Context

With more than a million hectares, the massif of Les Landes de Gascogne is the largest forest in France and one of the largest in Europe. Most of this massif consists of maritime pines which were planted by men since the 19th century.

Already affected by the violent storms in 1990 and 2009, the forest also experienced a catastrophic fire which destroyed nearly 580 hectares of woodland close to the the Bay of Arcachon in July 2015. This was the largest fire that France endured during this summer of 2015, which left the forest in a critical condition, notably for the local biodiversity.

Project

The project aims at reforesting the burnt zones in order to recreate a healthy wooded area, before other tree species start to colonize the sector. The planting also aims at restoring the historic landscape and at reintroducing a balanced plant cover in order to enable the return of local biodiversity.

Contribution

- Protection of the biodiversity by restoring the damaged areas.

- Conservation of soil quality and fighting the high risk of erosion caused by the increased run-off on bare ground.

- Fighting against climate change by creating carbon sinks.

- Encouraging the economic development of the wood sector.