Save the Pilat forests

The Robin du Bois association works to promote alternative forest management that excludes clear-cutting in the Pilat region, particularly if this practice is followed by single-species reforestation. It encourages irregular forest management, which enhances the multifunctional nature of the forest, both ecologically (biodiversity and ecosystem services) and socially (leisure activities and landscapes).

Through the "Save the Pilat forests" project, Robin du Bois aims to combat the industrial rationalisation of forestry by purchasing plots of land and applying sustainable management principles that respect ecosystems and their biodiversity. The project involves the acquisition over a ten-year period of 100 hectares of plots under a 99-year Obligation Réelle Environnementale (ORE) or Real Environmental Obligation contract. These hectares will be managed by Robin du Bois for a period of five to ten years (to respect the time of the forests and assess their evolution). At the end of this period, they are sold to new owners who must follow the guidelines of the ORE contract. The proceeds from these sales are invested in the purchase of new plots of forest to start the cycle again.

Uneven-aged forest management, which is gradually being introduced by the Robin du Bois association, is helping to create forests that are more resistant to disease and attacks by pests, and more resilient in the face of climate change. The project favours natural regeneration, which allows the tree species that adapt most easily to climate change to take over from the others.

The project also aims to raise awareness and educate landowners, pupils and the general public. It offers training courses and visits to show the different ways in which a forest plot can be managed, and to demonstrate an example of sustainable management that combines economic profitability with the conservation and even enhancement of biodiversity and other services provided by the forest.