Filiera delle produzioni forestali non legnose: produzione e raccolta tra sostenibilità e tracciabilità

Non-timber forest products can strengthen and develop their markets through the use of a certification mark which guarantees the sustainable management of the forest and the traceability of the certified products during the processing (Chain of Custody). For cork oak forest management the main certification schemes are FSC, PEFC, CIPS and SFI, while for cork industry Systecode (the most common certification) FSC, PEFC, Reg CEE 1863/93 and ISO 14000/96. Currently, forest management is marked mostly by FSC: 30,000 hectares from Portugal , Spain and Italy (1.1% of the world surface). Other 50,000 hectares are under FSC certification process, but only few wine producers have certified their chain of custody with FSC scheme. In Italy no wine industry has the process certified nor does use certified cork top. Silviculture is an effective tool for certificated forest management which follow ecosystem approach to yield revenue in a sustainable way from non timber products. The case of umbrella pine fruits, edible mushrooms and truffles are briefly discussed. The analysis of the chain, to be meant as the acquisition of knowledge regarding the entire number of methods and processing that take place inside the involved productive sectors, becomes essential for the valorisation process of the products. Moreover, the process of valorisation has to go with the verification of the economic convenience of the investment inside which it has to be considered also the overall impact on the whole economic-environmental system.