Sanctuarized forest oases

Semeurs de Forêts buys a 6th plot of land in Maine-et-Loire for renaturalization. update

Semeurs de Forêts buys a 6th plot of land in Maine-et-Loire for renaturalization.

It's official! Semeurs de Forêts is the proud owner of a new 5.5-hectare plot of land in Lourroux-Beconnais, near Angers.
With this 6th acquisition, 27.9 hectares of land are now protected and will contribute to the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity.
A big thank you to all our donors and volunteers who have made this project possible!

Semeurs de Forêts is 5 years old!

Semeurs de Forêts is celebrating its fifth anniversary today! 🎂🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
This is an opportunity to take a look back at the adventure on video.
Thanks to all our volunteers and partners!
See you soon in the field or elsewhere.
All the Sowers of Forests team
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To support us: https://semeursdeforets.org/soutenez-nous.

Save the Date - Planting in Eure at Château sur Epte from March 1 to 3, 2024

A new Semeurs de Forêts plantation is planned at Château-sur-Epte from March 1 to 3, 2024.
Olivier from Com' La Nature, has generously donated around 500 trees that will find their place on this plot.
Volunteers welcome: contact [email protected].
Judith, the project's bearer, shows you the seedlings.
See you soon
Judith, Florence, David and the whole Semeurs de Forêts team

Onwards to 2024!

2023 is coming to an end... A year most rich in acquisitions, plantings and experiences for the Semeurs de Forêts association. We never thought we'd reach this point when we began this adventure in January 2019. Today, reality has surpassed the dream: with two new plots of land purchased over the course of the year, we are now up to 5 protected areas, in 5 different departments (Oise, Eure, Vienne, Deux-Sèvres, Charente). A new plot will even arrive in early 2024 in Maine-et-Loire, with the sales agreement already signed.
A total of 23 hectares have been set aside (soon to be 28), nearly 6,500 trees of almost 40 different local species have been planted, and more than 200 volunteers from all over France have been on the ground for planting and maintenance sessions, not to mention thousands of hours of organization in the service of the trees, the forest and its inhabitants.Behind these figures lies a vision, that of creating oases for biodiversity, spaces that we return to nature with humility, baby plantations that we hope will evolve into natural forests rich in life, soils that we care for and the creation of links between us, Man, and the Earth. We are aware that any space that is sanctuarized and left to evolve freely has an inestimable value for all the plant and animal beings that will populate it. 
This adventure could not exist without you, by coming to plant, taking care of the seedlings and financing the land, equipment and trees. Remember that all Sowers are volunteers. 
We believe that our strength lies in this collective and in the fact that we can all work. 
See you soon,
Florence, David and the whole Sowers of Forests team 

A new plantation in Charente

We've just been planting on our new 7.2-hectare plot in Charente, which we bought just a month ago!
Thanks to all the happy planting participants!

Publication of an article in the newspaper Le Monde update

Publication of an article in the newspaper Le Monde

We have signed a tribune at the initiative of the association Canopée published in the October 20, 2023 edition of the newspaper "Le Monde".
Along with more than 600 scientists, players in the forest-wood industry, association leaders and local elected officials, we are calling on the government regarding its forestry policy, which should build on existing ecosystems rather than raze and replant.
The text of the tribune and the list of signatories is to be found here.

Video news from one of our grounds

We were at the Juvignies field in the Oise region this weekend to carry out some maintenance.
I took the opportunity to make a little video to show you what our plantations look like.
Sorry for the backlight :-/

Two new forests in the pipeline update

Two new forests in the pipeline

This summer, we launched the acquisition of two new plots of land in France, totalling almost 13 hectares. Located in the Charentes and Maine et Loire departments, and supported by motivated volunteers, we should own them this year and begin planting operations early next year.
Funding for these purchases and plantings is provided by our partners like Captain Cause, and by a participatory funding campaign.
In total, the association will own 28 hectares of land in 6 different French departments by the end of 2023!
Thank you all for your support!

