TREKKING IN CALABRIA – Serre Regional Natural Park – The Archiforo Forest and the Charcoal Banks of the Serre

The Archiforo forest is a path that combines history and nature in the heart of the Serre. This area is a true testimony to the traditions and origins of local economic activities, preserving the history of Serra San Bruno and its neighboring towns. The link between the forest and the community is very strong and has deep roots. Since ancient times, in fact, man has carried out many of his main economic activities within the forest. These include, but are not limited to, theextraction of timber for building houses and artifacts. Granite was also quarried and transformed by stonemasons into true works of art and architecture.

The forest also runs through places where loggers cut wood and created “niviere, “ large holes in which snow was pressed. The snow was then covered with shrubs to keep it intact during the summer. Later, it was sold to bars for making slushies and ice cream, economic activities that revolved around the forest and testify to the ingenuity and traditional life of local people.

Environmentally, the Archiforo forest is a vegetational unicum, offering the rare opportunity to see the consociation of white spruce and beech. The trees in the lower part of the forest are predominantly majestic white firs; as one ascends, the firs are mixed with beeches, which are also monumental, albeit in fewer numbers than the firs. In 2014,Europe’s largest white spruce was identified within the forest, reaching a height of more than 55 meters and a trunk circumference of 5.5 meters.