Introduction of conifers - Lessons from the Barillons forest arboretum

Abstract

The forest arboretum of Barillons was set up in 1924 on the « domaine des Barres » (Loiret - France). Sixteen coniferous species were tested on the site, which is representative of the presently abandoned agricultural land in the Sologne and the Orléanais. Sixty years later, the Cemagref carried out an evaluation of this long-term experiment. The archives allowed us to identify the origins of the species, the planting and the silvicultural conditions. Observations and measurements gave indices on the growth and sanitary state of each species. Among the species tested, Pinus laricio var. Calabrica and Cedrus atlantica were the best adapted to the site. Cedar may therefore be a viable alternative to the Laricio Pine in the plains of Western-Central France. Our results show that assessing the adaptability of exotic species requires long-term input of data. Other arboretums were set up in France in different site conditions and represent a potential source of information about the autecology of forest tree species, which should be better exploited.