This scene of aboreal devastation is on the riverbank at Montrésor. The poplar plantation on the edge of the village has been felled. That's a lot of cheese boxes. Naturally we have no decent photos to provide a 'before' view... This one (below), showing the plantation on the left in November 2010, when the trees are leafless, is the best I can do. It will be interesting to see how the area develops and how they intend to manage it from now on.
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A la cuisine hier: Spicy crumbed chicken breast, made with adobo spice mix, parmesan and breadcrumbs. Simon thought the spice was a bit too zingy. Served with grilled tomatoes and steamed broccoli.
5 comments:
Will they not replant. They have done that with several around us that have had the same fate!! (Replanted within the month) C
Not just cheese boxes....
from left:
Beams and other constructional usage...
the short ones next could be going for cheese boxes...
but are just as likely to be going for good quality printing/writing paper as the wood has an excellent fibre and needs far less bleach/kaolin than other woods...
also, people still make matches...
but probably not in France!!
Most likely Chinese imports get to light things nowadays.
The pile at the far end is most likely going for biomass.
Despite a high calorific value, poplar is useless as log...
it burns far too quickly and uncontrollably...
but it makes good fire lighters and matches for just that reason...
however, as placquettes, it is very useful in the mix...
the Lambda control systems allow much more prescise combustion...
so that energy which would go up a chimney is more likely to be harnessed.
It is interesting that they've cut it green...
I wonder if they couldn't get onto the land overwinter?
The poplars that were felled between us and Moulin Neuf...
made a terrible mess of that patch of land...
by being felled whilst the ground was still very soggy.
Colin: I would have thought that replanting with the same species was considered bad practice these days. The local river technician won't encourage replanting with poplars either. I suspect this land is owned by the commune and they will turn it into an amenity park, in conjunction with the planned renovation of the walled garden just the other side of the river.
Tim: Thanks for all that extra info. I imagine this land was actually under water for a large part of the winter, so your guess about the timing of the cut is probably right.
Our friends in Indre, 15 or so years ago, were re-roofing their old house and barn, without much money. They bought one standing poplar at a time, had it milled for beams etc, and when that was finished bought another. This they said was the traditional way of doing things.
Also learned that the local tradition had been to plant a poplar grove for the birth of a daughter, to be harvested in 21 years , as her dowry.
BP: Thanks for the story of your friends. We have friends who sourced timber from a local sawmill. I think it is definitely the way to go if you need a substantial quantity or a really big piece. We have also been told the story about planting when your daughter is born and harvesting when she gets married -- I tell it to all our clients:-)
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