The Forest of Tronçais (french: Forêt de Tronçais, ) is a national forest comprising in the

Allier Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after ...

department of central France. It is managed by the

National Forests Office The National Forests Office (french: Office national des forêts), or ONF, is a Government of France agency that manages the state forests, city forests and biological reserves. ONF is based in Paris. The office is responsible for the sustaina ...

(ONF). Its oaks, planted by

Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...

's minister

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the country ...

to supply the French Navy, constitute one of the principal stands of oaks in Europe. Within the forest boundaries are the communes of

Braize Braize () is a commune in the Allier department in central France. Geography At its widest point, the commune is 8 km across, stretching from the Cher department to the Rond des Landes Blanches. It lies in a valley oriented east and we ...

, Cérilly,

Isle-et-Bardais Isle-et-Bardais () is a commune in the Allier department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Allier department The following is a list of the 317 communes of the Allier department of France. Intercommunalities ...

, Le Brethon,

Meaulne-Vitray Meaulne-Vitray () is a commune in the department of Allier, central France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Meaulne (the seat) and Vitray. History In an effort to guarantee the maintenanc ...

, Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais, Urçay and Valigny. It is mainly made up of sessile oak. It also contains of ponds and is deemed by many as the most beautiful oakwood in Europe.ONF (juillet 2011
La sylviculture du chêne à Tronçais La sylviculture du chêne à Tronçais
(document distribué à l'occasion d'une visite lors de l'assemblée générale de la Société des amis de la forêt de Tronçais

Geography

The Forest of Tronçais is located in the (INF) of Boischaut et Champagne Berrichonne. The forest constitutes the most part of the massif du Tronçais, a

highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

region which spans about and is part of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

. The massif is located in the

department of the

Bourbonnais Bourbonnais () was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponds to the modern ''département'' of Allier, along with part of the ''département'' of Cher. Its capital was Moulins. History The title of the ruler of Bourbonnais ...

region. The oakwood spans the communes of

(776 ha), Cérilly, Allier (1,788 ha), Couleuvre (405 ha),

(2,788 ha), Le Brethon (1,400 ha), Meaulne (112 ha), Saint-Bonnet-Tronçais (1,176 ha), Urçay (343 ha), Valigny (17 ha) and

Vitray Vitray () is a former commune in the Allier department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Meaulne-Vitray.

Geology

The forest is located on the southern limit of the

Paris Basin The Paris Basin is one of the major geological regions of France. It developed since the Triassic over remnant uplands of the Variscan orogeny (Hercynian orogeny). The sedimentary basin, no longer a single drainage basin, is a large sag in th ...

, on varied substrates (from the

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Works ...

to the

quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). It follows the Neogene Period and spans from 2.58 million year ...

eras). Most of the forest is located on sandstone or clay from the

triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest per ...

period.

Bodies of water

Two rivers cross the massif: the and its tributary the . The Marmande is a tributary of the

Cher Cher (; born Cherilyn Sarkisian; May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Often referred to by the media as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, "Goddess of Pop", she has been described as embodying female ...

which feeds the

Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...

. There are also five ponds (french: l'étang, link=no, italics=yes): * L'étang de Saint-Bonnet (44 ha) – This natural pond was enlarged at the end of the 18th century to sustain the level of l'étang de Morat. * L'étang de Tronçais (18 ha) – On la Sologne, created in 1789 to provide energy to the

forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

s of Tronçais * L'étang de Morat (private) (13 ha) – On la Sologne, downstream of l'étang de Tronçais * L'étang de Saloup (private) (12 ha) – Upstream of l'étang de Tronçais * L'étang de Pirot (70 ha) – On la Marmande, this pond was in operation in 1848 to feed the

canal de Berry The Canal de Berry is a disused canal in France which links the Canal latéral à la Loire at Marseilles-lès-Aubigny with the Cher at Noyers rejoining the Loire near Tours. With a branch from Montluçon it provided of canal with locks wide f ...

via l'étang de Goule. Forêt de Tronçais Etang de PIROT

There are about 100 spring sources in the forest: File:Fontaine de Viljot.jpg, Image:Font_jarsaud.png,

Flora

The principal trees are sessile oak (''

Quercus petraea ''Quercus petraea'', commonly known as the sessile oak, Cornish oak, Irish Oak or durmast oak, is a species of oak tree native to most of Europe and into Anatolia and Iran. The sessile oak is the national tree of Ireland, and an unofficial embl ...

