This paper discusses a simple operative proposal, elaborated by a team of advisers
to the Forestry Service of the Veneto administrative region (north-eastern Italy), concerning
the definition of stand-level forest type biodiversity indicators and biodiversity
oriented management provisions. Such tools are conceived to transfer biodiversity conservation
understanding in current forest stand management practices. The developed
assessment system is targeted to: maintenance and increase of the variability of forest
landscape mosaic; conservation of species variability; creation of resource reservoirs. The
following criteria and indicators are taken into consideration: spatial pattern (widespreadness,
connectedness, species contagion potential), forest structure (uneven aged
stands: percent of trees in three broad diameter classes; even aged stands: number of
development stages and surface of each development stage), herbs/shrubs species (average,
minimum and maximum number of species; average number of short-lived herb/
shrub species recorded in minimal anthropic disturbance conditions; dynamic trend in
the number of herb/shrub species), bird species (average, minimum and maximum
number of species); overall naturalistic quality (flora; vegetation; fauna). Such indicators
are proposed as biodiversity reference standards for each forest type in the considered
region: they provide practical baseline information with which forest stand management
efficiency in achieving biodiversity targets can be compared
