Cerveteri faces criticism over plan to cut 70% of Valcanneto forest

The Cerveteri municipal council approved resolution No. 65 on 16 April 2026, adopting a Forest Utilisation Plan (PUF) that calls for the indiscriminate removal of roughly 70% of the Valcanneto woodland to address a pathogenic fungus. The local civic group Unione dei Valori (UdV) has denounced the measure as hasty and ecologically unsound, warning that the loss of canopy will worsen summer heat, diminish a vital green lung for residents, and increase hydro‑geological risks along the nearby Fosso di Valcanneto. UdV points to a similar 2007 intervention in the neighboring Palo Laziale forest, which failed to resolve the fungus and led to uncontrolled regrowth before a targeted restoration succeeded. The movement is calling for an immediate suspension of the cutting plan and the creation of a permanent consultation table that would include the municipality, biologists, and community representatives. A petition for signatures is being gathered at several locations in Valcanneto.