Channay forest

The Channay forest grows in sandy terrain, where the soils drain and retain water poorly. In these conditions, very few tree species can survive. We acquired this forest at the same time as the Malicorne-sur-Sarthe forest, mainly planted with maritime pine trees, about 30 years old.
The long-term plan is for our foresters to promote natural regeneration and gradually introduce diverse species as they are thinning the forests.

A thinning of the maritime pines was carried out shortly before we acquired the forest, and we made another thinning in 2023. The next thinnings will take place in 2028 and 2034. The thinnings have already made it possible to improve the quality of the forestry stand. The pine trees are slender, relatively straight and prune naturally.

The Channay forest borders fallow on both sides of the forest, a large open space and is surrounded by gorse and broom that are great food resources for wild pollinators such as bees and butterflies. We plan to plant honey hedges at the forest edge, too, to encourage the presence of these wild pollinators. An Index of Biodiversity Potential (IBP) established that the biodiversity potential of the land is low but not non-existent.
Because of the low biodiversity potential, we plan to diversify the forest and increase the presence of sizeable dead wood, consequently increasing the potential for biodiversity. We have also begun to mark den trees, hoping to find hundreds of them in the area, that can increase the presence of wild pollinators, bats, birds, and moss. We also want to install nesting boxes and habitats for wild pollinators and follow their progress over the first five years.