SIC Bacino del Rio Miseria

15010 Pareto (AL)
Ponzone
https://www.areeprotetteappenninopiemontese.it/2020/08/25/zsc-it1180017-bacino-del-rio-miseria/

The basin of the Rio Miseria, a right tributary of the Erro River, is located on the border with the Liguria region at altitudes between 280 and 703 meters.
The lithological nature of this Apennine area is attributable to "greenstones"; in particular, the site is characterized by the prevalent outcrop of serpentinites, resulting from the metamorphic transformation of original peridotitic igneous rocks.

The nature of the rocky substrate, unfavorable to the growth of vegetation, combined with a climate characterized by marked summer aridity, contributes to a harsh and barren landscape. The forest cover climbs the deep valleys to the tops of the hills, often sparsely covering the surfaces, affected by the very poor substrate and poorly suited to root development. The forests are predominantly composed of sessile oak (Quercus petraea), sometimes interspersed with downy oak (Quercus pubescens), with secondary chestnut groves and reforestation. The forest vegetation is complemented by a few clusters of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), here likely in one of the rare Piedmontese locations where it grows spontaneously, as well as small areas of shrubland.

Finally, in the less steep areas, herbaceous plant communities occupy, along with shrubland, part of the land once used for grazing and cultivation, now almost completely abandoned.