Forests, hedges, orchards and other trees from the Foret d'Orient Nature Park
You can notice different size of wooded areas in the park. Very large ones or single tree. They represent life and hold the world, linking the earth to the sky. They hold our memories, the beliefs of our ancesters and contain some mysterious secrets. The trees remind us of our childhood, when we were trying to climb them and build treehouses ...
Trees are everywhere around us. Memories or symbol, in the forest, on a road, in a field or in the village, near a church or a castle.. We owe them to take a minute to contemplate them, and remember that we also get our roots from them...
The Forest Massif
The forests in the Park are full of histories, connected to the geology, the economy and historical events. The forest surrounding us is mainly made from oaks and hornbeams.There is a wide population in the forest : trees from a different age, small and big mammals, birds, amphibians and insects.
Altough they might seem strong to you, forests are frail and need a constant balance. All of us contribute to this balance.
Hedges and Orchards
In opened areas and villages, you can notice some hedges. Narural hedges are made from hawthorns, willows, hornbeams, ash-trees, beech trees...
Some orchards are hidding in the villages; Perfect hunting place fot the Little owl,
Isolated trees
Here and there on the territory, you can find some trees called "Tadpole trees" ... this is due to the technic used to prune them. Their shape has changed, due to the scars made when cutting the branches for wood (for heating etc...)
A long time ago, those "Tadpole trees" where growing enough wood for everydays life. Nowadays, they dont represent any interest to anyone... Although abandoned from a rural economy they have a long history.
Striking trees in the Foret d'Orient Nature Park
A strinking tree is a tree, which attract people because of its size, age, shape, history.
There are 38 species of striking trees, Pedunculate Oaks, Service trees, Beech trees, Willows, Durmast Oaks, Hornbeams, Ash-trees, or species that have been put in the forest (Cedar, plane tree, Sequoïa...).
Not to be missed: the Oak tree with a War Shell, the "Liberty tree"...