Ici la forêt reviendra
It all began on July 12, 2022, when the first plumes of smoke were seen in the forest of La Teste-de-Buch, Gironde. From the beach at Biscarrosse, a seaside resort spared by the flames, the landscape seemed surreal. From here, the danger in the air had never seemed so close.
As a result of the clear-cutting of the disaster areas, the desert moorland we discover is similar to that of Félix Arnaudin. This late 19th-century photographer and ethnographer never hesitated to remove a line of pine trees from his negatives. Fascinated by the marshy desert of the Landes, he never stopped photographing this landscape, cleared by the Landes shepherds, before it disappeared under the pine canopy. The Landes de Gascogne forest massif, the largest artificial forest in Europe, has now been elevated to industrial status. Sown in rows, conifers have colonized the sandy, acid soil, separated from other native hardwood species such as tauzin oaks, which limit the spread of fires.
What to do with our new landscapes? Disasters are sometimes an opportunity to redistribute nature's cards. In the aftermath of fires, as the Atlantic dunes eat away at the forest, hills are rediscovered and vistas cleared, emptied of man's creations. All that remains are remnants and the marks of the felling machines' passage, carpeting the fragile soil. The La Teste-de-Buch forest, 2000 years old and almost entirely ravaged by fire, has seen machines crush its soil for the first time. From the top of Dune du Pyla, the desolate landscape before us begs the question of how man will accompany its regeneration.
Over the course of the seasons, in the midst of a deregulated climate, I met a number of personalities who hold this land close to their hearts. Forester, scientist, artist, citizen... They defend nature in their own way, propose ideas, share their knowledge or sublimate their eco-anxiety. Alongside their stories, I captured the slow regeneration of the Landes forest. With only one hope: that here, the forest will return.
Ici la forêt reviendra
Tout commence le 12 Juillet 2022, lorsqu?un premier panache de fumée fut observé dans la forêt de La teste de Buch, en gironde. Depuis les plages de cette région touristique, ce paysage inédit me parait surréaliste. Cette fois, les conséquences désastreuses du changement climatique sont tangibles et ressentis par le plus grand nombre.
Entre la forêt et l?océan, les différents paysages des Landes de Gascogne sont témoins d?un climat en surchauffe. Ses habitants sont désormais pleinement concernés par cette réalité. Au fil des quatre saisons, entre terre et mer, j?ai voulu rendre compte de la résilience de l?environnement et de l?homme aux plus grands défis auquel fait face l?humanité.
