5,800. This is the number of hectares that burned in the town of La Teste-de-Buch alone during the fires that ravaged the Gironde last summer. At the center of the debates in the aftermath of a historically tragic episode, the ONF, owner and manager of the state forest of La-Teste-de-Buch, for which the reconstruction phase has already begun.
“Last summer, more than 1,000 hectares of state forests burned, that’s 53% of the total forest, explains Yan Rolland, head of the wood service at the National Office of Landes-Nord-Forests. Aquitaine. It is more than ten times the classic annual harvest that we had to exploit in less than 6 months because of the fires”. So, on the eve of a new summer season, the objective is clear: “reopen the forest and access to the ocean quickly while guaranteeing security and rebuilding the forest”. Significant stakes, even if the NFB agents readily admit it: “As for Rome, all this will not be done in a day”.
“The idea is to secure the premises”
And for good reason: the ONF estimates at 29.13% the rate of the forest of La Teste-de-Buch which had been completely burned. In total, it is 1.5 million euros in damage to equipment. Particularly affected, the “plans-beaches”, previously used to accommodate the vehicles of 800,000 visitors a year going to the beach. Among them, that of Petit-Nice, La Lagune and La Salie. The parking lot has still not reopened. “We hope to reopen before July,” anticipates Cédric Bouchet, head of the Reception, Biodiversity and Development Department at the ONF. Since then, the beaches have almost all reopened and the only one that does not yet welcome the public is closed due to erosion. Just like the cycle path which runs along the coast, which should again allow circulation between La Teste-de-Buch and Biscarrosse by the summer.
After cleaning the areas ravaged by the flames, the agents of the Office in charge of the management of public forests proceeded to secure the places intended to receive the public. “The idea is first to make the areas safer each time, tempers Cédric Bouchet. After pruning and cleaning, we had to recover the parking spaces, some of which had collapsed by nearly 40 centimeters, by putting wood shavings in them. Then we had to resume the installation of ganivelles, poles, piles and recreate spaces for bicycles”. In total, nearly 8 km of fences, 3,500 poles and 7,500 piles came to life in the affected areas. That is more than one million euros which have been invested for the redevelopment of the territory.
The ONF is banking on “natural regeneration”
As for the vegetation, the ONF is counting on natural regeneration. “It will take between three and five years to launch a new cycle of regeneration, estimates Francis Maugard, expert in natural risks at the ONF. In any case, we could not replant for two years because of the insects which could attack the young plants. “For the moment, this regeneration is only” not very visible, or punctually “, but the first shoots point the tip of their nose. “We don’t refrain from intervening in areas where the forest has not been able to regain its rights,” says the expert from the National Forestry Office.
In the meantime, summer is coming and the ONF operators are counting on everyone’s responsibility in order to avoid risk as much as possible. “We know that 90% of fires in France are of human origin”, engages Francis Maugard. And Cédric Bouchet continues: “We call on everyone’s vigilance and responsibility, the NFB has ‘police’ power, but that is not its primary role”. And to conclude without really giving the assembly a smile: “We all said to ourselves this year: it’s a miracle that there were no human victims”. Hoping that there is no need for it this year.