active prevention based on advanced satellite monitoring, on the maintenance of border territories between urban and rural areas, and on the use of prescribed fire. Stefano Ciafani, national president of Legambiente, underlined how forest management should no longer be considered a sector policy, but a cornerstone of the ecological transition and the restoration of ecosystems at a European level.
