Working with the forest - Louis Constantin

September 2, 2024

For over two years, Louis has been a forestry technician with the Office National des Forêts (ONF) in Val d'Isère. A daily job in the great outdoors, at the crossroads of multiple issues.

As an ONF employee, Louis is responsible for the conservation and sustainable management of the 2,000 hectares of Haute-Tarentaise forest entrusted to him, including 356 hectares for the Val d'Isère forest. His missions are numerous. While his daily routine varies according to the season, one thing is certain: he always has one foot outside! During field outings, he prepares silvicultural and plant engineering work, carries out forest management actions (by intervening to encourage tree growth, for example), or observes how forests are evolving in the face of climate change, as well as their "good health". It's important to be alert to the slightest sign of trouble, so as to be able to react and prevent minor inconveniences from escalating. For example, the creation of trails must be channelled to limit erosion, and excessive growth of forest-damaging organisms must be spotted...

In the office, Louis transfers his observations to various technical software programs, so as to monitor and facilitate forest management. He also interacts with the various players in the area - local councillors, Vanoise National Park staff, hunters, tourist offices, environmental associations, etc. - to make the link between everyone's interests and needs. He also dialogues with the public during forest discovery events, as was the case during the "Naturons nous! week.

Ski resort forestry technician

Working on a mountain forest estate, and even more so in a ski resort, brings a whole new dimension to the job. In addition to the environmental aspect, the forest is also at the heart of economic and political interests, which are more varied and sometimes conflicting than elsewhere. A balance must therefore be found in the management and use of the forest. In Val d'Isère, the two main roles of the forest are to protect against natural hazards and to welcome the public. As an environmental policeman, Louis ensures that recreational use of the forest, a major factor in the development of summer tourism, does not come at the expense of its health and local biodiversity. In the Forêt des Sources, for example, which has a special ecosystem with protected plants, he has to find solutions in consultation with other local players to prevent ATV traffic from causing erosion.

A profession for the future

It is important to preserve the forest as a rich ecosystem, important for biodiversity and the safety of the village and human activities. The rate of forest dieback caused by climate change is increasing every year: we need to find the right balance to enable the general public to enjoy the forest while limiting human impact, so as to enable the forest's resistance (=ability to withstand a climatic or other accident) and resilience (=ability to recover from a disturbance by healing the forest ecosystem).

The forest's time scale is not the same as that of humans, and it can take years for forests to adapt to change. Being a forestry technician therefore always requires us to project as far as possible into the future, trying to anticipate the various parameters that can influence forest evolution: climate change, evolution of forest roles, environmental management... The heart of our work is therefore a gamble on the future: we know what we want for the forest, but how do we go about implementing it? Should we speed up the renewal of native tree species, or plant non-native species? Which actions will work and which will be counter-productive in the short and long term? As the ONF is the forest manager, these considerations are carried out jointly with the local authorities, who own the forests and therefore have the final say on the actions taken. Among the points of vigilance, particular attention is paid to ensuring that a forest has trees of varied ages, so as to limit gravity movements (falling boulders, falling snow...) and so as to be more resistant, more resilient, and therefore ultimately more capable of ensuring human safety as well as hosting biodiversity.

Current projects for the Val d'Isère forest

In the Avalin region, it's important to improve access to nature for the general public. It's a long-term project, which involves enhancing the value of what's there and getting people to make it their own, while channelling the flow of walkers. The first objective is to preserve the health and longevity of the forest. Louis' role is to accompany its evolution, giving it a helping hand to adapt as easily as possible to climate change.

Photo credit: Anna Cantu