Typical activities of the Ampezzo valley, traditionally performed by the Regole. Before forests became the main income source for the whole community, fir and larch wood were mostly used almost exclusively to construct buildings, make furniture and work tools, and as firewood for home heating. The necessary quantity of timber was always cut with the consent of the Community who rigorously decided the quantity and quality. The true exploitation of forests for commercial sales began later on when Venice grew in importance as maritime and territorial power. Timber logs were rafted along water courses “menada”. This process occurred in spring with the thaw, when the melting snow swelled the waters and gave the name to the ra Stua site where a temporary dam (“stua”) was erected to form a small lake to accumulate the logs that would then flow into the Boite river and further down into the Piave.
Wood cutting was performed with the “Cadore” method, where in a mixed age forest, only the mature trees were selected. The so-called “vize” - protected areas where wood cutting was strictly forbidden even for very long periods - were created to safeguard certain forest areas against excessive exploitation or simply to promote growth.
When timber trade became valuable between 1400 and 1500, the forest areas bordering neighbouring municipalities, that had been long left undivided, became the subject of bitter disputes. There were times when the situation took on dramatic tones that even caused reciprocal trade interdicts between Venice and the Austrian Empire to which Ampezzo had been linked since 1511. This ended a few centuries later thanks to the Treaty of Rovereto (1755) which settled the last great contention between Ampezzo and San Vito with the erection of the Giau Wall.