Forest of La Doué, October 2019

Act 1 of the reforestation program continues in the Doué Forest in Saint-Aubin-les-Forges. After preparing and planting the 44,695 trees planned for this plot in March 2019, the foresters are now focusing on clearing the young seedlings.

The manual cutting of ferns is done in a crescent shape. At this stage of growth, ferns, which are the main element of competing vegetation, represent the greatest obstacle to the development of oak seedlings, as they prevent sunlight from reaching them. This intervention also aims to reduce the risk of seedlings being crushed by the ferns, whose dying fronds can, each autumn, fall over the seedlings or, in winter, bend under the weight of snow. Once cleared of its fronds, the fern can also serve a useful role in providing cover for the oak seedlings.

The foresters made the decision not to intervene earlier on the fronds of the ferns because these plants played a positive role during the summer. The ferns actually protected the young plants from the excessive sunlight during the months of June, July, and August 2019.

The vegetation, in general, suffered greatly from the climatic conditions during this summer, which was characterized by a significant period of drought and heatwave. In the Bertranges Massif region, the average temperature recorded during the summer of 2019 was between +1.5°C and +2°C compared to the seasonal reference average of 1981-2010. Meanwhile, the sunshine excess was about 20% higher than the seasonal reference average of 1991-2010, and the rainfall deficit in the Bertranges ranged from 40% to 50% compared to the seasonal reference average of 1981-2010 for precipitation totals.

All these climatic uncertainties are driving foresters to adapt their silvicultural practices and optimize their interventions by relying as much as possible on the natural processes inherent to forest environments.

* A fern is typically made up of an underground stem, or rhizome, with roots and large leaves called fronds. In botany, the frond is the aerial part of the fern’s vegetative structure.