Delphine Schiltz, edited by Julien Moreau 18:14 pm, March 21, 2023

Denis Hemmer has been working for 35 years for the National Forestry Office, and takes care of that of Montmorency, in the Paris region, where chestnut trees suffering from ink disease had to be slaughtered. The NFB has taken the initiative to plant new trees with the ambition of creating the forest of tomorrow.

Because of global warming, a disease has developed in a massif in Montmorency in the Val-d'Oise, ink disease. As a result, the chestnut trees that made up 80% of the massif were cut down. The National Forestry Office decided not to let itself be defeated and took the initiative to plant new trees to invent the forest of tomorrow.

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Bet on oak

Denis Hemmer, a forestry technician at the National Forestry Office for 35 years, proudly observes the shoots that painfully stick out of the ground, one every two meters, surrounded by a black plastic sheath like a breastplate. This is to protect the buds that deer love. "It makes rows of plants, a little like soldiers who are there to regenerate the forest," reports Denis Hemmer at the microphone of Europe 1.

To replace diseased chestnut trees, the NFB opted for oak, a solid variety. "Oak is heat resistant well. It is a tree that maintains itself well. We see that the oaks are beautiful, they have grown well and make very important increases, "he adds.

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The NFB wants to promote biodiversity

"We know that in 150 to 200 years, our children and grandchildren will see big oak trees. And that's wonderful," concludes Denis Hemmer. The National Forestry Office has replaced 10% of the chestnut tree area since the 1980s and to promote biodiversity, it also plants cherry, trade winds and pines.