Progress meeting for the 42 months of the LIFE4FIR project – 17 May 2023

The technical meeting for the 3 years and 6 months since the beginning of the project was held on May 17, 2023, at the Municipality of Polizzi Generosa (Italy). The beneficiaries gathered to review the progress and challenges of the project, considering the extension of the project duration requested to complete the remaining activities and achieve all expected results.

The LIFE4FIR technical course “La propagazione vegetativa delle conifere: corso teorico e pratico di innesto dell’Abies nebrodensis” – Polizzi Generosa (Italy), 18 November 2021

The LIFE4FIR project consortium organized a technical course on the grafting of Abies Nebrodensis at the Piano Noce nursery on 18 November 2021, where the IBE-CNR experts gave a theoretical and practical lesson to the technicians and workers of the Region and the Madonie Park Authority.

The course was designed with the aim of providing brief basic notions on the vegetative propagation of conifers and the practice of grafting the Madonie fir, in order to promote the conservation of the species through the creation of a clonal arboretum.

Here are some photos taken during the event.

Monitoring meeting for the 24 months of the LIFE4FIR project – 15-16 November 2021

The LIFE4FIR project consortium met again in Sicily in November 2021 for the periodic monitoring meeting (agenda available here). A two day full of activities!

During the first day, the beneficiaries and the external monitor met in the beautiful headquarters of the municipality of Polizzi Generosa to discuss the results obtained and the activities planned for the coming months.

 

In the afternoon, after the meeting, the participants moved for a visit to the Seed Bank set up inside the Abies Nebrodensis Museum, in the municipality of Polizzi Generosa.

During the visit it was possible to observe the first samples of seeds stored for conservation: this activity is of fundamental importance for the maintenance of the germplasm of the species.

 

The second day was dedicated to an excursion to the original settlement of Abies nebrodensis. The walk along the path of the Abies was organized to show to the monitor the interventions carried out, with particular attention to the installation of the new fencing system around the trees and the video surveillance system.

Autumn update on LIFE4FIR project activities

The activities of the LIFE4FIR project continue, despite the significant difficulties related to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, in October 2020 the beneficiaries of the project met in Sicily, in order to hold the periodic coordination meeting. In addition to the updating for the 12 months of the project, being in Sicily the beneficiaries had live visits to the sites involved in the LIFE4FIR project.

Here are some photos taken during these activities.

During the technical and financial monitoring meeting held last October 12th in the restored rooms of the ancient library at the Botanical Garden of Palermo.

 

The LIFE4FIR group during the visit to the Abies nebrodensis Museum set up inside the town hall of Polizzi Generosa. The museum will host the cryobank foreseen in the project.

 

Approaching specimen no. 12 during the monitoring of the vegetative and sanitary conditions last October.

 

Taking samples from specimen no. 12 for laboratory observations and analyses.

 

Transit on the stony ground between the Vallone Madonna degli Angeli and Monte Scalone.

 

In front of tree n. 1, the most remote of the population.

 

The fruiting that occurred in 2020 was particularly abundant. The cones collected from the individual treeswere placed in boxes at the Piano Noce nursery, awaiting extraction of seeds.