'') (73%), whose ancient name in French, ''tronce'', gave its name to the district. Other dominant species are

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

(''Fagus sylvatica'') (9%) and pedunculate oak ('' Q. robur'') (8%), with

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam ...

and

Scots pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US) or Baltic pine, is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orang ...

planted in the poorer soils. Trees are harvested on a rotation averaging 250 years. The massif plays an important role for

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

for many species on a national level. It also hosts many grove-like landscapes or ''paysages bocagers'' ( bocage bourbonnais, seasonal agropastoral bocage and permanent grassland landscape).DREAL Auvergne (2013
Prédiagnostic des continuités écologiques en Bourbonnais et Basse Combraille
/ref> Other nearby massifs include: * la Forêt des Colettes, north of the

Chouvigny Chouvigny (; oc, Chalvinhet) is a commune in the Allier department in central France. Population See also *Communes of the Allier department The following is a list of the 317 communes of the Allier department of France. Intercomm ...

gorges, spanning over 3,000 ha and which hosts a few rare and patrimonial breeds like the

Rosalia longicorn The Rosalia longicorn (''Rosalia alpina'') or Alpine longhorn beetle, is a large longicorn (family Cerambycidae) that is distinguished by its distinctive markings. Description The Rosalia longicorn is long. The antennae can be up to twice as ...

, the

great crested newt The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...

(protected species at European level) and the

yellow-bellied toad The yellow-bellied toad (''Bombina variegata'') belongs to the order Anura, the family Bombinatoridae, and the genus of fire-bellied toads. The toad is distributed mainly across western Europe as well as a handful of countries in eastern Europe ...

* la forêt de Bagnolet * la forêt de Messarges * la forêt de l'Espinasse * la forêt de Gros-Bois * la forêt de Civrais A number of oak specimens have been preserved for heritage. Among these are (pictured below): * Chêne carré (Square oak) circumference, more than 300 years old, parcel 215 * Chênes jumeaux (Twin oaks) circumference, more than 400 years old, parcel 137 * Chêne Sentinelle (Sentiel oak) circumference, more than 400 years old, parcel 136 File:Chêne carré.jpg, File:Chênes jumeaux.jpg, File:Chêne sentinelle.jpg,

Fauna

There are predators such as

common buzzard The common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') is a medium-to-large bird of prey which has a large range. A member of the genus '' Buteo'', it is a member of the family Accipitridae. The species lives in most of Europe and extends its breeding range acr ...

booted eagle The booted eagle (''Hieraaetus pennatus'', also classified as ''Aquila pennata'') is a medium-sized mostly migratory bird of prey with a wide distribution in the Palearctic and southern Asia, wintering in the tropics of Africa and Asia, with a ...

northern goshawk The northern goshawk (; ''Accipiter gentilis'') is a species of medium-large raptor in the family Accipitridae, a family which also includes other extant diurnal raptors, such as eagles, buzzards and harriers. As a species in the genus '' Acci ...

hen harrier The hen harrier (''Circus cyaneus'') is a bird of prey. It breeds in Eurasia. The term "hen harrier" refers to its former habit of preying on free-ranging fowl. It migrates to more southerly areas in winter. Eurasian birds move to southern Eur ...

, etc., and many breeds of bats. The diversity of insects is also very important, notably in the parcels of the old wood (i.e.: the Colbert Forest). Important populations of stag, roe and wild boor are regulated by hunting.

