Ruillé forest

The Ruillé forest, located in the Sarthe department, stands near the Romanesque church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul (12th century) and the magnificent "l'Aurière Manor", not far from the ferruginous (iron-bearing) springs that have made the municipality famous, also known for its "Jasnières" vintage wine. It predominantly comprises Common Oak and Chestnut, although Beech and Hornbeam also grow here. The Dauvers stream borders the forest to the west. Vines and troglodyte caves surround it below. The GR 35 hiking trail crosses its southern part.
This territory, bordered by the Loir River, is rich in vineyards and limestone hillsides. From a geological standpoint, 75% of the forest grows on continental detrital formations of uncertain age. The rainfall in the area is sufficient (≈730 mm/year).

Since our takeover, we have been carrying out staddling operations on our oak and chestnut stands. This forestry operation consists of carefully selecting and marking the best trees to encourage their growth and help them reach their full potential. ​​
To complete this selection work, approximately 1/3 of the area will be covered. The transition from simple coppice to irregular high-forest, as outlined in the management plan, is well underway.

The Ruillé forest is home to a rich biodiversity, which we are committed to preserving and enhancing. It features a forest pond, a cave, and a vineyard, all elements conducive to diverse fauna and flora. We carried out an Index of Potential Biodiversity (IBP) and marked several den trees for wildlife. During the ornithological inventories we carried out, we identified eighteen species, one of which (the wood warbler) is of significant conservation concern and risk. We have also conducted a chiropteran inventory and plan to apply for the Wildlife Estates label for this forest. The Temporal Monitoring of Common Birds (STOC) programme designed by the French National Museum of Natural History, the French Bird Protection League (LPO) and the French Biodiversité Office (OFB) uses this forest as a listening point to assess spatial and temporal variations in the abundance of breeding populations of common birds.
The diverse floral biodiversity of the forest includes many species such as holly, hawthorn, climbing ivy, wild strawberry, butcher's broom, common polypody, sweet spurge, hazel trees, checker trees, field maples…
Finally, there are many large rocks, tree stumps, dead wood on the ground (10 to 15/20 cm in diameter), windthrows, standing dead trees (10 to 15 cm in diameter) and numerous micro-habitats that provide a habitat for various species, for example, woodpeckers.