Upstream from the cooperage #1 - Everything starts with the forest

“Imagine up to 300 years between the growth of a young oak, the drying process, maturation, and the moment when we taste a vintage aged in one of its barrels!”.

It takes 1,500 naturally regenerated seedlings to harvest a single oak tree with a diameter of 80 cm. It takes 1,500 naturally regenerated seedlings to harvest a single oak tree with a diameter of 80 cm. To achieve this result, the forester arbitrates the competition between trees – for water and light – to obtain stands meeting the set objectives: supplying quality wood, aesthetically pleasing stands for public enjoyment (ONF) and maintaining landscapes and plots that support species favorable to ecosystem diversity.

From seedling to forest

It can take more than two hundred years from seedling to mature forest. If the forest develops on its own, it cannot, without human hands, produce sufficient quantities and quality of wood to meet society’s needs, while continuing to grow. This is what forestry is all about. All the sciences, arts and activities relating to the conservation, development, management and creation of biodiversity. Forestry involves various silvicultural operations carried out according to a management plan drawn up on the basis of the tree species to be favored and their renewal. This plan guarantees the sustainability of the forest, its proper development and respect for biodiversity. The Charlois group has been a signatory to good forestry practices for many years. These include preserving biodiversity, soil and water quality, protecting against risks of pollution, protecting unmarked trees for harvesting, preserving natural seedlings and young plants, protecting against fire, respecting other forest users and cultural heritage. This is what forestry is all about.

Image 1 © Christophe Deschanel

Images 2 and 3 © D.R.