This project is supported by L'OCCITANE France.
Context
Located 25 km southeast of Paris, the Sénart state forest (3,184 ha) occupies a plateau bordered to the east by the Yerres valley and to the west by the Seine valley. Surrounded by towns and cities, the forest welcomes over 3 million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited sites in Essonne. It has also been granted “Protected Forest” status to ensure its integrity in a highly urbanized context subject to strong land pressure.
Its long forest avenues, designed for royal hunting, run through old oak forests, with a mix of chestnut, Scots pine and laricio pine.
Suported Project
In 2024-2025, for the second year running, L'OCCITANE France is supporting the ONF “Agir pour la forêt” endowment fund and its post-fire planting project in the Sénart forest, which involves replanting part of the burnt forest by adapting to climate change by choosing species resistant to rising temperatures.
Indeed, in 2021, a plantation was set up following a major fire that ravaged 57 hectares of this forest in 2018. Unfortunately, this plantation was partly a failure for a number of reasons (high temperatures, quality of plants, species, etc.). To deal with this failure, the ONF decided to intervene on the plot by planting 19.03 hectares in clumps and with various species.
The project is divided into several parts. The first, which has already been carried out, aims to prepare the soil of the plots. And from 2025 onwards, the aim is to focus on control: we need to maintain the clearing and clean up around the plants to ensure their growth.
After the fires, the ONF is committed to restoring the forest and its habitats. First of all, teams carry out observation work to find out which trees have survived and will be able to continue growing on their own. In certain cases, and when the situation proves necessary, foresters consider replanting where the fire has passed, as is the case in the Sénart forest.
This project helps respond to the consequences of climate change on forest stands. It allows us to adapt our forests thanks to species that are more resistant to global warming. We can thus hope for a reduction in the risk of fire and dieback of species. This project benefits everyone and surrounding communities, because it takes place in public forests, open to all..
Some Figures
Budget 109,925 euros
Goal 20,870 planted trees
Goal 19,03 hectares regenerated
