...We have many more tress here... so it seems. Many forests. We could use some of that sand at small lakes in Michigan. It would be much more comfy on the feet... knowing what u r stepping into!
Steve, in Italy woods and forrests are usually much smaller than the ones in America, the larger ones are located within national parks (there are many here). Oftentimes the sand is used even here to feed the natural beaches, which can be subject to severe erosion. Many beaches are becoming narrower or are disappearing. The cause is the past exploitation of riverbeds (no more allowed), the building of dams, the possible, slow rise in sea level.
The beach is no longer the oen I remember when a young boy: wide expanse of clear and clean sand likewise clear and clean water. Now it's narrower, the sand is polluted by silt, the water is polluted by human fecal matter plus industrial wastes.
It is nice to hear that these big earth movers can serve a positive function. Usually i see them used to plow away wetlands, natural habitats and forests and then come the strip malls, houses and artificial edifices.