Environmental Issues

Whilst a tree surgeon or arborist aims to provide services that uphold tree preservation and the conservation of woodlands via tree diagnosis and various skilled procurement methods, the ethos of the woodsman or logger is still to protect the environment but with more emphasis on a commercial background and approach.The aim of these woodland foresters is to replant and reproduce mass plantations and regenerate wood substance in a cyclic manner to sell in abundance.

Pine trees are often chosen specifically due to its furniture making properties, its fast growth, and sustainability. This permits loggers, lumberjacks or woodsmen to profit on reforesting projects in mass production whilst protecting the environment.

Italian, German and British pine furniture manufacturers source a vast majority of raw wood materials from certain areas of France as the produce can be easliy shipped in the European Union.

Just outside of the Dordogne region are vast pine forests.

Planted in strategic rows, the average growth duration of pine trees lasts between 10-20 years before they reach the full maturity that the furniture making industry demands so much. The pine tree are planted in close proximity to one another (usually it is common to see pine trees growing no further than 5-6 feet from its neighbouring trees in a grid like formation.) This maximises space in the area.

Specific trees are chosen for felling when ready. Habitually, after ten/fifteen or so years every other tree is cut down with new pine seedlings replanted in its place. Although the very first harvest will often be less profitable than those ensuing, this technique allows the remaining batch of pines to reach greater maturity and grow greater girth around the trunks.
(In France, pine trees are commonly priced up purely on the diameter of the trunk and not so much on its height.)

Enough space has been created in the forest for the remaining pines to develop whilst providing an adequate cultivating environment for the seedlings to become adult ready for their next logging session in 20-30 years.

In the year 2001 a huge storm and tornado swept the south of France uprooting almost immeasurable amounts of trees in woodlands and forests alike.

It was a huge natural disaster that severely damaged the agriculture of the wood industry immensely. Considerable measures were used to recover any loss caused by this random act of deforestation. Retrieval of profits and tree product was paramount in every wood tradesmens mind, so too was the importance of re-nourishing the pines man-made habitats back to their former glory. This caused an influx of raw log materials being sold to furniture manufacturers. This influx saw a lessening of demand as resources were so vast. Inevitably this led to price lowering. Comprimisations were made, wood was sold to communities and bought by local companies for value prices. Insight of this many woodsmen held on to their stock, hoping prices in the furniture trade would rise. Unfortunately many foresters abided their time for too long – the wood was over seasoned and rendered useless to the furniture industry. In these cases the only monetary worth was to stock the produce and use it as firewood supply.

Since this time Government grants and help from tree contractors, tree surgeons, arborists and foresters have provided enough resource and workforce to help restore great amounts of this tree devastation. However at the date of this article, one can still witness and visualise the full magnificent force of the disaster with the destruction of snapped trunks, uprooted trees and huge quantities of brash that often still lie on the forest beds.

Notice the uniform spacing of the trees in this small sized pine tree

plantation
overlooking a lake in the ‘foret de la
double’
near Perigueux

in the south of France.

Article written by Wychwood Forestry Tree Surgeons