Taking Care of the Forests

Due to the severe fires that hit the Gironde region over the past couple of years, Indre-et-Loire has appointed a Forest Fire Defense Coordinator. Though still part of the ONF (National Office for Forests), the mission is led by the Prefect of Indre-et-Loire. There was an article about it in the Nouvelle République yesterday, and we learnt quite a lot.

 

Smoke from the Gironde fires photographed in Libourne when we stopped for lunch in July 2022.

The first thing we learnt is that it's illegal to camp overnight in a state forest. A group of young campers were recently found near Pas-aux-Anes étang in Sennevières. It never occurred to me that wild camping is illegal. It's not something we're likely to do, but it has been known in the past in Australia.

 

 

The Etang des Pas-aux-Anes, in the Forest of  Loches, photographed by Susan in October 2022.

Next... He’s sworn in, and armed. We've seen armed conservation patrols in the Pyrénées, but we didn't know we had them locally. He is able to initiate patrols to ensure that visitors know and follow the current regulations and works closely with the prefecture, the Departmental Directorate of Territories, the local fire department (SDIS), the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB), and the police (gendarmes).

 

 

Armed conservation protection officers in the Pyrénées National Park, photographed by Susan in July 2023.

Fire risks are assessed using a fire danger index from Météo France, which is checked daily. He also contributes to it each week by taking vegetation samples from a fixed spot to measure water stress, data he then sends to Météo France.

Typical mixed broadleaf managed forest in the Touraine, dominated by Sessile Oak Quercus petraea (Fr. Chêne rouvre).

The Fire Alert Levels:

- "Low to moderate": No restrictions apply. Burning, barbecues, and fire pits are allowed except in high-risk areas.

- "Severe": Burning is prohibited. Chipping and chainsaw activities are banned in the afternoon. Off-road travel is also restricted in classified areas.

- "Very severe": All open flames are banned. Gas fueled activities are suspended, and agricultural harvesting is regulated. There was a Very Severe fire warning locally in June 2022 [link to our blog post about it].

 

 

Mixed broadleaf forest, dominated by European Beech Fagus sylvatica (Fr. Hêtre), Forest of Loches.