The State Forestry Corps (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

: ''Corpo forestale dello Stato'' or ''CFS'') was a national police agency in Italy. It was established on 15 October 1822 by

Charles Felix of Sardinia Charles Felix (; 6 April 1765 – 27 April 1831) was the King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from 12 March 1821 until his death in 1831. He was the last male-line member of the House of Savoy that started with Victor Amadeus I ...

as Amministrazione forestale per la custodia e la vigilanza dei boschi. The five Italian autonomous regions have their own corps of forestry police under regional or provincial control (''Corpo forestale regionale/provinciale''), which have not been disbanded. CFS was dissolved on December 31, 2016, and all personnel became militarized and absorbed by the Carabinieri Command of the Forest, Environmental and Agri-food units.

Mission

The CFS had police powers and acted as a

park ranger A ranger, park ranger, park warden, field ranger, or forest ranger is a person entrusted with protecting and preserving parklands and Protected area, protected areas – private, national, state, provincial, or local parks. Their duties include ( ...

force responsible for protecting Italy's

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest, and cultural value. ...

s, the environment, countryside and ecosystems, especially national parks and national forests. It also acted as a criminal investigative department and as a typical police force. Its specialist duties included arresting

poachers Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...

, investigating environmental violations, illegal building, counterfeit foods, safeguarding protected animal species, enforcing

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

laws, and preventing and fighting

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s through 15 regional commands and its fleet of 22 fire-fighting aircraft. It had responsibility for managing activities related to the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law ** Convention (political norm), uncodified legal or political tradition * Convention (meeting ...

in Italy.

Organization

The CFS was an agency under the

jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' and 'speech' or 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, the concept of jurisdiction applies at multiple level ...

of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. It was part of the Direzione Investigativa Antimafia (DIA) (Anti-Mafia Investigation Department). The CFS was also responsible for civil protection in Italy's mountain areas and for

disaster relief Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actu ...

. If necessary, the CFS could also be used in tasks of public order in the city and any urban context.

Regional Corps

The autonomous forestry corps of the special statute regions have not been suppressed and are active in Sicily, Sardinia, Val d'Aosta, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige/Südtirol.

Corporate profile

The CFS's

emergency telephone number An emergency telephone number is a number that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assistance. The emergency number differs from country to country; it is typically a three-digit number so that it can be easily remembered and ...

for reporting forest fires was 1515. The CFS's vehicle

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol, or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery often includes elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

was green with a white stripe and the words ''Corpo Forestale dello Stato'' in white along the side. The vehicle plates began with the letters "CFS" in red.

Rank insignia

References

External links

Official website
(in Italian) Corpo Forestale dello Stato

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Defunct law enforcement agencies of Italy {{forestry-agency-stub