A photo exhibition at Palazzo del Bo to support research into the bark beetle epidemic in the forests destroyed by storm Vaia

Storm Vaia in 2018 not only destroyed entire hectares of forest in north-eastern Italy, but also had as a serious consequence the proliferation of the bark beetle, a small beetle that occurs naturally in forests and feeds mainly on damaged spruce trees. The large number of trees crashed after Vaia, in fact, combined with the increase in temperatures, has allowed the bark beetle populations to go from being endemic to epidemic in our territory, compromising the forest’s ability to regenerate and continue to offer ecosystem services. epidemic in our territory, compromising the forest’s ability to regenerate and continue to offer ecosystem services.

Michele Lapini’s photographic exhibition, set up in the Ancient Courtyard of Palazzo del Bo and inaugurated on 15 October 2024 during the Eco-emozioni donor event, recounts the serious effects caused by the parasite that is devastating many wooded areas in the Veneto region. Un’emergenza a cui l’Ateneo di Padova ha risposto attivando una campaign that aims to fund two three-year PhDs in Silviculture and Entomology, coordinated by the Tesaf and Dafnae Departments of the University of Padua, to study the epidemic phenomenon and develop new methods and tools for prevention.

‘I came across the bark beetle because of the Vaia storm and my lens was confronted with the three protagonists of the photographs: trees, an insect and men, researchers and foresters, at work. I saw them as being part of the same inhabited world, the environment. Saving a tree, an insect, understanding what they are bound by means saving ourselves, understanding mistakes and what can be done in the future. Contrasting the bark beetle made me enter a universe that was unknown to me, but which bordered on my photographic research, which is to document the climate crisis. I am happy that my photographs can make the University of Padua’s research on the subject known, and that they can also support the projects so that this epidemic can be reversed,’ says environmental photojournalist Michele Lapini. ‘The photographs are accompanied by words from the book Sottocorteccia by Luigi Lacasella and Pietro Torreggiani, who have thoroughly investigated the bark beetle, its origins, what has been done and what is yet to be done in their pages. Two different languages, shooting and writing, which reinforce each other and go straight to the heart of those who look at this exhibition’.

‘Those who frequent the mountains cannot fail to notice that there is something ‘strange’: the proliferation of the bark beetle is there for all to see and is a direct consequence of the storm that landed millions of cubic metres of wood in 2018. But Vaia was only the trigger because climate change has been going on for some time: drier summers and winters with less snow weaken the plants and the bark beetle is only taking advantage of this. Researchers,’ explains Luigi Mazzaglia, a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Friends of the University of Padua, ’now have the opportunity to study a fairly rare occurrence in order to understand how this insect behaves and how we can act to counteract its consequences. As the Association of Friends of the University of Padua, we are more than happy to participate in this initiative and make our contribution to research, which we hope will translate into something practical’.

‘When I found out about the theme of this exhibition, I was positively impressed, also on a personal level, because it is a subject that those who frequent the mountains, like myself, feel very strongly about,’ says Mirella Cisotto, general councillor of the Cariparo Foundation – Vaia was an environmental disaster and reminded us of the consequences of climate change: I think this exhibition is very important to raise awareness and make people understand the urgency of the problem itself. I would like to thank all those who contributed to the creation of this installation, in particular the photographer Michele Lapini and all the scholars, who we hope will be helped to eliminate a problem that is still difficult to solve despite the advancement of technology’.

‘First and foremost, I would like to thank the Cariparo Foundation and the Association of Friends of the University of Padua, which have always supported our initiatives, and all the colleagues in the University’s Communication and Marketing Department who have enabled this exhibition to be realised. On the day entitled Eco-emotions, dedicated to the University’s Donors, we open this exhibition by Michele Lapini, which recounts the serious effects caused by the bark beetle parasite that is devastating many wooded areas in the Veneto region,’ he emphasises. Gioia Grigolin, ACOM manager at the University of Padua – It is an emergency to which the University of Padua has responded by activating a campaign aimed at funding two PhDs to study the epidemic phenomenon and new prevention methods and tools. In order to raise awareness on the issue and support the ‘Bark Beetle Research Project’ campaign, we have made available our living room, the Ancient Courtyard of the Palazzo del Bo, with an installation specially designed for this space in which photographs are distributed throughout the open space as a testimony to the trees now devoured by the parasite that has killed them’.

Starting on 16 October and until 1 December 2024, the exhibition can be freely visited during the opening hours of the Old Courtyard: Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm.

The exhibition was made possible thanks to the valuable contribution of the Cariparo Foundation and the Association of Friends of the University of Padua.

To support the University of Padua’s research to save the forests from the bark beetle epidemic go to the dedicated page: Bark beetle emergency. Support research.