Mr. Lorenzo Fazzi, President of Castanea, has been appointed coordinator of the national consultation table on Chestnut tree, that was held in Rome on 17th and 18th of February 2010 on the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forest and Food policies - Department for competitive policies for quality and rural economy. This important recognition is the direct consequence of the great effort spent by Mr. Fazzi during these years in the improvement of Chestnut related issues, first as president of the Association for Monte Amiata Chestnut, then as member of the Council of the National Association of Chestnut Towns and, finally, as president of the European Chestnut Network. The consultation table deals with all the relevant aspects concerning production and farming in Chestnut sector: marketing, production, food processing, European policies. The group gathers the representatives of all the Italian regions, professional associations, universities and research institutes, associations and firms of chestnut tree growers.

CASTANEA, European Chestnut Network participated in Castanea 2009: Food, Timber, Biomass & Energy in Europe, the 1st European Congress and the 5th Italian Congress on Chestnut that was held in Cuneo (Italy) from 13th to 16th October 2009. This is a major appointment for the European discussion and sharing of knowledge on Chestnut, both from the scientific and the cultural point of view. Scientists, professionals, technicians, researchers and students take part and present their achievements and works on many different Chestnut-related subjects. The 2009 edition envisaged the following themes:

1. History and landscape;
2. Biology and genetic resources;
3. Culture;
4. Pest and diseases;
5. Harvest, post-harvest;
6. Quality and Processing;
7. Economic and marketing aspects;
8. Biomasses and energy.

The details of the event can be found here: http://www.arboree.unito.it/castanea2009/source/presentation.html

The new born European Chestnut Network introduces itself with the meeting "Tuscany, land of Chestnut", organized last 8th of October in Florence, at Tuscany Region's Seat Palazzo Strozzi Sacrati. The purpose of the event was to "take a picture" of the state of the art of Chestnut growing and forest maintaining in the region, in order to build a process of networking and gathering of contributions aimed at the participation in Cuneo's 1st European Congress on Chestnut. The meeting collected and presented different points of view and interests about chestnut tree: university professors, researchers and technicians, representatives of farmers, timber business, politicians put together the complex range of problems and matters related to Chestnut rural and mountain areas' sustainable development.

CASTANEA has enjoyed in different occasions the institutional and operational support of Tuscany Region, with explicit expressions of encouragement and engagement to further endorse the beginning of activities. Also in occasion of October's meeting, CASTANEA enjoyed the personal participation of the Governor of Tuscany Claudio Martini, who concluded the technical sessions. Governor Martini remarked as recently at European level Chestnut growing has been included in the range of biological cultures. Thanks to this important achievement Chestnut farming will be able to benefit from the same financial allowances as other kinds of cultures.

Chestnut culture has deep roots in the Tuscan territory, that's why the two other national associations regarding the Chestnut tree are also based in the region (both of them are members of Castanea: the National Association of Chestnut Towns and the Centre for Study and Documentation on Chestnut tree). Chestnut farming, by its nature, has had until now mostly a very local and little dimension. Taking the global challenges that we all are facing, however, means necessarily to move forward and take decisive steps into a wider dimension. Without putting aside the local identity and the distinct features of each territory, it is necessary to achieve a more structured level of dialogue and cooperation in order to find useful solutions and strategies for a common, sustainable and long term development: putting together forces and resources, sharing knowledge and experiences, finding economic and political instruments to enhance this great natural, cultural and human heritage. This is the mission of CASTANEA.

The Association CASTANEA was born from a multi-annual trans-national European cooperation project bearing the same name. The project Castanea, led by LAG Start from Tuscany, was co-financed in the framework of the Communitarian Initiatives Leader II and Leader Plus. The cooperation involved for many years several European territories located into the Chestnut tree area of diffusion. CASTANEA was constituted within a Assembly of the founder members the 29th of May, 2009, during Terra Futura (Future Earth, an yearly event devoted to ecology, green energies and technologies, arts and crafts and everything concerned with the sustainable relationship between man and its environment) inside the stand of the Tuscany Region. The first members of the Association have been: the Association of Monte Amiata IGP Chestnut, the Consortium for the enhancement of Mugello's IGP Sweet Chestnut, the National Association of Chestnut Towns, the Association of Pratomagno Chestnut growers, the Consortium of Valle Camonica Chestnut growers.

CASTANEA European Chestnut Network has received the support of UNCEM Toscana, the Mountaign Communities and Municipalities National Union, Tuscany branch, who has become supporting member of the Association.

Lorenzo Fazzi has been appointed President of the Association.

Venerdì 29 maggio, nell'ambito della manifestazione "Terra Futura" appuntamento internazionale sulle buone pratiche di sostenibilità ambientale, economica e sociale, in Fortezza da Basso a Firenze, verrà costituita, nello stand della Regione Toscana, l'Associazione CASTANEA European Chestnut Network. (Rete Europea del Castagno). L'Associazione nasce in seno al progetto di cooperazione transnazionale "Castanea" che ha visto come capofila il GAL Start (Italia) e la collaborazione di altri GAL in parternariato : GAL Far Maremma (Italia), GAL Marsica (Italia), GAL Rieti (Italia), GAL Corane (Portogallo), GAL ADRAT  (Portogallo), GAL Comarca de Monterey - Verin (Spagna) e GAL Tre Valli (Francia).