The magic of the forest at the heart of Les 3 Vallées

“Our major preoccupation is ensuring ecological continuity, in association with the ski lift operators. When an area is cleared beneath a chair lift, or to build a ski run, it can break up the natural habitat. Scattering the animal population leads to an erosion in biodiversity.

The ONF wants to stay one step ahead of building work. One solution is to build on existing runs or to carry out joint projects, for example, a cross-country ski trail might double up as a forest access road. Les 3 Vallées is home to specific zones, such as the Dent du Villard biological reserve. It’s a remarkable site, with a mountain pine grove growing on gypsum. The summit features several dissolution sinkholes with microclimates. In the spring, the forest is carpeted in lady’s slipper orchids.”

explains Véronique De Righi,
manager of Moûtiers Territorial Unit at the ONF.

A MONITORED FOREST

The forest is mostly made up of spruce trees. You’ll also find other varieties: larch, fir, pine… There are deciduous trees too, including green alder and ash in the area above Brides-les-Bains, as well as beech and even aspen.

“Sustainable management of the forest is entrusted to the ONF (National Forest Office), who organises the supply of quality lumber. This year, Les Allues sawmill produced over 200m³ of local timber, which was used for building structures and other construction work around the resort. The organisation’s employees also fulfil the role of watchkeepers, to preserve the environment. It’s a regulated site. In Les 3 Vallées, the forest has a range of uses in summer and winter. Activities (skiing, treetop adventure trails, paintball…) are regulated, in association with the landowner, by which we mean the local commune. We try to make people aware of the mosaic of habitats that makes up each of the forest’s zones."

explains Véronique De Righi,
manager of Moûtiers Territorial Unit at the ONF.

ANOTHER REMARKABLE SITE

In Méribel, the Tuéda nature reserve was created for the protection of the Swiss Pine and Black Grouse. The reserve has existed since 1990, as a compensatory measure from the skiarea, with the specific aim of protecting the forestland around the lake, which is a habitat for wood grouse.

“It extends over 1,112 hectares between altitudes of 1,700 and 3,200 metres, from Lac de Tuéda to the foot of Gébroulaz glacier. Lots of different activities take place there: cross-country skiing, skiing on the Ours run, hiking along the footpaths and marked snowshoeing itineraries, including those leading to Le Saut mountain refuge. Of course, to protect animals from disturbance, you can’t just wander around anywhere. We recorded around sixty crowing cockerels in the Méribel Valley. An eagle nests in the reserve, where there are also around thirty ibexes and a large population of chamois goats.”

explains Nicolas Gomez
from the Vanoise National Park and custodian of the Plan de Tuéda nature reserve in Les Allues.

DISCOVER THE FOREST AND ITS INHABITANTS

"Entering the forest is like walking into a house, you have to make sure you don’t disturb the inhabitants and show respect for such a fragile natural habitat. There are animal species nesting on the ground and at low heights. Ski blades can slice through the tops of young tree shoots poking out of the snow. To avoid that, you need to stick to the marked itineraries and runs."

explains Véronique De Righi,
manager of Moûtiers Territorial Unit at the ONF.