Improvement of the deciduos woods in the Prespa National Park, South-eastern Albania, and the Gargano National Park, North-eastern Apulia

The forest vegetation in the Prespa National Park in south-eastern Albania, and on the Gargano peninsula in north-eastern Apulia is mainly made up of deciduous oakwoods, Querco-carpinetum and Ostryo-carpinetum, which has rightly been recognised as being of particular interest in terms of wildlife, landscape and production. Despite the degeneration which originated in the distant past, the uniqueness of the flora in both areas led us to base our study on an attempt to identify what sort of policies would be needed in order to improve the state of the woods. The study thus involved outlining the physical components of the vegetational environment, and the groups of species present. This was followed by an analysis of the species and structural composition of the more representative groups, as well as surveys carried out in order to identify the phytosociological classes to which these communities can be attributed. Attention was focused on the type of cultivation to use in the places studied, in order to enact specific forestry management plans.