The Landes de Gascogne forest
The Eurosol campsite is located in the Landes forest, which spans three départements: Landes, Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne. With almost a million hectares of forest, it is the largest cultivated forest in Europe, and its history is just as impressive.
History of the Landes forest
This pharaonic project was prompted by two problems specific to the region. Prior to the 19th century, the Landes region had to contend with a constant advance of sand several tens of meters per year across the land. Added to this was the difficulty of draining rainwater from the flat, sandy soil, leading to the development of mosquitoes and numerous diseases such as malaria.
To counteract these effects, the first steps were taken in the 18th century. Following his own observations, Chambrelent, a civil engineer, had the idea of planting maritime pine seeds on a marshy plot of land. Success was not long in coming, and the number of hectares rehabilitated multiplied over time. In view of the results obtained, Napoleon III decided to pass a law to seed the region. It would be several decades before the dunes were fixed by oyat and the marshes reclaimed by forest.
A strong economic impact
This new forest had beneficial effects on the local economy. First of all, thanks to gemmage, the process of extracting resin from pine trees. This work helped to waterproof ships and maintain ropes. Later, the resin was used as turpentine for the manufacture of various products such as paint and varnish.
In the twentieth century, resin was abandoned in favor of wood, which was used to make poles in French and English mines.
In the twenties, a new economy was born: Papeteries de Gascogne, based in Mimizan.
The company’s success is such that it is still the market leader in kraft paper today.