Berné 3 forest

The Berné 3 forest is located in the hinterland of Brittany, in the north west of France. This plantation dates back to 1991, and has long suffered from a lack of management. The site has been recognised as a type II Natural Zone of Interest for Ecology, Fauna and Flora (ZNIEFF). EcoTree acquired the forest in January 2021.
Since then, a number of forestry initiatives have been implemented to improve the forest's reforestation and move it towards sustainable management using irregular high-forest with different species such as Douglas firs, maritime pines, and red oaks.

As soon as management was taken over, the plot was planted with Douglas firs and maritime pines over 5 hectares, to which an accompanying species, red oak, was added. The plantations were cleared at the end of the year to encourage growth and improve the quality of the stand. A replanting operation was also carried out on the entire plot, following major losses due to drought in the summer of 2022.
In 2023, Trico, a natural repellent was sprayed on the pine and Douglas fir trees to protect the plants from deer attacks. The red oak and California redwood plantations were also replanted.
In the coming years, further replanting and clearings will be carried out to ensure that the plot is properly managed. The saplings will also be treated regularly with Trico.

To promote biodiversity in the forest, 24 beehives have been installed. The hives were monitored by BeeOdiversity in order to track their development and that of the existing biodiversity in the forest. In addition, a honey hedge was planted during 2022.