Lhe forest of La Teste-de-Buch has become this summer the symbol of the Gironde on fire, but also an emblem of resistance, these 3,800 hectares of used forest allow the inhabitants of the town, who have been there for more than ten years, to used as firewood or construction wood for their homes. Forest management rules that go back for the oldest to the Middle Ages. The last in France, whose status would have remained unnoticed if the July fires (6,000 hectares burned) had not called its management and security into question. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been told that this forest can’t burn thanks to its undergrowth of oaks, strawberry trees and ferns that keep the humidity in. However, we have seen that this is false since the fire still caught, ”explains Patrick Davet, mayor of the town, a local child.
Since then, he has firmly decided to take matters into his own hands: “We have to manage our forest differently. The arsonist or the accident will always exist, but it must no longer be able to burn so much. On the side of the National Forestry Office, like some local residents, it is estimated that the fire would never have taken such proportions if the user part had been better maintained. We are talking here about roads laid out to let firefighters and the DFCI (Defense of forests against fire) pass or effective firewalls in the event of a problem. The proposed developments aroused the hostility of the three associations of forest users.
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Daniel has lived for a long time on the edge, in the Cazaux district. “It is no longer maintained at all, whereas before there were resin workers who came to work in the woods, maintained by opening paths, cleaning, taking a few animals. Since the loom has disappeared (turpentine has become synthetic), no one takes charge of this essential work. For the moment, it is impossible to reach the members of Addufu, one of the associations of forest users, known for its strong resistance to the change of status.
New project
Never mind, following Emmanuel Macron’s visit after the fires, Patrick Davet requested an audience at the Élysée, determined to change things, in particular to revoke the customary laws that date of the Middle Ages. Received Wednesday, September 14 by two special advisers, he returned with a new project whose outlines remain to be defined: “I do not question the rights of use, but the management. The city must be the arbiter, say where to put the firewalls and ensure the maintenance of the massif and the paths so that the firefighters can at least circulate. We are therefore thinking of a special status which does not yet exist and which would consist in recovering the management of the forest while trying to preserve the rights of use. Everything remains to be written. »
It is a principle of freedom and a sentimental attachment to the forest.
While crossing this hard-to-practice forest, a couple of retirees pause on the size of the trunks, the burnt branches, the overall relief. They have been both inhabitants of La Teste since 1975, therefore in fact users, and forest owners on the side of Landiras, another forest which burned down this summer (they lost 60 hectares): “I am on both sides of the fence . The coming of users seems completely normal to me. Look at these dead pines, there are some that are already useless and good to burn, but others that can still be beautiful to cut. On the other hand, it must be done within two months, otherwise they will turn blue and it will be over. Managing a forest is a very complex business. »
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The town hall speaks of 200 to 300 cubic meters – the figures are vague – of timber taken per year for construction, and much less for dead wood used for heating. The house of the walking couple, dating from 1860, was built with wood from La Teste. They come to walk there without picking up even a branch for their personal use: “It’s a principle of freedom and a sentimental attachment to the forest. And Patrick Davet concludes: “Everyone recognizes himself in the right of use. It is a trademark. Do we necessarily use it? No, but we know we can do it. »