The history of the Arcachon Basin forests
The history of the Arcachon Basin forests
The 3-star Les Écureuils campsite in Arès is ideally located in the heart of the Landes forest on the Bassin d’Arcachon. Numerous cycle paths and footpaths are available to discover the forests of the Bassin d’Arcachon. Let’s discover them together! The Landes de Gascogne pine forest is one of France’s best-known forest massifs. It extends over a large part of the South-West coastline. The Landes de Gascogne forest covers almost a million hectares, making it the largest man-made forest in Western Europe. The forest is located in three départements: Gironde, Landes and Lot-et-Garonne. To the north of the Forêt des Pins is the Pointe de Grave, to the east is Nérac and to the south is Hossegor.
The origins of the Forêt des Landes
Originally, this forest was essential to the livelihood of the people living in the area. Livestock was raised on its 250,000 wooded hectares. But the threat of sand and rising waves on the Atlantic coast, the Côte d’Argent, was growing. A solution had to be found to halterosion and theadvance of the dune inland. An initial technique was established by the Desbiey brothers, considered to be the forerunners of dune fixation. They used small stakes to immobilize the dune. However, another technique had to be devised. Subsequently, the natural protection of the dune was enhanced by seeding the coastal area from Arcachon to Pyla. Those in charge of this project encourage seeding for maximum protection.
The creation of the Forêt des Landes
The seeding of hundreds of thousands of hectares remained unfinished in the mid-19th century. In fact, almost 700,000 hectares behind the dunes remained to be developed. A reclamation of the plains was necessary to continue the expansion of the future forest. It was under Napoleon III that the work of seasoning and seeding was put into practice. The result was the Forêt des Landes as we know it today.
A forest in two
We usually talk about the forests of the Bassin d’Arcachon. In fact, two coastal forests coexist on the Bassin territory: the Teste-de-Buch forest and the Lège-et-Garonne forest. Lège-et-Garonne forest. These two forest massifs face each other on either side of the Bassin d’Arcachon. Planted almost 200 years ago, these forests alone cover more than 6,000 hectares. The forests of the Bassin d’Arcachon stretch over 190 kilometers in length, making this the largest dune forest massif in Europe. Discover the wonders of the Bassin d’Arcachon by exploring the forests of the Bassin d’Arcachon. During the summer months, over 1.5 million visitors a year visit the forest area’s points of interest, its beaches and famous dunes, such as the Dune du Pilat.
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