Planting of the artificial Austrian pinewoods first began in 1842 and now constitute an important feature of the Carso’s landscape; thanks to their frugality as a pioneer species, they are expanding beyond the plantations at the expense of the karst open countryside, now much reduced following the abandonment of grazing livestock. The woods are regularly thinned to encourage the growth of autochthonous deciduous trees which are currently stifled by the pines, with about 60-80 pines being left per hectare. On top of encouraging the growth of woodlands with a more stable biological equilibrium, the thinning of the pines reduces the serious risk of forest fire.