16 apr 2020
EcoTree foresters are working hard while the world remains on pause
Despite Coronavirus putting many countries on lockdown, our foresters have been able to continue their work.
Despite Coronavirus putting many countries on lockdown, our foresters have been able to continue their work. Because we keep our operations local, our supply chains are not disrupted and we continue to source and transport seedlings and small trees grown in nearby nurseries to our future forests.
Tree planting in Louargat and Ploërdut during Covid-19
“We have just finished planting five hectares in the Louargat forest in the Côtes d’Armor and we will be planting six hectares in Ploërdut in Morbihan next”, Vianney tells us on the phone. These two forest areas were in poor condition when EcoTree acquired the land recently. The Louargat and Ploërdut projects are both reforestation of declining forest areas that need resources and sustainable forestry management expertise to help these forests flourish again. This is exactly what Vianney and his forestry team have been doing by initiating the replanting of the areas.
Although the delivery of the seedlings was delayed, due to the lockdown in France, our local plant nursery partners were able to organise transportation for the small trees to enable both projects to continue on time. "We are extremely happy that our work hasn’t been delayed due to the severe circumstances," Vianney says, “the benefit of working with local nurseries really comes to our advantage these days”. In the Louargat and Ploërdut forests, we are planting douglas, red oak, chestnut, Scots pine, which will bring new life to the areas.
Finally, a plantation of new trees in the Cleden-Poher forest is taking place here in April. This is a 10 hectare area situated in the department of Finistère in Bretagne. This planting will consist of an even bigger variety of species because the concerned land areas are located dispersed and bring a variety of conditions that allow for a more varied set of tree species.
The Corona-virus doesn't stop our forestry team
The whole forestry team of planters are all here and on the job, and so far there haven’t been any major delays of the plant deliveries. “There haven't been any major obstacles to our planned forestry management activities so far”, Vianney tells us and further clarifies that insofar there won’t be any further confinement measures taken by the French government, the planting work should continue as scheduled. It is in times of crisis that people become fully aware of the invaluable work carried out by our local craftsmen and workers. We are lucky not to have any transport constraints because our plants come from local nurseries close to the forests that we manage and own. We are lucky enough to be planting right here in France and not on the other side of the world, where the logistics of such operations might have been far more complicated in these times of crisis. “Most of our forestry management work will begin at the end of April, and the forestry team is both excited and ready to get started!”, Vianney tells us. There is not much to do during winter apart from a few thinnings. There is however still a timber carrier working in some of our forests in Pleyben. We are currently working on improving and building more sustainable conditions in this particular forest.
And this is how our forests thrive and are developed even in these difficult times so that your trees grow for the greater good.
