Site:DS29
REINFFORCE - Arboretum - La Chapoulie
Municipality: Saint Martin le Pin
Region: Aquitaine
Country: France
Website: http://www.crpfaquitaine.fr/index.php
Partner in charge of the site: IDF-CNPF
Responsible name: Amélie Castro
Site characteristics
Altitude (m): 271
Topography: crest-top
Orientation: FLAT
Slope (%): 1.0
Hydrology: the site is situated in the river basin of the stream Ruisseau de Combas, a small left bank tributary of the river La Doue. The demonstration site is located at 200 m east from the stream.
Soil type: CAMBISOLS
Soil sub-type: dystric-eutric
Parent rock: acid to intermediate plutonic rocks
PH: 5.0
Climate
Average temperature (°C): 11.8
Average precipitation (mm): 1056
Number of frost days: 69
Reference period for climatic data: 1971-2000
History of the site
MAIN SYLVICULTURAL OPTION DEMONSTRATED : Gradual transformation of existing forest stand in critical conditions, in order to mitigate the effects of global change. The department of Dordogne presents large areas of coppice, mainly of chestnut tree or oaks. Among those stands, quite a lot are of mediocre quality, growing from ageing and exhausted stumps. Furthermore, the sensitivity to drought is likely to increase with the global climatic changes. Those stands must be replaced if we want to maintain an interesting production capacity. A complete transformation (clear-cut, stump removal and full planting) would be far too expensive in most cases. Thus, the objective as part of the REINFFORCE project is to try out a gradual transformation technique by planting drought-tolerant forest species in strips within the coppice stand. LOCATION AND SIZE: Dordogne (Saint Martin le Pin) Site of Saint Martin le Pin on acid soil: 3 ha of which 1 ha with sessile oak, 1 ha with cedar and 1 ha with Corsican pine. As a comparison, another site has been installed in the same department of Dordogne (Lamonzie Montastruc) on a calcareous soil, using Atlas Cedar and Black Pine (Pinus nigra sp. laricio var. calabrica). STAND AND SITE DESCRIPTION Bad quality chestnut tree coppice with a few common oak standards, damaged in 1999 by the "Martin" tempest. 