how to restore a forest after a fire?

On the move in Gironde after more than a week of devastating fires that burned nearly 20,800 hectares, Emmanuel Macron promised Wednesday, July 20 “a major national project to replant” the forest, particularly in connection with the National Forestry Office (NFB). But how do you reform burned forests?

>> Follow the latest information on the fires in our live

In the south of the Ardèche, in the commune of Banne, 80 hectares of forest went up in smoke in 2014. A small village of 700 inhabitants with many second homes. A huge monoculture forest, like in Gironde, overlooks the town. “It’s basically maritime pine“, specifies the mayor Jean-Marie Lagagné, a former farmer.

The village has chosen to partially replant, with a species more pine resistant. A choice that was not essential to regenerate the forest, explains Laurent Golliard, of the ONF: “Maritime pine is a species that colonizes open areas very quickly, which is very well suited to regeneration after fires. This species could have regenerated after the fire and created a new forest“, according to the forest officer.”We wanted to have a different species of maritime pine. A diversity of species, in particular with the presence of the Salzmann pine, the emblematic species of the area and with a strong heritage stake“, emphasizes Laurent Golliard.

“The year following the fire, you have seedlings that will appear. And to make a forest ten meters high, you will have to wait about 30 years”.

Laurent Golliard, NFB agent

franceinfo

Since then, several fire starts have been identified in the forest. A civil security reserve has been created. Helping municipal agents by participating in the support and assistance of populations in the event of a crisis, preventing the risk of forest fires: these are the missions of the municipal civil security reserve. It is made up of the inhabitants of Banne and other villages. Jean-Marie Lagagné, the mayor, explains the approach: “It’s volunteering. We go there with our cars, our gasoline. But hey… People are aware that if we don’t do anything, it risks degenerating and we will be the first losers.“.

Today, eight years later, the traces of the fire have disappeared. To truly adapt the forest to fires, the ONF considered planting hardwoods. But here, the ground is too constraining. And in periods of very high heat, the experts consider that it is not enough efficient.