The Ariège forest

In our department, the forest grows up and out. As in many regions of France, particularly in the mountain areas, the rural exodus towards the cities and industrialised regions has emptied the countryside. The woods have grown back on abandoned lands, either naturally or with man's help in the form of financial inducements by the French state (Fonds Forestier National).

Ariège is thus a forested department oriented toward tourism and livestock farming. In this respect, none of these three elements is in conflict today, which was not always the case in the past, notably in the 18th century when an intense territorial rivalry developped between the farmers and the forest wardens. From this clash the "guerre des demoiselles" was born ("war of the maidens").

The Ariège forest is beautiful. Its beauty comes from the diversity of the trees and shrubs of which it is composed. This biodiversity is generated first of all by the large differential in altitude, from 300 to 2000 metres. Thus each of the species that make up the forest occcupies a very specific ecological niche to which it is perfectly adapted. Oak, chestnut, black poplar are found at the lower level; higher up beech mixed with fir, and finally at the highest level, birch, fir or pine. The treeline falls between 1800 and 2000 m.

Mixed with these species are valuable broad-leaved trees--wild cherry, ash, maple, walnut--whose wood is much sought after and used to be the principal material of furniture makers. Linden trees and boxwood are abundant in areas with chalky soil.

This great biodiversity maintains a stable and balanced ecosystem, essential for wildlife, and gives our forest an exceptional esthetic quality. The incredible arrange of colours, with infinite nuances in spring and autumn, is a delight for the walker.

Thus, the Ariege forest fulfills beautifully all the functions one expects of it. You could say it is multifunctional. Through its protective role at high elevation, its regulation of water and climate, the stabilisation of the topsoil of the steep hillside and the production of large quantities of high quality wood, the forest has become an essential element of our environment, to the great enjoyment of us all.