This park is part of the history of land restoration in the mountains to combat erosion. Today, it’s a place for strolling and discovery, offering you a moment of freshness, escape and relaxation.
By the middle of the 19th century, the Brusquet basin was almost entirely bare. Pubescent oaks, sumacs and boxwoods, typical of the southern Pre-Alps, had gradually disappeared from the black soils that make up the bulk of the area.
To combat gullying and erosion, the Eaux et Forêts administration undertook the planting of 87 hectares (out of a hundred or so), mainly with Austrian black pines, but also with Scots pines and various species (maples, oaks, beeches). A nursery was set up to supply the seedlings needed to reforest the Dignois mountains, which were also largely denuded. Around the forest house, numerous species were planted on an experimental basis. Today, it’s a forest park dedicated to leisure and walking, with a large number of species and majestic specimens. The action of erosion continues to be studied in marl soils by research organizations such as IRSTEA.