La forêt dans les régions occidentales de la Loire Moyenne

Abstract

This document presents the results of a 25-year study ont the western medium section of the Loire valley, a dense forest area thanks to acid or wet soils on sands or boulder clays. In chapter one, the author describes the main forest associations, the climatic, pedological and stational climaxes, and he deals with the forestal evolution of the main heathlands. Then, thanks to methods of landscape archeology, the author analyses the evolution of the Loire forest over the past 2000 years. Chapter three deals with new dynamics such as the emergence of intensive and darnaging tree-growing, the introduction of coniferous trees, and wild life changes. As a conclusion, the author calls for a more rational management of the forest area.