Botanical Trail of Cervières

Landmark 32You arrive here in a forest plot that we name diversified: - In species: several species of trees are present and in particular some hardwoods - In age class: trees of all diameters are present. - In structure: with a treed floor (large trees), a shrub floor (bushes) and a herbaceous floor. In the end, logging in the mountains aims at diversifying the stands and thus promoting local biodiversity.

You arrive here at the end of the botanical path which is concretized by a reading of geological landscape on the ground. This application provides another vision by comparing past landscapes with those of today. We notice that the forest has gained ground, which has been the case for the whole of France for several decades. This phenomenon, mainly related to agricultural abandonment (particularly in the mountains), has recently stopped.

Landmark 4On one of the trees around you you can see a number painted in red on a white background. This is a ";cupboard ;"delimiting the edge of a communal forest plot managed by the NFB. Every 20 or 30 years, an exploitation takes place in this sector. A Natura 2000 zone is therefore not an environmental encapsulation but tries to reconcile human activities and sustainable management of biodiversity. In fact, strains and very young pines testify to the silvicultural activity.

Landmark 9You have just crossed a stony area in a bowl. This is the flow channel of a torrential lava. During violent rains, the scree is loaded with water and sometimes starts moving. The flow carries a lot of elements and can be very fast. Beware of the storms! On the opposite side, other channels of torrential lava are visible. They can also be used by avalanches in winter. Look for them! Here we see the role of protecting the soil of the forest.

Landmark 11The rocky peaks overlooking you are made of a special vacuolar rock: the cargneule. These cells (or "holes") are formed by the melting of the dolomite constituting the initial rock. This melting is due to acidified waters by the dissolution of gypsum in the immediate vicinity. Since the appearance of these cavities, today, the rainwater continues the erosive work and facilitate the creation of caves: the "balmes" or the "balms".

Landmark 29 Going along the slope, the path is oriented in the North direction Thus, climate change occurs: more cold, more moisture, more persistent snow .. The vegetation responds by adapting. The hooked pine gives way to pine cembro and larch Europe which tolerate more cold. A few sorb trees, enjoying the humidity, make their appearance. The cold mountain slopes facing north are called Ubacs and are different from the sunnier Adrets.