A nice interview on France Culture update

A nice interview on France Culture

We were lucky enough to be interviewed in April by radio journalist Élise Andrieu for France Culture's "Les Pieds sur terre" magazine. Florence Massin talked about the association's beginnings and how we came to create "Semeurs de Forêts" in January 2019. We hope you enjoy listening.
 ▶️ Listen (28 min)

A book for creating new forests! update

A book for creating new forests!

"Semeurs de Forêts, Créer des forêts sanctuaires" by Florence Massin from Editions Eyrolles: finally a book to learn how to sow forests!

"If nobody can act from above, then maybe we can do it from below. It was time to stop remaking the world from our couch, and take action. Four months later, Semeurs de Forêts was born."
Time is running out. Faced with the collapse of biodiversity, climate change and its trail of bad news and eco-anxiety, Florence Massin and David Buffault have decided to react. To ensure a future full of life for their children, they thus created Semeurs de Forêts in January 2019. The association buys land and sanctuaries it, planting forests (but also letting meadows and wetlands evolve without human constraint...) rich in biodiversity. It also aims to share its knowledge and support those who would like to follow a similar path, which has now materialized with the release of the book "Semeurs de Forêts, Créer des forêts sanctuaires".
A veritable practical guide for everyone, the book gives the steps to follow to create a forest, hedgerows or copses, as well as simple advice and feedback. With one conviction: whether you plant one tree or twenty thousand, whether you protect one square meter of land or thousands of hectares, it all starts with a first step, then a second, a third... It's an extraordinary collective, human and civic adventure. It will help you grow and give you a new perspective on the world around you. Through this unique and necessary book, Florence Massin launches a vibrant appeal to restore our link with nature, and to recreate a new relationship with living beings.
"If a movement grows, if everyone starts planting trees, preserving them, watching wasteland and weeds colonize our streets, taking care of the soil and its microfauna, restoring what has been destroyed, then a civic change will already be here. We all have the power to act and the opportunity to use it."
- Florence Massin, "Semeurs de Forêts, créer des forêts sanctuaires", Éditions Eyrolles.

First planting operation completed update

First planting operation completed

 📢  We've started planting operations for the forest  🌳 on our land in the Eure.
 📅 On March 7 and 9, we invited all people of goodwill to our land in Château-sur-Epte in the Eure to start operations to create our new sanctuary forest!
On the program:
➡  on Thursday, preparation for planting with establishment of the planting grid and augering of holes
➡  on Saturday, planting of large hedges around the perimeter of the plot to act as windbreaks, reintroduce biodiversity and raise awareness of environmental preservation.
32 people attended the event and the weather was fine  ☀ . We were able to complete this operation in much less time than planned, thanks to everyone's mobilization!
🌳  🌳  🌳 In the end: 500 trees planted in one day!  🌳  🌳  🌳 

What a year 2022! update

What a year 2022!

👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Partnerships that continue to diversify: Culture (Humana Project, Cabaret Solidaire, ...), skills sponsorship scheme, solidarity trade, 1% for the Planet France scheme, new initiatives (thanks Captain Cause!), we can't believe it!
💶 A giant leap in our funding with +79% compared to 2021, which had already seen a nice increase vs 2020 thanks to the efforts of the growing communications team
🌍 3 plots of land purchased for a total of nearly 14Has
🌳 4900 trees planted approximately with a very nice survival proportion over the year thanks to maintenance and watering sessions (especially during the summer), and of course a great diversity of species (42 planted in total)
💪 140 essential volunteers were mobilized during the year to accompany our plantations and make our action possible
👨‍🎓 7 actions carried out in schools close to our projects
Our action continues in 2023! Starting in March, we'll be back in the field for our new project in Chateau-sur-Epte (27), with lots more in the pipeline (publication of a book, other acquisition projects in the pipeline, ...). We won't tell you everything just yet! 😀

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