GREAT WOOD OF MESOLA
The 1,058 hectares of Mesola wood are all that remains today of what was once a much more extensive wooded area. It originally developed about 1000 years ago through the action of water overflowing from the various tributaries of the River Po on the eastern side of Pomposa Abbey. In 1954, it was taken over by the nationalised company which runs government-owned forests, and is at present administered by the Ministry for Agriculture and Forests. In 1971, one part was made into a Nature Reserve, which has included the rest of the wood since 1977.
Flora
The wood is the only remaining part of the coastal forests which once extended along the Adriatic coast, from the mouths of the River Tagliamento to Ancona. It consists of warmth-loving species of plants, which are able to tolerate high temperatures and a highly saline subsoil. The main species are holly oaks, together with manor ash trees, hawthorns, butcher’s broom, and asparagus. Among the trees to be found growing among the holly oaks on the older, more humid, levelled dunes, are European oaks, white and western hornbeams, and privet. In the lowlands, however, where the water remains for long periods, the wood is filled with water-loving species, such as white poplar, ash trees, elms, and alders. In the undergrowth, sloes, alder buckthorn, sedge and ferns flourish. Domestic and maritime pine trees can be found in many of the areas near the sea.
Fauna
In the days of the Estense Duchy, Mesola Wood was populated with many wild animals, including deer, fallow deer, roe deer and wild boar. It has been some time since wild boar were last seen, while deer and fallow deer can still be found. Fallow deer were introduced recently, and have adapted very well, reaching a population of a few hundred animals. Deer have become the symbol of Mesola Wood, and the animals here are the only remaining indigenous species of deer in the Italian peninsula, as well as the last remaining deer on the eastern plain of the River Po.The type of deer living here have had to adapt to this environment, and as a result have smaller bodies, and the branches of the bucks’ antlers seldom have more than eight points because of the scarcity of food. Besides deer and fallow deer, numerous other animal species live in Mesola Wood. Among the mammals are weasels, badgers, foxes and porcupines. There are also many different birds: bee-eaters, kingfishers, jays, wood-pigeons, great tits, and greater red and green woodpeckers There are also some predatory birds, such as sparrowhawks, skylarks, and various species of owl, including tawny owls and barn owls.