It has now been over a month since the Dune du Pilat reopened to visitors. The site of the highest dune in Europe – 106 m high – had closed in July due to the gigantic fire of the neighboring forest. Once at the top, it’s a shock. The colors and contrasts from the mouth of the basin to Cap Ferret are magnificent. But the wounds left by the fire are striking.
The slope of the dune which overlooks the forest is stained in places with traces of soot and the pines show their scorched tops. In total, nearly 7,000 hectares of vegetation burned at La Teste-de-Buch.
To read : More than 2500 years ago, the Dune du Pilat was inhabited
The National Forestry Office has started an emergency mission to map the burnt patches of forest. Ground and drone surveys will make it possible to analyze the state of biodiversity and prepare for reseeding.