Towards climate-resilient forests – Experimental follow-up

In 2021, the Park developed a pilot project on a privately owned forest plot to identify forest management practices that promote forest resilience to climate change. In early March, forestry technicians from the National Center for Forest Ownership (CNPF) of Nouvelle-Aquitaine visited the site to assess the development of the plantations. They were accompanied by the Park's forestry intern.

The impact of climate change on the forests of Périgord-Limousin

The Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park is 41% forested , primarily with deciduous trees, notably chestnut trees, an emblematic species of the region. These forests are 98% privately owned, with over 26,000 owners and forest areas fragmented into numerous plots. They represent a valuable economic, ecological, and social asset.

Today, these forests face a real challenge, as the Périgord-Limousin region is not immune to the ongoing climate upheavals! The forests are directly impacted and therefore need support . Indeed, climate change is already weakening trees in a lasting way, multiplying the sources of stress and promoting the proliferation of existing pathogens. This results in aging stands; dieback in chestnut groves, exacerbated by disease; increased water stress ; and a heightened risk of fire in the region.

The "Forest Resilience to Climate Change" experiment

The "Forest Resilience to Climate Change" project, led by the Park, began in 2021. It aims to identify management solutions to support forest areas and help them cope with climate change and become more resilient. This has resulted in the establishment of experimental plots to restore declining woodlands, creating "showcase plots" designed to test operational forest adaptation strategies.

The selected site is located in the commune of Mareuil-en-Périgord, in the Dordogne department, and comprises 22 hectares of former chestnut coppice. For the experiment, the land was divided into several plots, including 10 hectares serving as "control areas." The objective of these 10 hectares is to record what the stand would have become without silvicultural intervention. The remaining 12 hectares were organized around different silvicultural techniques for reclaiming the area: broadcast plantings of mixed conifers and broadleaf trees, plantings in patches and strips, etc. A brochure published by the Regional Natural Park summarizes the various silvicultural techniques tested on this plot.

Monitoring of the experiment

While the experiment was initiated by the Park, it was subsequently implemented by the CNPF (National Center for Private Forestry). The CNPF is also responsible for monitoring the plots, allowing this experiment to serve as an example of alternative forestry practices, with the aim of disseminating the results to forest owners . The planting of the plots took place during the winter of 2023-2024. One year later, the CNPF carried out follow-up measurements to verify the survival rate of the seedlings.

In early March, the CNPF (National Center for Private Forestry) visited the site to measure the height of the trees (dendrometric measurements). This day brought together about ten foresters from the CNPF Nouvelle Aquitaine, as well as the Park's forestry intern. Measurements were taken (from the base to the highest bud), the young age of the saplings facilitating this task, which was carried out using a measuring pole. At this stage, the plantations have highly variable heights across the different plots, ranging from 30 cm to 150 cm depending on the tree. As the saplings are still very young, it is not yet possible to determine whether their size reflects a particular state of health . The CNPF will return to the site to measure the growth of the plantations in 2027 (3 years after planting), 2031 (7 years after planting), and 2034 (10 years after planting). Subsequently, measurements will be taken every three years and will include trunk circumference and tree height.

These on-site measurements will eventually allow for the compilation of statistics to analyze the effectiveness of the tested forestry practices. The results will not be available for about ten years, as forestry experimentation takes place over a long period.