Forest of Retz

The forest of Retz is a domanial Forêt of the Aisne in the shape of crescent whose Villers-Cotterêts would be the center. It is located at 80 km in the North-East of Paris. It is one of largest the massive forest French of approximately 13 000 ha.

The forest of Retz: Noblest forest the “and best planted Kingdom”, and thus described very well in the files

The forest of Retz belongs to the whole of large the hêtraies of Picardy (chain of national forests intersected with private forests). This forest, so called forest of Villers-Cotterêts, has a surface of 13023 hectares.

History of the site

Fig. n° 1: Localization of the forest of Retz (IFN)

One of its characteristics is that contrary to other French forest spaces where forest cover is in general not static, its contours when with them evolved only hardly /moved during the centuries. In the same way, the management style in grove goes back to 1672, and did not change since.

Immense royal forest of Sylvanectes to the field: first steps of installation in forest of Retz

At the time of Jules César, the forest of Retz belongs to the immense forest of Sylvanectes which extended from Louvres until the medium of the department of Aisne. Gradually it will be parcelled out with the favor of many clearings. It is only in XIIe century that Retz is a distinct unit. It belongs then to the Counts de Valois. It is an immense forest which extends from Retheuil, Chaudin and Buzancy to the Marne. During the centuries according to (XIIe, XIIIe and XIVe), she knows important clearings due to the strong growth of the population in this end of the Middle Ages. In 1214, the forest is annexed to the field of Philippe Auguste, then king de France. It will dictate the first known royal decree concerning this forest on attributions of guards of forest field. The administration of the forest is then under the responsibility of the governor of the castles of Villers-Cotterêts and Vivières. Forest agents, called sergeants of the king, manage the forest in coppice under grove and grove, and supervise the rights of use, the cuts… In 1346, Philippe VI of Valois created the first forest code by the ordinance of Brunoy. This text gives birth to the first special administration of the forests with the birth of the body of the Masters of National Forestry Commission. It installs in Retz the first Master of the kingdom. XVe century and the One hundred year old War mark one black period for the forest and the castle. In 1499, the forest returns in prerogative to François de Valois, future François 1st. The King who appreciates much this forest, made there many work and installations: creation of the harbor office of huntings of Villers-Cotterêts, boring of the first thin layers, rebuilding of the castle of Villers-Cotterêts, construction of important works of collectings of the sources to feed out of water the castle and the borough. In addition, it sets up a more rational management of the forest where the rights of use are regulated better and repressed robbers. In 1564, Catherine de Médicis prescribes the drain partial of Ourcq in order to facilitate the flow of the products of the forest by the floatation of wood or transport in the barge to Paris. This installation requires the creation of tanks in the forest (pond of Ramée, Corcy, Roy…) and of system of rus of floatation and locks. The wood of Retz is consequently easily marketable. In 1573, the first payment of exploitation is decided: the possibility by capacity is authorized up to 100 arpents per annum for wood approximately some 225 years old. But it will not be really applied, indeed the wars require much more cuts. Henry IV will be the last king to be remained with the castle of Villers-Cotterêts. In 1630, Louis XII gives it, with the forest, in prerogative with his Gaston brother of Orleans. It will remain possession of the house of Orleans until 1848, except between 1791 and 1814 when it returns to the national field. From 1642 to 1645, important irreversible cuts, which divide the forest into two whole of distinct treatment, are practiced. Two miles hectares of grove disappear forever on the level from what is called the Bushes, zone peripheral of the forest (Bush of Tillet of Genevroye, Walligny, Tail of Ham, Borny, Cresnes and Hautwison). They are replaced by more or less degraded settlements of coppice under grove.