History

Roman era

The land was cleared and intensively cultivated under the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. 108 Roman habitations that have been discovered in the forest, most during recent decades. Roman manuring and fertilizing practices created a pocket of increased

, which has remained self-sustaining over two millennia and can be detected today.

Middle ages

''Tronçais'' is first recorded from the 13th century, in a document relating to the priory de la Bouteille. The forest was first owned by 14 nearby parishes, then yielded in 1327 to the

Duke of Bourbon Duke of Bourbon (french: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of ...

. The Forest of Tronçais has belonged to central power since 1527, when all land possessions were confiscated from the Constable of Bourbon by royal power.

Since 1670

The forest is not a relic of the primeval forest that once covered most of France, but was organized by

in 1670. With forethought for the requirements of the French Navy two hundred years hence, the Colbert Forest was planted as an oak grove. The oaks were interplanted with beeches and

larch Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains fur ...

es to encourage their growth for favourable timber for ship's masts: straight, tall, and free of knots. By the time the trees were fully mature, the navy was rapidly switching from sail to steam. The forest was diminished by the creation in 1788 of iron forges fed by charcoal from the forest, and by urgent cutting during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

and the Napoleonic period. The forest regenerated during the 19th century.

Management

The forest is divided into 442 parcels of sessile oak (95% of the surface) and

or black pine (5%).

Beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engl ...

and

are also present, along with

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The n ...

and checker tree. It is the only forest in France which is managed with harvesting of timber on a cycle exceeding 200 years.

The Colbert forest

The oldest trees are in the Colbert forest (french: la futaie Colbert, link=no). It is a parcel, in two pieces, the main stand in a regeneration from the end of the 17th century. These are classified as a directed biological reserve; lumber is no longer taken in order to favour

around deadwood and senescent trees. The Colbert high forest spanned in 1976, of which 60 ha were regenerated from 1976 to 2001.

Barrels

The oaks of Tronçais, representing some 80% of timber production, are prized for the barrels coopered for

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

and the great wines of Bordeaux. This is linked to several elements, found in other national forests of the Loire basin: *The age management in the high forest allows slender trees which are pruned naturally, leaving relatively few knots in the wood. *Due to the summer water deficit and the density of the stands, the wood grows slowly, providing a fine and regular grain to the wood. *The wood has a pink colour and a chemical composition appreciated in a raw (untreated) quality. Amongst the more famous coopers using the oaks of Tronçais is Dominique Laurent, who makes what are widely regarded as some of the world's finest barrels. These have been nicknamed "magic casks", by wine taster Michel Bettane. Laurent goes into the Tronçais forest to select the trees (typically around 300 years of age) and transports them to the cooperage himself, thus guaranteeing provenance. He uses the top section of the trunk, the staves are split by hand and air dried for 52 months. Due to hand splitting, the staves have a thickness of compared to commercial barrels at . The barrels were developed for Dominique Laurent, and Tardieu Laurent's top cuvees, but a few of the barrels are sold to French and international producers including DRC, Zind Humbrecht,

Clos Mogador Clos Mogador produces estate bottled wines in Gratallops, Catalonia in the DOQ Priorat. Founded in 1979 by René Barbier III and his wife, Isabelle Meyer, the winery was part of a new wave of "Clos" wineries that released their first joint 1989 ...

, Pingus and Beau Fréres. A limited number of barrels are exported to Australia where they are used by the boutique winemaker

Torbreck Torbreck is an Australian winery in the Barossa Valley, founded by David Powell in 1994. The winery was named one of the World's Top 100 Wine Estates by Robert Parker. The winery is named after a forest in Scotland where Powell worked as ...

for the making of shiraz.

Forest art

Sculpted trunks have been installed in the forest's clearings by the

(ONF) and the communes of Pays de Tronçais in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Notes

External links

Forest of Tronçais
on the website of the ''Office national des forêts'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Troncay, Forest of Forests of France Geography of Allier Tourist attractions in Allier Forest of Troncay