10,000 trees in the forest of the Domaine national de Chambord

The Scouts Unitaires de France, in partnership with the Experts Forestiers de France, Plantons pour l'Avenir and Life Terra, are planting 10,000 trees in the forest of the Domaine national de Chambord.

Launched on the occasion of the Chambord gathering of 30,000 Scouts Unitaires de France in June 2022, the "one scout, one tree" operation is entering its operational phase with the planting of 10,000 trees between 20 and 24 February 2023. Initiated by the Scouts Unitaires de France and in partnership with the Experts Forestiers de France, Plantons pour l'Avenir and the Life Terra Foundation, this operation aims to raise young people's awareness of forestry issues. More than 250 young scouts, aged 12 to 24, will participate in the planting. This is a great opportunity for them to understand the importance of preserving the forest and the importance of sustainable management with the economic, environmental and social issues involved.

A successful donation campaign with over €63,000 collected

The fundraising campaign launched in April 2022 to the general public raised over €63,000. 528 donors contributed to this campaign to support the safeguarding of France's natural forest heritage and to carry out an environmental awareness-raising action with 30,000 young scouts. The "one scout, one tree" project is thus directly involved in renewing the forest heritage of the Chambord estate by purchasing and planting new trees.

10,000 trees planted in 5 days with over 250 young people

Since the creation of scouting, nature has been the framework for scouting activities and a major element of its pedagogy. It is a school of truth and concrete training for young people, who learn to be resourceful and to make an effort. The preservation of nature, and of the forest in particular, is therefore a major issue for the SUF. By participating in the planting of 10,000 seedlings and receiving training from the forestry experts present, more than 250 young Scouts, aged 12 to 24, will discover the reality of the actions to be taken to protect the forest and manage it sustainably in response to major challenges, including climate change. This landmark event will make them ambassadors to the rest of their units.

Continuation of educational awareness-raising operations

After the large gathering in Chambord in June 2022, which was an opportunity to bring together the forestry world, these planting days are part of a vast programme to raise awareness of forestry issues among young scouts. The objectives of this programme are to improve the scouts' knowledge of the forest and trees, to remind them of good practices, but also to facilitate exchanges with forest owners who host scout camps during the summer. The Chambord forest, which covers 5,540 hectares enclosed by 32 kilometres of walls, is mainly composed of oaks and Scots pines, but also includes forest stands, heathland, ponds, meadows and wetlands.

Read full article here (in French).