In early February, Storm Nils felled a large number of trees on the other side of the road and near the river, as several witnesses, including Richard Féret, observed. This is leading to two clear-cuts in our forest:
Clear-cut completed
The photo below shows a 1.8-hectare clear-cut carried out in our Douglas fir forest on the other side of the road.
Right after Storm Nils, our engineer Gaëtan Dubus came to assess the damage. In the Douglas firs toward the parking lot, the storm created an opening of about 1 hectare where 80% of the trees are on the ground or tangled like pickup sticks.
Across the entire plot, 10 to 15% of the trees are on the ground. Gaëtan proposed a cut to clear the fallen timber and the trees knocked down by the wind. Because of the size of its equipment and the condition of the plot, the company did not really have any other viable options than to carry out a clear-cut. The cut was approved urgently by the board. Gaëtan then came back a second time to provide an estimate. The cut was then carried out very quickly, following the plan shown below.
The boundary was set by marking the trees, which Gaëtan carried out by following the impact line of the wind corridor along the plot, shown in pinkish orange on the plan. This cut brought in 60,000 euros. Gaëtan moved quickly to secure the logging company, since it was going to be in high demand after this hurricane.
We can therefore be grateful to him for his exemplary responsiveness. The timber on the ground did in fact have real value, and it would no longer have had any if we had waited too long.
Clear-cut in preparation
Gaëtan proposed a third clear-cut, also approved by the board, for the Douglas fir plot along the river, to the right of the bridge as you leave the temple. Its logging is delicate. Gaëtan Dubus has started the process with the DREAL, which, given the protected site and the river, is expected to be a complex procedure with a response time of 6 months.
Cladding for the prefabricated buildings
Richard Féret negotiated for some of this wood to be cut into boards, so that in the future we can gradually insulate a large part of our buildings and improve their appearance.
At summer camp, you will be sure to see these stacks of boards stored near each building concerned. The insulation is being done with vertical cladding on 700 m² of wall. Vertical, because it uses less wood, allows ventilation, and is self-cleaning.
