TREES

The queen of the area is the sweet chestnut. Planted out on terraces banked with dry-stone walls ('bancels') , many majestic centuries-old specimens scatter the landscape. The chestnut was the powerhouse of the area, providing man with his traditional source of food and warmth for much of the year (chestnut flour is still available). Their strong and attractive wood provided timber for most of France's historic houses. Many coppiced chestnut groves can still be found, nowadays providing supports for vines rather than for pit-shafts of the now dis-used mines.

The pine was eagerly introduced in the mid-19th century, but has proved an ecological disaster as it invades the chestnut groves, advancing up the slopes to take over the heathland pastures, blotting out the ecological niches for wildlife.

Cherry and snowy white Amelanchier trees are a colourful spring spectacle on the limestone slopes, and the vivid yellow and lime greens of several maple species in early spring is matched only by their brilliant golds and reds come the autumn. The occasional aging mulberry tree bears witness to the former thriving silk trade that enriched the area.

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