First great installation dictates the shape of the forest until our days

In August 1669, the Ordinance of National Forestry Commission of Colbert regulates for the first time the management of French forest spaces: they were to be made up of at least a quarter of their surface in groves. Following this publication Pierre Lallemand d' Estrée, adviser of the king, is made with the reformation of Retz which is then regarded as noblest forest the “and best planted kingdom”. After a meticulous study, the payment of reformation is approved on November 16th, 1672. It envisages the limitation of the right of use and sets up a new regulation of exploitation. The forest which makes twelve miles hectares then will be managed in mature standing timbers of oaks and beeches having some 150 years revolutions. At the time of the cuts it is decided to maintain ten scaffold-poles per arpent. During second half of the XVIIIe century, the family of Orleans makes carry out many work of which the completion of the boring of all the principal current thin layers. After the revolution of 1789, the forest is placed under the authority of the Director of the Recording with Laon. Retz becomes a domanial forest field, and thus escapes from the appropriation by the population and its cutting. In 1801 the Inspection of Villers-Cotterêts is created, whose first inspector Mr Deviolaine undertakes important work of afforestation and introduced new species. In 1814, after the fall of the empire, the field is restored at the house of Orleans until 1830 dates in which it is incorporated in the field of the crown to the service of the civil list of the King. Until 1847, large taking away are carried out, which involves a fast and sensitive decapitalisation. Put aside a fifth of its surface still intact, the forest then is strongly degraded by the many ones perforated. At certain places, it is made up of young gasolines, the old trees have almost all disappeared, It then has a renovated aspect. In February 1848, the forest returns to the State after the fall of monarchy, and is managed by the administration since then of National Forestry Commission. Between 1852 and 1865 of many work are undertaken under the impulse of the Inspector Fliche (construction of forest houses, macadamization of the roads, delimitation of the solid mass, creation of seedbeds, plantations, digging of ditches of cleansing in the grounds gorged with water). In addition, in 1861, a great change takes place: the Paris railway - Soisson is built involving parallel to the ruin of the river transport, an increase in the competitiveness of the forest products of Retz.

Great installations with the budgetary restrictions

In 1864, after ten years of studies and contreverses, the new project of installation established by Lorentz and Alain are approved. It is to some extent a scientific organization of the forest which is born: its territory is divided into fifteen series divided into two sections (the first including/understanding two series of coppice under grove which correspond to the close-cropped cuts dating from the XVIIe century, and the second made up of the thirteen series of regular grove having a 150 years revolution). This project poses also the rules of culture to be observed with regard to the cuts of improvement and regeneration. In 1886, after the two important storms of 1872 and 1876, a revision of the project of 1864 is undertaken keeping as a whole the same orientations. From 1900, one notes a decline for the forest of Retz probably which had, above all, with the reduction in the appropriations and the personnel which were granted to him. This tendency leads the foresters to reconsider the installation whose too strict bases were still those of 1864. In 1903, Mr Duchaufour sets up the policy which is always places from there at the present time. He decides the modification of compartmental in the fifteen series of groves which becomes more regular, to the comparable forms (approximately thirty hectares), having a composition as homogeneous as possible, and sets up single and mobile natural resowing. War 14-18 as well creates large damage for the ground as for the settlements (fig. n° 2). In 1918, the north of the forest of Retz is marked by important combat. More than thousand hectares are completely destroyed and four thousand hectares are sifted balls. The great brittleness of the sifted trees of balls makes them more vulnerable to the strong gales.

Fig. n° 2: The forest of Retz ransacked by the shells in 1918: photo catch in North East of the forest, in the sixth series (unknown Author, 1918).

In addition as from 1933, certain pieces of spruces of the forest are reached by ravageurs (as private individuals of the insects). It is a new and completely renovated forest which appears with the beginning of the year 1940. But the Second world war involves an excessive overexploitation of the forest because of an increased request of the Germans then Allies, as well as population of the Paris and its suburbs for the supply firewood. The state of the forest thus is very degraded at the exits of the war, because of the many ones perforated and of problems of regeneration. During the time of after war, the principal Engineer of National Forestry Commission Donon thus launch a revision of installation. It decides the maintenance of the framework of the reform of 1903, the reduction in the duration of revolution which passes from 150 years to 135 years, the increase in the possibility of the cuts of regeneration, and the launching of programs of artificial plantation.

The History of this forest is thus marked by a whole old succession of projects of installation which worked it. The influence of the foresters on the morphology of the forest is very important there. That is not undoubtedly to neglect in the study which interests us, that of the vulnerability of the forest pieces to the strong gales.

Fauna

Among the birds the most remarkable nicheurs, reproduce on the site the black Gobemouche.

See too

the Forest of Compiegne, with less than 5 km in the North-West
National office of the forests

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