The Col des Ayes

The Bois des Ayes is home to a number of remarkable habitats, including a cembra forest with trees between 400 and 600 years old. Including the Biological Reserve, this Natura 2000 site plays an important role in bird protection.The currently known birdlife comprises 87 species, including 76 species that use the site during the nesting period. The site is of particular interest to the Eurasian pygmy owl, as well as the Tengmalm's owl and the black grouse. There are also species that nest outside the perimeter but visit the site to feed, particularly during the breeding season: the golden eagle, the short-toed eagle, and the honey buzzard. Two remarkable entities are listed: - A group of Swiss stone pine and larch forests and pure Swiss stone pine forests (among the most beautiful in the French Alps). In the lower part of the forest, Swiss stone pine or Swiss stone pine mixes with larch, while at higher altitudes, Swiss stone pine becomes increasingly abundant, forming a pure Swiss stone pine forest above 2,100 meters. Some Swiss stone pines can reach 600 years of age and often have distinctive candelabra shapes. - A supra-forest zone in the southeastern half, peaking at 2,779 meters. This area includes a diverse mix of alpine heaths and grasslands, scree slopes, and rocky ridges. The whole area constitutes a high-quality mid- and high-mountain landscape, characteristic of the southwestern intra-Alpine massifs (Mediterranean-type mountain climate, with relative summer dryness). Sources: inpn.mnhn.fr/docs/natura2000/fsdpdf/FR9312021