Italy Becomes a Forest Nation as Woodlands Overtake Farmland After Centuries
For centuries Italy's identity has been intertwined with its vineyards olive groves and sprawling farmlands But a remarkable transformation is quietly reshaping the country's landscape For the first time since the Middle Ages Italy now has more woodland than agricultural land making it one of Europe's most fascinating examples of nature reclaiming space Forests now stretch across more than square kilometers over a third of the country's total land area surpassing the extent of cultivated farmland according to a report released this week by the National Union of Mountain Municipalities and Entities UNCEM While the milestone was officially reached in it has only now come to light through the publication of the report last week Nature Reclaims Forgotten LandUnlike large-scale tree-planting campaigns Italy's expanding forests have largely grown on their own As rural populations declined and farming became less viable in many mountainous regions thousands of hectares of agricultural land
