# Forest Dynamic in the Italian Apennines
## 4 Discussion  
In the study area, the landscape has evolved so as to show a general advancement of forests and a colonization of open areas by shrubs; at the same time a reduction of grasslands can be observed. This dynamic confirms the previous results of other studies on other Mediterranean mountains, although this study is focused on higher elevation (>1300 m); it describes a decline of grasslands, shrublands and croplands in mountain regions, and the reforestation process observed by other authors [11; 12; 37]. Focusing on forests, the dynamism of their structure deducible from the transition matrix calculated on the detailed LULC map is very interesting. Unlike other studies, the use of photoin-erpretation, although very time-consuming, allows to analyze the degree of crown cover density and to monitor the canopy closure processes that are ongoing. In addition to the net increase in surfaces, the transition matrix highlights a gradual replacement of shrubs and sparse woods by denser formations with an increase in the degree of the canopy coverage. The rate of forest expansion, calculated for the two classes \"Compact deciduous forest\" and \"Structured deciduous forest\" is lower than in other similar studies carried out in the Apennines; furthermore, large areas of shrub are still observed. Further studies and the analysis of intermediate periods are needed to determine the beginning of the transition. Nevertheless, it would seem that the process of canopy closure is slower than others described by other authors [12] and requires more than 25 years to be completed. This behavior involves the dynamics of the clearings within the forests which have reduced both in number and in size, in the period 1954-2016. As a consequence, a gradual simplification of the landscape pattern is occurring and it determines a reduction of heterogeneity and biodiversity. The \"Naturalization Index\", attributed by an expert group, highlighted an overall reduction of the anthropic pressure as a consequence of natural processes triggered by the cessation of grazing. The abandonment of the territory, of agricultural activities and of pastoralism, in fact, promotes the renaturalization processes witnessed by the ongoing transitions and by the contemporary loss of the traditional landscape shape. The main driving forces for this phenomenon can be identified in the depopulation and the subsequent cessation of traditional pastoral activities, together with the long-term changes in forest management and harvesting, related to the rules and the management of the protected area. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Land Cover Class**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Surface (ha = km\({}^{2}\times 100\))**} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{**Surface (\%)**} \\ \hline Artificial surface & 0.21 & 0.25 \\ \hline Structured deciduous forests & 5.15 & 6.13 \\ \hline Compact deciduous forests with fine texture & 16.00 & 19.05 \\ \hline Open deciduous forests with little or no undergrowth & 19.66 & 23.41 \\ \hline Sparse deciduous forests & 4.98 & 5.93 \\ \hline Very sparse broad-leaved forests with mainly herbaceous formations & 1.67 & 1.99 \\ \hline Very sparse broad-leaved forests with mainly shrub formations & 1.70 & 2.02 \\ \hline Closed coniferous forests & 0.20 & 0.23 \\ \hline Open coniferous forests & 0.58 & 0.69 \\ \hline Sparse coniferous forests & 0.88 & 1.04 \\ \hline Prostrate shrubs & 1.92 & 2.29 \\ \hline Tall shrubs, arboreal-shrub colonization formations & 1.41 & 1.68 \\ \hline Persistent Clearings 2016 & 29.63 & 35.28 \\ \hline TOTAL Clearings 1954 & 83.98 & 100.00 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 5: Trajectories of evolution of clearings in the period 1954–2016. Going back to 1954, the landscape was characterized by a more articulated mosaic where the anthropic activity was also part of the system, while the present landscape certainly appears less diversified and heterogeneous.