National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage – Knowledge and Skills of Regular Oak Forest Management

17 November 2022

The majestic oaks of cathedral stands are the result of generations of forestry expertise, centered on the silvicultural technique of regular futaie régulière.practiced for centuries.

Regular stand management involves growing trees of roughly the same age and size on the same plot, progressing through the following stages:six major growth stages: seedling (0–5 years), sapling thicket (5–10 years), pole stage (10–25 years), young tree (25–75 years), mature stand (75–180 years), and regenerating mature stand (180–240 years). This silvicultural method is essential for sustainable forest management, as it relies on multi-decade management plans and continuity of stewardship over several centuries.

Rooted in the history of French forests, this centuries-old practice today covers approximately 500,000 hectares of public forests, primarily state-owned ones such as Bercé, Bertranges, Orléans, and Tronçais. It is less common in municipal and private forests, where regular stand management only began to be adopted in the second half of the 20^th century.

In order to support this sustainable silvicultural practice and guarantee its future, the « Savoirs et savoir-faire de la futaie régulière de chêne » are listed since June 8, 2022, in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage*. This initiative, led by the Ministry of Culture, thus recognizes the importance of this French cultural exception, while ensuring the preservation of this silvicultural practice and securing the continuity of a skill that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries and influences many other trades.

The practice of regular oak stand management involves growing tall oaks with straight, cylindrical trunks (grain-aligned), free from defects and injuries, to produce high-quality barrels, exceptional-sized timber for construction, luxury furniture and interior fittings, as well as watertight hulls for wooden ships.

Silviculture in regular stands is intrinsically linked to stave production and cooperage, as it provides exceptional wood quality: merrain oak, which accounts for less than 1% of the total volume of French timber marketed each year, across all species. The average age of an oak destined for cooperage is approximately 180 years.

Among the key objectives of this inclusion in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage is the effort to explain and share with the public the lifecycle of a regular oak stand. This process involves regular thinning to allow the most promising trees to grow majestically, a practice fundamental to ensuring the sustainability of this forestry method. The knowledge and expertise associated with regular oak stand management not only preserve the undeniable aesthetic qualities of regular stands and cathedral stands but also sustain a variety of exceptional crafts, including the renowned French cooperage tradition.

*Intangible cultural heritage includes practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills—as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts, and cultural spaces associated with them—that communities, groups, and, where applicable, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is continuously recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature, and their history. It provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thereby promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.