France’s Forest Management Faces Overhaul to Prevent Devastating Wildfires in Les Landes
An area of forest in the Les Landes department of southwestern France has been ravaged by another wildfire, just four years after a massive blaze in 2022.
Les Landes, the largest human-made woodland in Western Europe, covers an area of 10,000 square kilometers (3,860 square miles). The forest was created in the 19th century for timber and resin production, with endless rows of pines planted in neat, close lines. However, this uniform landscape makes it highly susceptible to wildfires, with flames easily jumping from one tree to another.
The latest disaster is forcing a rethink in France about how to better prepare and manage forest expanses to cope with hotter, drier, more fire-prone conditions made worse by human-caused climate change.
President Emmanuel Macron has called for a different kind of forest to be replanted, citing the need for a more diverse and resilient ecosystem. He emphasized that the structural conditions created by climate change have changed, and so has the pressure from housing and tourism.
Nathalie Naulet, an expert in forestry and agriculture, explains that in a healthy, diverse forest, there are multiple tree species, different age classes, and several layers of vegetation, from ground plants and shrubs to mature trees such as oaks and beeches. In these ecosystems, less than 3% of the sun’s radiation reaches the forest floor.
In contrast, the monoculture of coniferous trees in Les Landes is drier and more prone to fires. The lack of a protective canopy allows the soil to heat up and dry out, making it more susceptible to wildfires.
Fire crews and citizens are currently dousing smoking embers in the affected area, a job that could take weeks. Jean-Francois Pauner, a resident helping with the effort, notes that no matter how much they try to extinguish the fire, it keeps restarting all the time.
The forests of Les Landes were developed following a 1857 law on the drainage and cultivation of the Landes de Gascogne. Ruler Napoleon III ordered municipalities to sow maritime pines and sell off the heathlands, which were regarded as unproductive. The forest’s main purpose now is timber production, with more than 90% of the forest area in Les Landes being privately owned.
Changing the way the Landes forests are managed will require negotiations between the timber industry, owners, and public authorities. Nicolas Lafon, the president of the Southwest Foresters’ Association, notes that rebuilding will require financial resources commensurate with the scale of the challenge.
The national rethink on forests is also extending to wildlife, with an online petition calling for a hunting moratorium in burned woodlands gathering over 300,000 signatories. Geographer Arthur Guérin-Turcq suggests that creating buffer zones around settlements and introducing more broadleaf trees could help mitigate the risk of wildfires.
Bruno Lafon, regional president of the Forest Fire Defense Association, calls for stronger wildfire prevention measures, including larger, well-maintained firebreaks.
