Montmorency, France, September 2022
Suffering from chestnut ink disease, some forests in the north of Île- de-France (Paris region) are rapidly dying out. The damage in Montmorency– 70% chestnut trees – is so serious the forest is officially in a health crisis since 2018.
Given the situation, the RED by SFR brand joined forces with the French National Forest Office (Office national des forêts, ONF) and A Tree for You in February 2021. Since then, through its #REDsponsable programme, the telecom operator offers its customers the chance to play a role in planting healthy trees in the disaster-stricken forest of Montmorency forest. For every donation by its customers, RED by SFR contributes the same sum.
The project involves planting of 2,980 perennial trees on two plots (22 & 23) of land in the forest.The good news is that the project is now fully funded – thanks support from RED by SFR and its customers!
The young trees were planted in the winter of 2021/2022 by technical teams from the ONF and RED by SFR staff.
On 2 February 2022, the RED by SFR brand visited the site with its teams to raise awareness and bring its staff on board the project. The programme was as follows:
- Welcome by ONF technicians
- Introduction to planting techniques
- Visit of the RED forest plots
- Learning how to identify animal tracks and different tree species
Twenty-five people from RED by SFR planted the ‘first seeds’ of the RED forest, together with teams from the ONF and A Tree for You. A total of 150 sessile oak seedlings were planted.
Other species also growing on the plot include cherry and hornbeam, as well as natural growth of birch and chestnut. Deer guards have been installed around the young trees to protect them from damage by wildlife.
Theplantations offer many benefits, namely:
- Preserving biodiversity
- Storing carbon
- Safeguarding local jobs
- Welcoming school classes to the forest and raising awareness of the risks of climate change
- Retaining and filtering water
- Maintaining a habitat for animals and birds
To guarantee the future of the stand, the ONF‘s technical teams are monitoring and maintaining the planted plots. The recovery rate on the RED by SFR plot will be estimated one year after planting. If the survival rate is less than 80%, the ONF will replant. Clearing work is also planned for the first five years to help the trees grow well, without having to compete with each other.
This maintenance and monitoring work is planned for the first five years of the project. After this, the stand will be considered self-sustaining.
Continuing its commitment with customers, RED by SFR is supporting another project – in Meudon forest, Île- de-France – where the chestnut trees are also suffering from ink disease.
Previously in Montmorency
